Japanese festival food: takoyaki

Takoyaki is a popular snack in Japan. It is bite size octopus in batter, fried in a special mold on a hot plate, that gives it a ball shape. It is usually served with a side of pickles and dressed in bonito flakes, mayo and brown sauce. It is not only a common food at festivals, but it is frequently eaten at home too. In addition, there are restaurants that specialize in it and many other restaurants have it on their menu. 

Takoyaki

A set of eight takoyaki pictured above. When you buy it at a festival eight is quite uncommon. You usually get five or six of the ball shaped treat in one pack. The price varies greatly from one place to the next. For a long time they were 500 yen a pack. But this year I've noticed a lot of places charge 600 or 650 yen for just five.

Thankfully, our favorite food truck that travels around festivals, only charges 500 yen for six. I would love to give our favorite food truck a review on City-cost, but it doesn't have a permanent address. They only operate from the truck, not from a restaurant. And they sell the best takoyaki we've ever tasted (from a food truck). They are called "Blue Moment" for what its worth! If you are at a festival in the midlands of Saitama, chances are they are there! We've seen them at four different festivals this year. 

At a festival there is usually a mix of food stalls and food trucks. Vendors who operate food stalls are often are from an established restaurant and participate in a couple of festivals a year. Whereas food truck vendors most often do not have a premises and participate in dozens of festivals a year. There is no hard and fast rule, that's just an observation.

Do you order takoyaki at a festival or do you prefer another festival food? Tell us below!