While most countries have opened up for tourism, Japan still remains as one of the countries we can’t easily visit for leisure. Singaporeans will be glad to know that you can experience a small slice of Japan via the Fukui Gyosho Fair where you’ll be able to find Fukui prefecture’s local food and craft specialty products.
Fukui Prefecture in Japan
With its close proximity to the sea and mountains, Fukui is blessed with lots of fresh sea bounty and seasonal vegetables. Fukui is home to many small and medium enterprises with some even possessing one-of-a-kind technologies, such as unique eyeglass frames which account for more than 90% of Japan’s domestic production.
It is also known to be the happiest prefecture in Japan!
Fukui Gyosho Fair 2022
The Fukui Gyosho Fair comprises both a food fair and a craft fair. The Food Fair will be happening from 22nd July to 4th August at Isetan Scotts Basement 1, while the Craft Fair will be happening from 25th July to 23rd August at Tokyu Hands Singapore, specifically the Orchard, Suntec City, and Great World City outlets.
Food Fair
Over at the Food Fair happening at Scotts Isetan, there will be various booths showcasing different products.
There is a range of plum wines (Umeshu) available such as the Benichu 20° Umeshu which is made using a very rare plum varietal from Fukui. There’s also the Benichu 38° Umeshu which is an umeshu that’s sugar-free. Apart from Umeshu, you can also find a wide selection of sakes.
Indulge in Grilled Mackerel Sushi, where carefully selected slices of thick mackerel are slowly grilled over charcoal. The rice, which looks different from your usual sushi, is Fukui-grown Koshihikari, specially cultivated for mackerel sushi.
You can also find 100% Rice Flour Castella, which is from a Japanese traditional sweets shop that was founded 148 years ago. Made using Fukui’s finest rice, the resulting texture is firm but fluffy. There’s also something called Round Bread, which is a soft and fluffy bread with a subtle, balanced sweetness made using clean, soft water from the Kuzuryu River.
If you’re a seafood lover, don’t miss out on the chance to get the Echizen Seiko Crabs, which also come in a canned version. The female crabs are boiled in salt and the crab meat is carefully removed by hand. No colouring or preservatives are added to the canned product, so you get a pure, authentic taste of crab.
Families with young kids would appreciate the Dinosaur Excavation Pudding, which is a delicious and fun treat! Hidden beneath the smooth and silky pudding is a dinosaur that you can “excavate’ out while enjoying the dessert.
Other interesting food items include Fermented Mackerel, Deep-Fried Seafood Crackers, Coffee Drip Bags, Taniguchiya’s Deep-Fried Tofu, and various kelp products.
Craft Fair
Over at the Craft Fair, happening from 25th July to 23rd August at Tokyu Hands (Orchard, Suntec City & Great World City), you can find a range of items from eyewear, lifestyle to various accessories.
An item that caught our eye was the glasses from Studio Skyrocket. Only 350 sets are made per year due to the arduous design, molding, and production process. The solid frames are joined together with a transparent design, which makes them look really unique.
There’s also Hyozaemon’s crafted Wakasa-nuri chopsticks made using traditional Wakasa-nuri lacquering techniques. It was selected to be presented to the leaders of each country at the Lake Toya Summit and Ise-Shima Summits held in Japan as a token of hospitality due to its high quality and artisanal nature.
Other interesting items include Kuna Plus Eco-bags made using PLECO, coasters with designs based on Wa-gara, a set of ancient Japanese patterns, and Samue, a type of clothing originating from working clothes worn by monks or Zen Buddhist priests performing their daily tasks.
Japanese Food & Craft Fair in Singapore
During the fair, some of the manufacturers will even be there personally to share about the items! For food: 29th Jul – 31st Jul, for craft: 30th Jul – 31st Jul.
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