Eat grilled sanma for free!
Sanma is a classic autumn food in Japan. In Japanese, so much that the kanji to write ‘sanma’ are 秋刀魚. 秋: autumn, 刀:katana (probably because of its pointy shape) , and 魚:fish. If you like fish, an autumnal trip to Japan wouldn’t be complete without eating Sanma. You can find it in the markets and in restaurants, but this delicious fish is also the subject of its own festival in Tokyo. At the Meguro Sanma Festival, you can eat sanma for free!
Get ready to eat fresh sanma grilled on the spot
7000 fresh sanma coming directly from Iwate prefecture will be given for free. But it does come with a price: the waiting time! The festival attracts a lot of people each year so please be ready to wait for quite a long time. Free tickets will be distributed on a first-come first serve basis and it takes from 3 to 5 hours to get a plate of sanma. The festival organizers advise that you come with towels, and a sun shade and fresh drinks, especially mugicha for the long wait in the sun.
You can also get free sudachi (a green citrus fruit) from Tokushima prefecture, and free grated radishes Tochigi prefecture. The charcoal used in the grills comes from Wakayama prefecture. A lot of people from all over Japan cooperate for this event! There’s also a comedy house called “Yose”, where you can discover Japanese traditional comedy while eating. The relation between sanma and Meguro came from one of the programs of Rakugo (Japanese traditional comedy), “Sanma in Meguro” and people started this event.
Event details
■ Meguro Sanma Festival
Date: September 9th Sun, 2018 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Place: Shopping street in front of Meguro station
Address: 2-13-36 Kami-Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Access: 1 minute by walk from JR/Subway Meguro station East Exit
Map
Kamiosaki, Meguro-ku, Tokyo