Taste of Japan: Wakayama Fair Comes to Tokyo Central and Marukai

Written by Stephanie Lin | 5 min read | May 26, 2022 |News & Culture

5 Must-Have Items at Wakayama Fair

• Arakawa Momo Peach Drink - An ultra-rich, hand-squeezed peach juice—tastes as if you’re biting right into a delicious ripe peach!
• Shirahama Onsen Unagi Eel - Covered in a sweet, savory soy glaze, this succulent, kabayaki-style unagi is the perfect star of any meal. 
• Kuyo Murasaki Tamari Soy Sauce - This 10-year gold medal winner makes a tasty pairing with fish and contains no artificial flavorings or preservatives.
• Gyokurinen Matcha Green Tea Soft Serve - This regionally beloved brand of sweet and creamy matcha green tea ice cream cones is the preferred frozen treat of Wakayama prefecture since 1958!  
• Sumomo Plum Jam - Carefully crafted with whole sumomo and rare sugar, this delicate flavor profile is fresh, delightful, and the perfect pantry staple.

The time has come for Tokyo Central’s beloved monthly fair. This month from Thursday, May 19 to Wednesday, June 15, we are bringing our customers limited edition products straight from Wakayama, Japan. Check out our 5 must-have items from Wakayama!

As the weather gets warmer, this tangy, mildly sweet drink makes the perfect pick-me-up on a hot day. These special “momos” (peach) have a subtle pinky-red tint on its milky white skin and were harvested in the Arakawa region in Western Japan, a region known for its peach production over the last 300 years. It’s an ultra-rich, hand-squeezed peach juice—tastes as if you’re biting right into a delicious ripe peach!

Covered in a sweet, savory soy glaze, this succulent, kabayaki-style unagi (eel) is the perfect star of any meal. The kabayaki-style preparation involves butterflying and dipping the eel in a sweet-soy glaze. It’s then broiled on a grill for the perfect caramelization. Simply warm it up and it’s ready to eat! This prized, Japanese delicacy is delicious as-is or on top of a bowl of fluffy, steamed rice.

If you’ve never tried specialty soy sauce, consider this Kuyo Murasaki Soy Sauce. Kuyo Murasaki is the only soy sauce manufacturer to make soy sauce made from Ginsanji-style seasoned miso, extracting a mildly sweet, umami flavor from the vegetables fermented with the miso. This 10-year gold medal winner makes a tasty pairing with fish and contains no artificial flavorings or preservatives.

This sweet and tart sumomo jam will make the ultimate breakfast match on toast, yogurt, or pancakes. Sumomo is a Japanese plum variety grown in Wakayama, whose ideal climate makes it one of the highest volumes of quality sumomo production regions in Japan. Carefully crafted with whole sumomo and rare sugar, this delicate flavor profile is fresh, delightful, and the perfect pantry staple.