SoCal News/Events/etc.

Tu_triky wrote:Allow me to geek out like a fanboy for a moment. Just bought a ticket to see the Japanese play Shun-kin that's being performed at the Ralph Freud Playhouse here at UCLA at the end of the month.

Wow, cool... :victory:


BTW, the Ramen Yokocho Fest is this weekend: http://ramenyokochous.com/

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bmwracer wrote:
Wow, cool... :victory:


BTW, the Ramen Yokocho Fest is this weekend: http://ramenyokochous.com/

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I would definitely attend this event if not for the fact that I'll be out of town this weekend. I know some peeps that will be going...I'm sure it'll be fun and flavorful!

Tu_triky wrote:I would definitely attend this event if not for the fact that I'll be out of town this weekend. I know some peeps that will be going...I'm sure it'll be fun and flavorful!

Problem is, there's 12 choices... Which one to try?

I think I can put away two, but no more... :sweat:

Japanese Car Show in Long Beach two weeks from today: http://www.japaneseclassiccarshow.com/

Back from the Ramen Yokocho Fest... What a madhouse.

The several ramen bowls the I tried were pretty good and so was the ramen burger... But was it worth waiting in line for hours?

NO WAY.

The planners must've underestimated the number of people interested, because the lines were insanely long and unorganized... You couldn't tell which lines were for which ramen booth... What a mess. :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
The planners must've underestimated the number of people interested, because the lines were insanely long and unorganized... You couldn't tell which lines were for which ramen booth... What a mess. :sweat:

There's always some glitches the first time out. Hopefully this won't discourage them from having it again. :fingerscrossed:

gaijinmark wrote:There's always some glitches the first time out. Hopefully this won't discourage them from having it again. :fingerscrossed:

Considering the incredible turnout, I don't think it'll discourage them one bit... I do hope they'll reorganize the setup and maybe choose a larger venue.

The free admission was fine, but they should've had the food ticket booths at the entrance into the food booth areas and not alongside them: it just added to the congestion. :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:Back from the Ramen Yokocho Fest... What a madhouse.

The several ramen bowls the I tried were pretty good and so was the ramen burger... But was it worth waiting in line for hours?

NO WAY.

The planners must've underestimated the number of people interested, because the lines were insanely long and unorganized... You couldn't tell which lines were for which ramen booth... What a mess. :sweat:

I hope you had a good time, for real. :)

Interesting to hear some commentary on this event. I couldn't go because I was out of town. I know someone off of Instagram that waited in line for THREE HOURS to sample the ramen burger. With all due respect, you are BAT SH*T crazy to wait in line to eat that mazui looking monstrosity. That thing looks FRONT TO BACK WACK.

From my limited knowledge base, I can assure you that in Japan even at the most incredibly well regarded ramen shops I haven't head of people waiting THREE HOURS to eat.

Tu_triky wrote:Interesting to hear some commentary on this event. I couldn't go because I was out of town. I know someone off of Instagram that waited in line for THREE HOURS to sample the ramen burger. With all due respect, you are BAT SH*T crazy to wait in line to eat that mazui looking monstrosity. That thing looks FRONT TO BACK WACK.

I guess I was 2/3 batshit crazy, since I waited two hours with my niece and her boyfriend for an otafuku ramen burger... :beaten:

From my limited knowledge base, I can assure you that in Japan even at the most incredibly well regarded ramen shops I haven't head of people waiting THREE HOURS to eat.

The line for the Kitakata Ramen Bannai (http://ban-nai.com) direct from Japan was at least three hours long. :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
The line for the Kitakata Ramen Bannai (http://ban-nai.com) direct from Japan was at least three hours long. :sweat:

WOW. Just WOW. You're a soldier...respect. I would have been f*ck the dumb sh*t...

:rofl:

Tu_triky wrote:WOW. Just WOW. You're a soldier...respect. I would have been f*ck the dumb sh*t...

:rofl:

LOL, actually we did: After 90 minutes in line, my niece and I cut our losses and joined her boyfriend in the ramen burger line. :beaten:

bmwracer wrote:
LOL, actually we did: After 90 minutes in line, my niece and I cut our losses and joined her boyfriend in the ramen burger line. :beaten:

Bahahaha.

Tu_triky wrote:Bahahaha.

Hopefully, next year's event will be a lot more organized... Considering the turnout, I'm pretty sure there'll be another.

bmwracer wrote:
Hopefully, next year's event will be a lot more organized... Considering the turnout, I'm pretty sure there'll be another.

Yeah the first iteration of these food festivals if well attended is usually an organizational nightmare. Given the mob scene at this ramen festival and the popularity of the dish in LA I can't help but think this event will be an ongoing affair for the foreseeable future.

Tu_triky wrote:Yeah the first iteration of these food festivals if well attended is usually an organizational nightmare. Given the mob scene at this ramen festival and the popularity of the dish in LA I can't help but think this event will be an ongoing affair for the foreseeable future.

Pics from the event here: http://eater.com/archives/2013/09/16/hangover-observations-from-las-ramen-yokocho-fest.php

The Hokkaido Fair at the Mitsuwa Marketplace starts today: http://www.mitsuwa.com/event/eevent.php?e=42

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Coming up in the OC: http://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/index.php?eID=31493

gaijinmark wrote:Coming up in the OC: http://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/index.php?eID=31493

I went to this Japan Fair on Saturday. It occupied only a tiny section of the Orange County Fairgrounds; the cramped area where they had the food booths was very crowded. Had a bowl of ramen from Daikokuya; it was really good, with cha shu, boiled egg, and tonkatsu broth. The takoyaki booth had the longest line, followed by the creme crepe booth, the okonomiyaki booth, and Daikokuya. There were over a dozen booths offering food and/or drink. In addition there was entertainment on an indoor stage and maybe a dozen more booths selling stuff or offering games. Sanrio had set up a Hello Kitty booth that was popular with the kids.

Back in the 80's and 90's, first the L.A. Convention Center and then the Anaheim Convention Center used to host Japan Expo every year right around Thanksgiving. That was a big event. Too bad it's no longer around.

shin2 wrote:

I went to this Japan Fair on Saturday. It occupied only a tiny section of the Orange County Fairgrounds; the cramped area where they had the food booths was very crowded. Had a bowl of ramen from Daikokuya; it was really good, with cha shu, boiled egg, and tonkatsu broth. The takoyaki booth had the longest line, followed by the creme crepe booth, the okonomiyaki booth, and Daikokuya. There were over a dozen booths offering food and/or drink. In addition there was entertainment on an indoor stage and maybe a dozen more booths selling stuff or offering games. Sanrio had set up a Hello Kitty booth that was popular with the kids.

Back in the 80's and 90's, first the L.A. Convention Center and then the Anaheim Convention Center used to host Japan Expo every year right around Thanksgiving. That was a big event. Too bad it's no longer around.

You should see the original Daikokuya in Little Tokyo. The amount of people that wait to eat there, especially on the weekend is incredible...They take up a huge portion of the sidewalk.

Tu_triky wrote:You should see the original Daikokuya in Little Tokyo. The amount of people that wait to eat there, especially on the weekend is incredible...They take up a huge portion of the sidewalk.

True that... If you don't show up early, don't bother to show up at all unless you like waiting... :sweat: