Love noodles? The Dried Noodles Grand Prix at Komazawa Olympic Park has got you covered with 28 kinds of soba, somen (thin wheat flour noodles), udon and chukamen (Chinese noodles) dishes. For Japanese flavours, go for a matcha soy latte dipping soba, cold duck broth ramen with yuzu, or a simple udon topped with olive-fed beef and Setouchi lemon. Adventurous eaters should try the spicy curry somen topped with chashu pork and tomato, dak-galbi udon with heaps of melted cheese, or a pan-fried taco somen.
There will also be plenty of craft beer to go with your meal, and an official pairing chart online if you can’t decide on what to get. You’ll mostly find Japanese beers from the likes of Spring Valley, Yoho Brewing and Far Yeast Brewing. For dessert, check out the Soba Cake Ikemori booth to try a soba soft serve, or a hojicha roll cake with red bean paste. The first 1,500 visitors will also be treated to a free bar of Garigari-kun ice pop.
After you’ve had a few rounds of noodles, you can vouch for your favourite dish by putting a vote in the ballot box, located in the centre of the venue between the dining area and stalls. All dishes go for ¥300 or ¥500 each, which must be bought with tickets that can be purchased at the venue. For ¥1,500, you’ll get 15 tickets that are worth ¥100 each.