J-POP SUMMIT ANNOUNCES RETURN OF “POP GOURMET” FOOD
ATTRACTIONS OFFERING A DELICIOUS ASSORTMENT OF FINE
JAPANESE AND ASIAN FOOD, SPIRITS, SNACKS AND BEVERAGES
S.F.’s Annual Japanese Pop Culture Extravaganza Invites
Attendees To
Satisfy Their Appetites With Sake Tasting,
Ramen Street Showcase, Japanese
Beverages And Snacks,
And An Array Of Gourmet Food Trucks
The 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival, San
Francisco’s annual celebration of Japanese pop culture, music, fashion and
film, announces the return of one of the event’s most delicious attractions –
the POP GOURMET Food Festival –
which comes back for its second consecutive year to present new expanded
attractions including Sake Tasting, RAMEN Street, and a Japanese Beverage and Bites & Snacks
Area, along with an array of the Bay
Area’s most unique mobile eateries and food trucks.
Taking place on Saturday and Sunday, July 19th
and 20th across the city’s historic Japantown district as a
prominent feature of the 6th annual J-POP Summit, the “POP Gourmet Food
Festival” will be held at two locations, at the intersection of Post and
Webster St, and another on Post Street between Buchanan/Laguna Street. It will
be open from 11:00am to 6:00pm both days of the Festival.
The annual J-POP
SUMMIT is FREE to attend
(although certain activities will require a modest admission fee) and has
become one of the largest events in the United States dedicated to showcasing
the many sides of Japanese pop culture and fandom. Full details are available
at: www.J-POP.com.
POP GOURMET SAKE TASTING
This is a rare
opportunity to sample a wide assortment of some of the world’s preeminent sake
brands. The POP GOURMET Sake Tasting Area, which is produced by Consulate
General of Japan in San Francisco, will be located on Webster St. (at the
intersection of Post St.). Multiple sake tasting booths will be on display and
attendees can enjoy a range of real Japanese sake and discover how it should be
enjoyed and what foods it complements. In addition to tasting, attendees can
also purchase selective brands of sake on-site.
Admission is $10.00
and includes samples from all participating sake companies; Sake Tasting
participants must be at least 21 years old (IDs will be checked); tasting area
will be open until 5:30pm on both days of J-POP SUMMIT.
Participating
Sake Companies and Brewers Include:
CHO-YA Umesyu USA, Inc. Gekkeikan
Sake USA
Hosoda Bros, Inc. Japan Seiko Glass
JFC International, Inc. Joto
Sake & Young’s Market
Kikkoman USA N.A. Sales Company
Nishimoto Trading Company Ozeki Sake USA
SANWA Shurui Co., Ltd. (Iichiko) Takara
Sake USA
True Sake
RAMEN STREET
A brand new
attraction presented for the very first time at J-POP SUMMIT will give
attendees an appetizing look at Japan’s favorite food – RAMEN noodles!! Far
from the dehydrated snack many Americans know, true RAMEN is a delicious,
hearty and sublime dish that reflects the very essence of Japanese cuisine. The
J-POP SUMMIT’s RAMEN Street is organized and co-presented in cooperation with
the Ramen Yokocho Association and will be stationed on Post Street between
Laguna and Buchanan St. (near the Union Bank).
The
following participating restaurants will each have booths on RAMEN Street
offering a variety of different styles of ramen for $8.00 each.
Fujin Ramen
Horaiya
Mattou Seimen
MenOh
Monta
Tatsunoya
The Ramen Yokocho Association
started “The First Los Angeles Ramen Yokocho Fest!” in 2013 in Los Angeles, which
attracted more than 30,000 people. Since then, it has been celebrating
top-notch ramen from restaurants in Los Angeles, San Jose, Las Vegas, Hawaii as
well as from Japan. More info about Ramen Yokocho at: http://RamenYokochoUS.com.
POPULAR JAPANESE BEVERAGES
Sample tasty
Japanese drinks including premium beer, cocktails, and non-alcohol beverages.
Hosted by Takara Sake USA, beer company Sapporo USA, and green tea beverage distributor
ITO-EN.
Takara Sake USA Booth:
Stop by Takara’s “J POP” booth to
enjoy live performances from human beat-boxer DAICHI as he performs a series of
intimate mini-performances throughout the day on both Saturday and Sunday.
Takara Sake USA invites attendees to enjoy DAICHI along with its unique
refreshing Japanese-style sparkling cocktail, Takara Can Chu-Hi “J POP” in
Grapefruit and White Peach. Visit DAICHI’s page for performance times: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/daichi; for
more about Takara’s JPOP beverages please visit https://www.takarasake.com.
Sapporo USA Booth:
Founded in
1876, Sapporo is Japan’s oldest beer brand and the #1 selling Asian beer in the
United States. The combination of select barley and hops with an extreme
attention to quality give Sapporo beers their crisp tastes, refreshing flavor,
and mild, refined bitterness. Come grab a tap! Visit the official Sapporo website
at: http://sapporobeer.com.
ITO-EN Booth:
ITO-EN
Inc. was founded in May 2001 with the mission of introducing ITO-EN's line of
green tea products and establishing a culture and interest in authentic green
tea in the United States and beyond. Come refresh yourself with their authentic
green tea or new flavored tea! For more
information visit the official ITO-EN webpage: https://www.itoen.com.
JAPANESE BITES & SNACKS
A brand new feature
for POP GOURMET, attendees are invited to visit the Bites & Snacks section
to enjoy a selection of hot and healthy dishes, cold smoothies, and popular
Japanese sweets and snacks.
Participating
Snack Companies Include:
Azuma Foods International, USA
Azuma Foods will be serving their brand new
product line including teriyaki salmon rice burger, albacore rice burger and
tofu rice burgers. They also serve variety of smoothies made with fresh soy milk
and natural fruit juices. Green tea, taro, coconut, and melon flavors
available! For more about Azuma Foods visit their official website: http://www.AzumaFoods.com.
Meiji America, Inc.
Meiji will serve a
number of popular Meiji products sold widely in the United States including
Chocoroom & Chococones, a various flavors of Hello Panda, long seller, Yan
Yan! For more about Meiji, visit their official website: http://www.MeijiAmerica.com.
ONIGILLY
One of the J-POP
SUMMIT’s popular vendors, ONIGILLY, comes back again this year. Try their
yummy, healthy and handy Onigiri (rice balls), perfect for looking around the
festival. They will be serving spicy shrimp, miso tuna, hijiki,
nasu, and chicken flavors of that day!
For more about ONIGILLY, visit their official website: http://www.onigilly.com.
Megumi Natto
Natto is one of the traditional foods of Japan and made by fermenting soybeans. Megumi Natto will be serving Natto Tacos which
incorporates their organic Megumi Natto. For more about Megumi Natto visit
their official website: http://www.meguminatto.com
Moffle Waffle
Moffle Waffle will serve Mochi waffles
made from scratch to have a crunchy exterior and chewy mochi interior,
delivering a unique food experience. They are topped with a wide array of toppings.
Vegan and gluten-free menu items are also available! For more about Moffle
Waffle visit their official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mofflewaffle.
POP GOURMET FOOD TRUCK AREA
The Bay Area’s
favorite mobile eateries return to J-POP SUMMIT offering a wide array of
everything from Japanese Sushi to American BLT to French Crème Brulée.
Attendees can select from 15 vendors stationed on Post Street (between Fillmore
& Webster Streets):
About J-POP SUMMIT Festival
Launched in 2009, J-POP SUMMIT
Festival is an annual street fair held in San Francisco, CA that celebrates
Japanese popular culture. By introducing the latest in Japanese music, film,
art, fashion, gaming, anime, food, as well as niche subcultures, the festival
has become a prominent platform to showcase the latest pop trends and creative
innovations from Japan.
The 5th annual J-POP SUMMIT held in July 2013 welcomed more than 80,000 attendees, making it one of the largest Japanese festivals in the United States. In addition to the original Festival held in Japantown, new attractions include the J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE concert in downtown San Francisco, the Bay Area’s premier dedicated Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, and sake-tasting and fine foods events at the POP GOURMET Food Festival, which have each further enriched the experience. Additional information about J-POP SUMMIT Festival is available at: J-POP.com.
