Thursday, September 10, 2009   5:41 PM

Getting some sausage

Among the things I miss in Japan is a nice bit of sizzling sausage. Fortunately in Tokyo there is no shortage of Oktoberfests, often in months outside of the traditional Oktoberfest month of September such as May. Last weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Oktoberfest currently being held at Tokyo Midtown (details here, in Japanese only) in the company of some friends who shall remain anonymous for my own personal safety. To my delight there was not only sausage, but Thueringer Bratwurst, of which many have helped me while away tedious passages of time waiting for a train on a cold winter station platform in Berlin.

Thueringer Bratwurst in Tokyo

It tasted almost as good as the German original, if the German original was slightly watery and underspiced. Still there was always the beer, a bargain at 1500 yen per half-litre, which helped numb the impact of the inevitable Bavarian-style band.

Other visitors were evidently not so lucky and found themselves performing a strange half-crazed dance.

Conga-dancing people at an Oktoberfest in Tokyo

some evidently under the control of traditional Bavarian-style wizard hats.

Daily, 4pm - 10pm on weekdays and 11am - 10pm on weekends, until Sunday 13th September. Located in the park behind the Midtown complex.


Posted in Scenes from Japan
Comments
Mmmm. German sausage. Reminds Our Man of his local rag days and writing headlines such as "German fest-lovers fear the wurst" and other terribly witty things to do with Germany, but never the war. Because that wouldn't be funny.
Posted by: Our Man in Abiko | 2009-09-10 16:54
"which helped numb the impact of the inevitable Bavarian-style band."

I'm 1/2 German from the dad's side and they don't speak any English and I don't speak German so we are not close as you can imagine. I'd love to visit them in Stuttgart(?)But I'd have to steer clear ..WAY clear of any bands jamming that stuff.

I hope you were numb enough by the time they took the stage :)
Posted by: Chris B | 2009-09-11 11:13
@ourmani: incredible as it may seem, there was actually a Hitler comedy film made in Germany a couple of years ago. It probably wasn't very funny, as Germany still has a long way to go when it comes to being genuinely funny. Though they are avid consumers of British comedy, and *that* Fawlty Towers scene always goes down a treat.

@ChrisB: South Germans are a funny lot, but there is a huge cultural difference between Bavaria, a bizarre place full of people in lederhosen singing songs about beer; and Baden-Württemberg, of which Stuttgart is the capital, which is gratifyingly free of lederhosen and related paraphenalia, but which is populated by a race of people notorious for their frugality.
Posted by: ThePenguin | 2009-09-11 16:00
in the piccie of the Thueringer Bratwurst, is the roll under-sized? forgive my lack of german culinary expertise, but it looks like a fusion... an oversized german sausage on a mini-japanese roll.
Posted by: reesan | 2009-09-11 22:36
hey !
no link with the current post about sausages.

I'm looking for someone living in japan that could help me. actually, i'm looking for japanese condoms with funny characters like these ones, to order and ship in europe
http://www.medgadget.com/archives/img/condomads.jpg

do you know some store/addresses ?
if yes, I would be very grateful.

thanks !
Posted by: léa | 2009-09-16 19:35
@reesan: the roll was a bit on the small size, but made from the same kind of bread pretzels are made from.

@léa: Condomania is the only place I know of which is likely to stock whacky raincoats.
Posted by: ThePenguin | 2009-09-19 10:53
God, I'd love a bit of sausage here...
is there any webpage that lists all of these European style festivities? In Liverpool there used to be a French market that came every so often. If they had one in Japan, it would be so awesome.
Posted by: Miss_igirisu | 2009-09-26 01:41
Ooh err, Miss Igirusu. Anyway, I don't know of any particular web page, but I guess whatever regional freesheets there are might list these kinds of events. (I was invited to this one by a friend, otherwise I'd never have heard about it).
Posted by: ThePenguin | 2009-09-27 13:24
Dear Penguin,

there were two major comedies about Hitler filmed in Germany, as as far as I know - one about the living one, one about his ashes. Both were seriously unfunny and frightfully well intended.

We're not funny, we're darkly menacing and deeply terrifying - as you know and as can be witnessed here (listen!): http://bit.ly/E4bK

I should read your web log more often. The Bratwurst picture is delicious. And the oohmpah band to go with it - perfect. Does the big sign behind them really say "Deutsch Bier"?

all the best

simon

Btw - did you ever work for the British Inland revenue? This answering message reminded me of the e-mails you send round back when ... http://bit.ly/HQkDh
Posted by: Simon | 2009-09-29 08:53
is there any webpage that lists all of these European style festivities?--

local citihale or burgermeister office. so you can call local papers and tourism developmend office and ask them about.

--there were two major comedies about Hitler filmed in Germany, as as far as I know - one about the living one, one about his ashes. Both were seriously unfunny and frightfully well intended.--

actualy there were many of them... but britains are more obsessed with him.

--the roll was a bit on the small size, but made from the same kind of bread pretzels are made from--

as a german i should say they use wrong dough for it. aside that bretzels dough is heavier so they messed up the rising capabilities.

http://www.arnstadt.de/images/kulttour/riesenbratwurst.jpg
Posted by: longus dickus | 2009-10-27 04:54
Longus, that's a very classy handle you've chosen there. Or are you just projecting?

So, how many major German comedies about Hitler have there been then? Which reminds me, I must put up a notice for the German readers of this blog along the lines of "Nicht ernst nehmen! Alles nur Spaß, es darf nach Einholen ärtzlicher Genehmigung sogar leicht geschmunzelt werden".
Posted by: ThePenguin | 2009-10-31 03:18
Japan is famous for its traditions and food. It is too admirable. Japan is the point of attraction for the traveling stuff.
Posted by: Travel Insurance | 2010-03-02 11:06
What you don't say, Travel Insurance! Some days you can hardly move for travelling stuff.

(My apologies, it appears the blog gnomes have eaten your URL).
Posted by: ThePenguin | 2010-03-03 11:53