We hope you’re hungry, because this upcoming long weekend in Tokyo is all about food and drink festivals. Sound like your idea of a good time? Here are four food and drink events for you to check out over the next few days.
One of the biggest is the annual seafood festival happening at Yoyogi Park and featuring around 80 food stalls. One stop on the express train from Shibuya, you’ll reach Shimokitazawa which is hosting its own food affair – this one revolving around spice and cheese. Winter in Japan is all about sweet potatoes, and you can enjoy them in many forms at the annual Sweet Potato Expo in Saitama. Lastly, the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon hotel is bringing back its all-you-can-drink cocktail extravaganza for one day only.
So kanpai to a fun-filled weekend of eating and drinking!
Sakana & Japan Festival
Succulent crab legs, salmon roe rice bowls and uni (sea urchin) croquettes are just some of the mouthwatering bites you’ll find at the Sakana & Japan Festival. Happening from February 21 to 24, this four-day event at Yoyogi Park Events Square is one of Tokyo’s largest seafood festivals, where you can feast on fish, crustaceans and the like to your heart’s content.
There’s going to be around 80 stalls offering hot dishes like oyster ajillo, clam and shirasu (whitebait) yakisoba and niboshi (seafood broth) ramen to keep you going on a cold winter day. You’ll also find interesting dishes such as grilled steak topped with uni and black truffle beef sandwich and catfish burger, which will definitely appease serious foodies. Whatever your choice, you can always wash it all down with sake or beer.
Shimokita Cheese & Spice Festival
Get ready to challenge your palate – Shimokitazawa is hosting a gourmet festival celebrating the bold flavours of spicy and cheesy cuisine. For a limited time, a whopping 56 local restaurants will be serving up exclusive dishes designed to warm you from the inside out.
With a participation pass (¥500) sold online, you can restaurant-hop with ease, skipping appetiser and seating fees as you sample creative, one-of-a-kind bites. Expect indulgent pairings like Art Rég Café’s ‘Lava bolognese quattro formaggi’ – a rich spaghetti bolognese topped with four kinds of melted cheese – or MountBro’s ‘Raw oysters with jalapeño salsa.’
The lineup of participating diners spans genres such as Japanese, Western and Chinese, with everything from curry and ramen to seafood and desserts getting the cheesy, fiery treatment.
Sweet Potato Expo
Spend winter in Japan the right way at the Sweet Potato Expo at Keyaki Hiroba plaza located just outside Saitama Super Arena. From big-time yakiimo makers to independent food trucks, discover 31 of the best sweet potato vendors and vote for your favourite in the National Yakiimo Grand Prix. Eat sweet potatoes the traditional way – straight out of the stone oven – or try them in soup, chips, pies and croquettes.
The event this year features a free area where visitors can casually enjoy sweet potato desserts and dishes, while the main venue, showcasing sweet potatoes from across Japan, requires an entry fee.
Gold Bar Cocktail Festival 2025
The swanky Gold Bar at the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon hotel is bringing back its cocktail festival this February. Six talented bartenders from across Japan are invited to take over the bar and create cocktails for the occasion. These specialists come from some of the country’s most acclaimed bars.
For one day only, these esteemed bartenders will shake up 12 unique cocktails using Japanese spirits and tequila – and you can enjoy a free flow of these special concoctions with a ticket that’ll set you back ¥7,800 (early-bird price until February 22, after which tickets are ¥8,600).
The first round of bartenders (from 2pm to 3.40pm) includes Satomi Mizugishi formerly of Jigger & Pony, which was ranked first in Asia's 50 Best Bars, Showgo Nakashima, the mastermind behind Yokohama's Full Brix, and Ippei Nishio, a pioneer of coffee cocktails and the owner of Direct Coffee Kyoto.
From 4pm to 5.40pm, the bar is taken over by Masato Ishioka, the 2024 Diageo World Class Japan Champion, Osamu Kojima, the owner of Bar Alegre in Hiroshima, and Yuichi Wakabayashi, an agave spirits specialist and ambassador for mezcal.
More from Time Out Tokyo
Here's the official Japan cherry blossom forecast for 2025
teamLab Planets has expanded with new artworks
These are the 11 award-winning travel experiences in Japan for 2025
Le Pristine Tokyo at Hotel Toranomon Hills now offers weekend brunch
Announcing the first 7 chefs and restaurateurs coming to Time Out Market Osaka in March 2025
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.