Traveling Shin-Tora Market, which opened in February this year in the Shinbashi/Toranomon area of Tokyo, is kicking off its summer 2017 chapter, "Tales of a Summer Gale: Touring Echigo Festivals on Local Trains," on July 5th. This time, with the aim of more clearly promoting the local characteristics, the theme is "Summer Festivals," and five cities in Echigo with ties to festival culture have been selected: Murakami, Tsubame, Sanjo, Nagaoka, and Tokamachi. The event will feature "Traveling Stand," a pop-up stand offering seasonal food from the five cities; "Traveling Store," a select store by Isetan Mitsukoshi offering a selection of carefully selected items from around the country as well as local souvenirs; and "Traveling Cafe," where visitors can enjoy special menus incorporating carefully selected local ingredients.

At the four "Traveling Stands" set up across Shin-Tora-dori Street, the participating municipalities will change every three months and offer local gourmet food. There will be a variety of food experiences available, going beyond the image of Echigo as a rice-growing and sake-producing region, and as a new initiative this time, each stand will sell "Echigo bento lunches."



The Murakami City stand sells bento boxes featuring the city's specialty salmon: the "Murakami Matured Salted Salmon Bento" (900 yen) and the "Murakami Beef Bento" (1000 yen). The bento uses high-quality Iwafune Koshihikari rice, which is said to be a perfect match with the salmon and simmered Murakami beef. For dessert, we recommend the "Murakami Tea Soft Serve Ice Cream with Sasagawa Nagare Salt" (380 yen), made with Fujimien's powdered tea.






The stands in Tsubame City and Sanjo City will feature "factory cafeterias," befitting their "manufacturing towns." The menu includes hearty dishes such as meat, ramen, and gyoza that will satisfy factory workers. Lunch boxes include the "Factory Bento" (750 yen, changes daily) topped with a large piece of meat marinated in miso, and dine-in options such as "Samurai Ramen's Back Fat Ramen" (850 yen) and "Spice Laboratory's Fresh Turmeric Curry" (1000 yen, only available in August).





The Nagaoka City stand offers lunch dishes like the "Nagaoka Bento" (1,180 yen) and "Tochio Fried Tofu Bowl" (750 yen), made with locally grown vegetables and the local delicacy "Tochio Fried Tofu." Enjoy snacks like edamame soybeans and fried tofu alongside a selection of sake from Nagaoka City, home to Niigata's top sake brewery.





This stand in Tokamachi City offers a wide selection of soba noodles, using Nunorisho soba noodles delivered directly from the main branch of Kojimaya, a supplier to the Imperial Household. For lunch, try the "Snow Country Mountain Vegetables, Mushrooms, and Seaweed Bukkake Soba" (800 yen), and in the evening, sausages made with Tokamachi's famous Tsumari pork and "Green Onion, Salt, and Lemon Sauce" (800 yen) are served with Tokamachi's local sake.