Eat Soba and Dance at Japan Village
Japan Village Brooklyn Summer Festival
Saturday, August 29, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Japan Village – 934 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn
Admission: Free
Japan Village’s annual Summer Festival is a free Japanese event that brings together nearly 8,000 attendees for a day of food, games, and cultural performances.
This year there will be two contests: a Wanko Soba-Eating contest and an Ouchi no Tonosama Dance contest. Participants have the chance to win round-trip tickets to Japan.
Event Schedule
1:00 p.m. Opening Ceremony
1:10 p.m. Yosakoi Dance
1:30 p.m. Yamagata Presentation — Hanagasa Ondo & more
1:50 p.m. Awa Odori Performance & Workshop
2:20 p.m. Aomori Presentation — Kuroishi Yosare & more
2:50 p.m. Watermelon Splitting Contest
3:30 p.m. Taiko Performance by Taiko Masala
3:50 p.m. Ouchi no Tonosama Dance Contest
4:20 p.m. Wanko Soba Noodle-Eating Contest
5:00 p.m. Bon Odori
5:40 p.m. Closing Ceremony
Wanko Soba-Eating Contest
Join this exciting Japanese soba noodle-eating competition! A beloved tradition from Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture, participants compete to eat as many small bowls of soba noodles as possible within one minute.
How to Participate in the Wanko Soba-Eating Contest
Register to apply to receive a spot in the raffle. Click here for the registration form.
12:30 p.m. — Raffle tickets will be distributed
3:00 p.m. — Raffle begins, during which competitors will be chosen for a seat in the contest
4:20 p.m. — Competition begins
The person who eats the most bowls of wanko soba in one minute will win round-trip tickets to Japan!
Ouchi no Tonosoma Dance Contest
Ouchi no Tonosama is a traditional folk dance from Yamaguchi City, located on the southwestern side of Honshu Island near Hiroshima. Meaning “the Lord of Ouchi,” the dance pays homage to Ouchi Hiroyo, a powerful daimyo who Yamaguchi City during the 14th Century. A well-read and cultured samurai, Ouchi is credited with building Yamaguchi City to reflect Kyoto’s elegance.
The dance contest begins at 3:50 p.m. No registration is necessary; simply join the dancers on stage. The best dancer wins round-trip tickets to Yamaguchi and a hotel voucher to Yuda Onsen, a historic hot spring, famous for its alkaline waters and white fox motifs. Legend has it that Buddhist priest witnessed a white fox dipping its injured paw into a pond each day. Curious, the priest investigated the pond and discovered that the water was warm and had healing powers. Thus, Yuda Onsen was born.
Eat, dance, and learn more about Japanese culture at Japan Village’s Summer Festival!
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