Special Fairs and Shops to Check Out in Japan

Yesterday, we went to see a movie at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Theatre and were happily surprised with the Akita Bisaikan specialty shop right across from the entrance. You can try different produce from this beautiful prefecture, buy rice samples and taste the lovely Amazake of the area. It was really good and there were five types and you could take a taste of each. I think the little packs of specialty rice would be nice presents for family back home and it was nice to see traditional produce straight from the countryside, fresh and yummy. We bought three apples and they were gone by the next morning. Truly amazing produce comes from the Northern areas of Japan.
http://shibuya246.com/2010/01/30/akita-bisaikan/

There are actually fairs like this happening all over Tokyo. The Nihonbashi and Tokyo Station areas are also often featuring regional product fairs, etc. Make sure to ask your concierge or a friend if there is something like this going on. It is a great way to learn about a new area of Japan and a lot of these present multi-lingual resources too!