Tokyo: Sushi Event Information

Sushi, a representative of Japanese cuisine, is highly popular overseas. With sushi restaurants found worldwide, those who love Japan have likely tried it at least once.

There are various types of sushi, including the most popular nigiri zushi (hand-shaped sushi), maki zushi (rolled sushi with seaweed), pressed sushi, and chirashi zushi (scattered sushi with rice topped with fish, eggs, and vegetables). In typical Japanese households, people often prepare hand-roll sushi or chirashi zushi by setting out nori (seaweed), vinegared rice, and various ingredients separately.

Sushi is popular among all ages and genders as people can choose their favorite ingredients. As a result, sushi-related events are held in various locations, attracting many visitors.

This article introduces sushi events in Tokyo.

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What's the sushi situation in Japan?

Nigiri zushi, shaped by hand, originated in the early 1800s during the Edo era. It was initially popular among commoners as convenient food served at food stalls.

However, after World War II in 1945, sushi sales at stalls were banned due to hygiene concerns, making sushi a more upscale food. In the 1950s, the introduction of conveyor belt sushi made sushi accessible to the general public again. Today, sushi is famous worldwide as a representative of Japanese cuisine.

In Japan, there are various types of sushi restaurants, from high-end establishments to casual chain stores and conveyor belt sushi. Each restaurant offers innovative menus, and sushi continues to be loved by a wide range of people.

Sushi Events in Tokyo

Sea Delicacy Festival 2023

The "Sea Delicacy Festival 2023" (Umino Gochiso Festival) will be held on October 21-22, 2023, at Futakotamagawa Rise in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.

The festival's main message is "The more you know, the more delicious the sea is." It aims to raise interest in marine issues such as rising sea levels due to global warming through food.

A special conveyor belt sushi lane will be set up at the venue to consider past, present, and future marine issues. Here, pre-selected parent-child pairs will be served "past sushi" representing sushi as a food culture, "present sushi" highlighting current marine issues, and "future sushi" expressing a future where seafood sushi might become unavailable.

If you're interested in both sushi and marine issues, this event is worth visiting.

<Basic Information>
・Date: October 21-22, 2023
・Location: Futakotamagawa Rise, 2-21-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
・Time: 21st: 11:00-18:00, 22nd: 10:00-17:00
・Event URL: https://shoku.uminohi.jp/gochiso-fes/

35th East-West Famous Sushi and National Delicacies Fair

This event will be held from October 4-9, 2023, at the Keio Department Store in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. It brings together 15 famous sushi restaurants from eastern and western Japan.

The venue's dine-in area features a sushi bar and a conveyor belt sushi lane, allowing visitors to enjoy famous restaurant flavors on-site. In 2023, "Sushi-dokoro Mekumi," which earned two Michelin stars in the "Michelin Guide Toyama-Ishikawa," will produce the sushi bar.

A variety of takeaway sushi options, including nigiri zushi, oshi zushi, and chirashi zushi, will also be available.

Besides sushi, the event showcases local specialties, popular sweets, and bread from various parts of Japan. If you want to taste delicious foods from across Japan, be sure to stop by.

<Basic Information>
・Date: October 4-9, 2023
・Location: Keio Department Store, 1-1-4 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
・Time: 10:00-20:00 (until 17:00 on the last day)
・Event URL: https://www.walkerplus.com/event/ar0313e481150/

Tokyo Tokyo Delicious Museum 2024

This event, with the catchphrase "Eat, Discover. Create the world's most delicious Tokyo," brings together delicious food from all over Tokyo.

Tokyo offers more than just Japanese food. It's a place where diverse cuisines from around the world gather, develop, and create a unique food culture. This event aims to become a museum showcasing Tokyo's world-class cuisine.

Of course, numerous sushi shops will participate. Each shop's chefs will prepare special menus for this day, showcasing their skills. My recommendation is the Special Chirashi Sushi from "Edomae zushi Aoyama Sanaka," featuring vinegared rice generously topped with seafood and eggs.

Other Michelin-starred restaurants will also participate, so come and enjoy Tokyo's diverse culinary scene.

<Basic Information>
・Date: May 17 (Fri) - 19 (Sun), 2024
・Location: Symbol Promenade Park, in front of International Exhibition Center station on the Rinkai Line, 3-7-7 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo
・Time: 11:00-21:30 (L.O. 21:00), Market & Workshop: 11:00-19:00
・Event URL: https://tokyotokyo-delicious-museum.jp

WORLD SUSHI CUP® JAPAN 2024

The WORLD SUSHI CUP® JAPAN, celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2024, is a competition where foreign sushi chefs compete in sushi freshness management and cooking techniques to determine the world's best foreign sushi chef.

The preliminary round on August 22 includes a preparation session, an otsukuri session (demonstrating sashimi plating skills), and a nigiri session. The top 15 from the preliminaries advance to the finals.

In the finals on August 23, participants must complete sushi based on a predetermined theme within 60 minutes, competing on taste and appearance.

Until 2023, the event was held at Toyosu Market, Japan's largest seafood market. In 2024, it will take place at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake.

Registration through the official website of the 26th Japan International Seafood Show is required for entry.

<Basic Information>
・Date: August 20-23, 2024
・Location: Tokyo Big Sight East Wing, 3-10-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo
・Time: TBA
・Event URL: https://worldsushicup.com/

Character Event Featuring Sushi

"Dosukoi Sushi Sumo" × "Sunshine City Prince Hotel"

In Japan, there are even children's anime featuring sushi. One such anime, titled "Dosukoi Sushi Sumo," is popular among Japanese children with its whimsical story of sushi pieces becoming sumo wrestlers and competing against each other. Sumo, by the way, is a unique Japanese martial art.

An event showcasing this anime's world will be held from April 5 to May 31, 2024, at the Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Ikebukuro. Special accommodation plans and restaurant menus will be available.

The accommodation plan includes rooms decorated with the anime's sushi sumo wrestlers on walls and doors. There's also a Japanese-style room with a sumo ring and flags.

The restaurant will offer sushi sets with flags from the anime. Original amenities such as mugs and keychains are also available. If you're sightseeing with children, this is a perfect break from your Tokyo tour.

<Basic Information>
・Date: April 5 - May 31, 2024
・Location: Sunshine City Prince Hotel, 3-1-5 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
・Time: -
・Restaurant reservation site: https://www.tablecheck.com/princehotels-sunshinecity-musashino/reserve?menu_items[]=65ed5e94

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