The massive food festival "Manpaku" is being held at the National Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa, Tokyo, until June 2nd. Manpaku is an abbreviation for "Full Stomach Expo." This year, marking its fourth year in Tokyo, the festival is divided into eight areas: Local, World, Ramen, Gyoza, Fried Chicken, Sweets, Local Products, and Tama Area. It brings together famous restaurants that have long lines at music festival food and beverage areas, as well as popular restaurants from national product fairs. This time, AnAn Research Institute members Koma Marie (No. 160), Miura Izumi (No. 15), and Inoue Azusa (No. 74) visited the venue and experienced Manpaku. They summarized six key points to fully enjoy the event. Enter the park through the Akebono entrance gate of Showa Memorial Park, about a 10-minute walk from JR Tachikawa Station. Shops are lined up around the perimeter, and inside a central tent, you can enjoy your purchases on benches and other seating, with 4,172 seats. A performance stage is set up at the back of the venue, hosting events featuring acrobats, jugglers, and other internationally acclaimed performers, as well as live performances by singer Uchuu Mao. The official mascot, "Pou," is always on hand to assist with information and first aid. The first key to success is to start with a melon. The Ibaraki Food Culture Research Association's "Whole Melon Cream Soda" (900 yen), a specialty of the sweets area, is made with an entire frozen melon. It takes a while to melt, so we recommend buying it early. The second key is to bring a spoon from home to make eating the frozen melon easier. Other items you might want to bring include tissues, wet wipes, garbage bags, and a picnic blanket. The third key point is to "target restaurants with long lines for fried chicken and gyoza." While waiting in long lines is often discouraging, it means they're cooking while serving customers and don't prepare food in advance. Freshly made food is the key to deliciousness, so waiting in line at fried chicken and gyoza restaurants is key. Maruman, a gyoza specialty store founded in 1964, boasts overwhelming popularity at the venue. Their "Fuku Wrapped Fried Gyoza" (500 yen) is crispy on the outside but has a chewy texture inside. Next, Indori-ya, a popular restaurant that has won the gold medal in the Karaage Grand Prix Taste Variety category three years in a row, offers the popular "Sou Karaage Momo" (Fried Chicken Momo) (600 yen). The karaage, bursting with juicy flavor, features a unique texture thanks to the blend of Soka rice crackers in the batter.

To accompany this fried chicken and gyoza, we recommend the "Tasting Set" (1,000 yen) from Sankt Gallen, an original craft beer brewery from Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture. You can choose four beers from ten varieties. In line with this, the fourth key point is to "try comparing beer brands that you're not normally familiar with." Koma, a member of AnAn Research Institute, says, "The sweet beers, such as pineapple and orange flavors, were delicious for the first time."

In this local area, you can enjoy gourmet food from famous restaurants from all over Japan, with a total of 17 restaurants gathered, from Hokkaido in the north to Kumamoto in the south. Koma, who tried Sapporo Kyubei's "Luxurious North Sea Big Catch Five-Color Bowl" (1,800 yen), commented, "It's so full of toppings, it's almost overflowing!" Miura, who tried the grilled garlic cheese from Miyagi Ishinomaki Oyster Hut's "Tasting Set" (700 yen), commented, "The fragrant aroma of the grilled oysters with rich cheese fills your mouth." Hokkaido Enraku's "Tokachi Beef Toro Bowl" (800 yen), debuting with warm rice and beef flakes, highlights the umami of the Tokachi beef. As expected, popular restaurants in this area often have long lines, and waiting without shade requires protection from the strong sun. Therefore, "prepare for sunburn." The fifth key to success is to "prepare sunscreen, a parasol, a hat, and water to prevent heatstroke." Drinks are allowed inside the venue. After enjoying the food and filling your stomach, you can refresh yourself by taking a stroll through the lush greenery of the park. Here's our final tip: "When you're full, take the escalator." You can enter and exit the venue freely by receiving a re-entry stamp. Furthermore, if you take the escalator at the Hanamidori Cultural Center in the park, you'll find a spot with a panoramic view of the Manpaku venue. Members who thoroughly enjoyed the event shared their impressions: "From local delicacies like gyoza and fried chicken to luxurious sweets, we enjoyed a carefully selected menu that was truly delicious! The original food, each with its own unique touch, also showed the seriousness with which each restaurant pursues deliciousness" (Miura), "There was a wide selection, so I'd like to return to try the dishes I wasn't able to try this time" (Koma), and "There were plenty of seating areas and benches, so it would be fun to come with a group of friends! Maybe even a Manpaku group date would be fun" (Inoue).