Niku Fes Tachikawa

Choose from aged wagyu beef in a rich egg-yolk sauce to tender spare ribs or even Korean-style hot chicken with cheese fondue – this festival has enough meat to tempt even the most dedicated of vegetarians to the dark side for a day.

Taking over Show Kinen Memorial Park for 10 days of meat and music-filled fun, this year’s festival has the theme of Meat Vs. Meat and will seek to find the champion. There will be craft beers to wash your dinner down with al well as a bubble tea area for an unusual palat cleanser. While you relax with your dumplings/burger/fried sirloin beef (or all three), you can enjoy the live music, yoga and dance performances on stage.

While entry is free meal tickets cost ¥700 and fast-pass tickets are available too. There are usually evening discounts for those who arrive after 7pm and deals for groups and students too but these are yet to be announced for 2019. Note that the park does have an entry fee of a few hundred yen but it’s a great place to explore.

On weekdays the event opens at 11am but on Weeknds it’s an hour earlier.

(Lily Crossley-Baxter)