A Gathering of Popular Gyoza Shops at a Food Festival
Craft Gyoza Festival is a food festival showcasing popular gyoza shops from around Japan.
Held nationwide, this report covers the Tokyo venue of the event.
Tips for Navigating the Craft Gyoza Festival!
As one of the more popular festivals, the Craft Gyoza Festival draws large crowds, resulting in long lines. Here are some strategies to make the experience smoother.
Prepare Electronic Payment
The festival only accepts electronic payment, QR code payments, and meal tickets. Cash is not accepted for gyoza purchases.
If you don’t have electronic payment or QR code options, you’ll need to purchase meal tickets to buy gyoza, but the ticket sales area is often crowded.
Lining up to enter, only to then queue again to buy gyoza, and then waiting to purchase meal tickets makes for an inefficient experience.
So, it’s best to use electronic payment and avoid waiting in line for meal tickets. Supported payment methods include:
- QR code payments
- PayPay
- Electronic money
- iD, QUICPay, nanaco, Rakuten Edy, WAON, Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca, SUGOCA
Bring Water and Prepare for Heat
I arrived at 11:50 am, and after standing in line for 55 minutes, I finally entered.
With the day’s high around 20°C, the temperature was comfortable, but waiting an hour without shade was still tiring. Bringing water, a hat, or an umbrella will make the waiting time more comfortable.
The First Challenge: Entrance Queue
Lining up to enter—this was the back of the line.
As with most food festivals, crowd control was strictly enforced. Despite the beautiful weather, the long line seemed endless.
It wasn’t too hot, but the wait felt long, and water was essential.
Since Craft Gyoza Festival is popular, visitors should bring water and protection against the sun to stay comfortable.
Finally, Unlimited Gyoza!
After 55 minutes of waiting, I was finally in.
Now, where to start?
With so many people, there was little time to leisurely browse.
Yatsugatake Gyoza from Sansuiro
This famous gyoza, “Yatsugatake Gyoza,” comes from the long-standing Chinese restaurant "Sansuiro" in Hokuto City, Yamanashi.
Premium Ise Lobster Gyoza
This Ise Lobster Gyoza was offered by the restaurant “Gyoza no Hana wa Saku” in Ogikubo, Tokyo (now closed).
Addictive Miso Sauce Gyoza
Sold at a collaborative booth with popular Japanese culinary expert Ryuuji, this is the “Addictive Miso Sauce Gyoza.”
Must-Try Festival-Exclusive Beer!
Craft Gyoza Festival also featured exclusive festival beers.
Festival-exclusive fruit beer “Niagara Honey” was provided by HOKKAIDO BREWING.
Let the Tasting Begin!
Although crowded, the ample seating at the food court made finding a place to sit easy.
Yatsugatake Gyoza (top left), Special Fried Rice (top right), Premium Ise Lobster Gyoza (bottom left), Addictive Miso Sauce Gyoza (bottom right)
And the fruit beers.
Niagara Honey (back), Yubari Melon Ale (left), Peach White (right), Otaru Blue (front)
The Ise Lobster Gyoza was rich with the flavor of lobster.
The Addictive Miso Sauce Gyoza had delicious miso sauce, with green onions adding a nice touch.
The fruit beers had sweet flavors—a unique experience.
The Yatsugatake Gyoza was large, with fragrant garlic chives and well-seasoned meat.
Quality Gyoza from Popular Shops!
With renowned shops participating, every gyoza was delicious at Craft Gyoza Festival.
I couldn’t try every kind, but this was a festival worth returning to.
- Pros
- Ample seating meant finding a spot wasn’t difficult despite the crowds
- While each vendor had a line, the efficient service meant the wait wasn’t too long
- Cons
- With gyoza served individually on plates, carrying multiple types was challenging
The festival also featured a frozen gyoza vending machine, allowing you to bring home gyoza from the event.
If you find a favorite, you can buy it here as a souvenir.
Finally, here’s a video of the event’s atmosphere.
This has been a report from the Craft Gyoza Festival Tokyo venue at Komazawa Park.
