Los Angeles' Japanese Food Expo was no typical California Roll dinner. Instead, a giant room was filled with Japanese food vendors, offering innovative takes on Japanese cuisine from Kale Ramen Noodles to Karaage Marshmallow sticks. We were SOY happy to head to the Loews Hollywood Hotel to try premium Japanese foods, street-style foods, and carnival games!
The food options were split into three main sections: "Premium Taste From Japan”, which featured a variety of foods from different Japanese food distributors, “Tokyo Street Food”, with flavors that transported us to the bustling streets of Japan, and the Sake and Beer Alley (for the adult drinkers;)).
Premium Taste From Japan
We first walked into the "Premium Taste From Japan" room, where we were amazed at the seemingly endless assortment of food– and sushi robots! Take a look at some of our favorites:
First, we tried the MIGAKI-ICHIGO strawberries that came all the way from Yamamoto, Japan! Referred to as “edible jewels,” these strawberries must fulfill specific shape and size requirements. Hands down the sweetest strawberries we’ve ever tasted!
The amazing Myojo Vegan Ramen Noodles in (from left to right) beet, kale, wavy yellow, and straight white! They’re currently only available for food service but Myojo told us they were in the process of getting them out into the supermarket.
O-FISH-ALLY obsessed with the freshly cut bluefin tuna and hand rolls from the Riviera Seafood Club!
No need to head to the gym after indulging in Yamachan’s RamenZ- they’re only 5 calories per 100 grams of noodles and 45 calories per serving! According to Yamachan, they’ll be available in most Asian grocery stores starting in May!
That’s how we ROLL! Check out the sushi made by the sushi robots! Fun fact: many restaurants use these machines to keep up with their customer’s orders!
There were also live cooking demonstrations throughout the day, where chefs taught the audience how to whip up Omurice (traditional Japanese Omelettes with fried rice) and how to arrange adorable bento lunches.
Tokyo Street Foods
Next up, Tokyo Street Foods! Modeled after the Japanese style festival “Matsuri”, various street foods were lined throughout the hallway!
We loved it so MATCHA! These mini matcha soft serve ice cream cones were absolutely adorable and delicious! There was even a mini toppings station to customize your cone too!
Fried chicken, chocolate, AND marshmallows? It sounds too good to be true! But behold, the Karaage stick! This unlikely combo was one of the stars of the Tokyo Street Foods section!
Entertainment:
Just in case the food wasn’t entertaining enough, the Japanese Food Expo was sure to supply guests with additional activities. Upon entering a pastel-balloon archway, we were greeted with the enchanting sounds of Kotos played by women in traditional kimonos.
There was also a “Visit Japan” room with additional information about Japanese Tourism and even more food. An entire cooler of Yakult was also present… shall we say more?
From sushi and potato noodles all the way to mochi and chocolate yogurt candies, getting a taste of Japan in LA was a Japanese-Food lover’s dream! Showcasing the best of Japan, this food expo brought a modern twist on traditional Japanese cooking and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year!
Wanna experience more events like the Japanese Food Expo? Check out @jfcausa and @japanesefoodexpo on Instagram for future updates!