Japanese Food & Cultural Bazaar

The food was great delicious and very nice atmosphere variety of foods and recipes during the festival

The annual bazaar finally returned in person since the pandemic. I was excited for it's return and went to their one day only event. I should've went there earlier than 11:45 AM even though their flyer said they start at noon. There was a line from the middle of the alleyway going all the way to 10th. The line was moving but it was insanely hot. The food was priced reasonably between 6-15 dollars per item. I got their karrage chicken and yakisoba while my friend got the gyoza and yakisobi. It was filling where I didn't have a chance to try their niku udon. I would definitely come again on a cooler day.

We arrived at around 1pm, the bazaar started at Noon. There was plenty of parking on the street only a couple of blocks away. A short walk less then 5 minutes. This year there was a single line for the outdoor food. It was long but, it moved fast. The line wasn't even backed up to the starting point. My gf came when they opened and there was a line out the door and around a 20min wait. It paid to show up late and have a less then 10minute wait for the outside food. We had the Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box (Rice, chicken, salad, watermelon, edamame), the chicken was very moist and a generous portion. Yakisoba- a hot noodle dish with cabbage. Very satisfying. Gyoza was delicious and I wish I had order more. I could have eaten them alone for lunch, they were so good and fresh. We ate inside with the AC blasting. It was crowed, but there was still plenty of seats for 2 more. We also got some fresh California rolls. They ran out and made some more. It was hot like usual there and it was packed like it always is. Everyone comes here once a year to support them and stock up on food. This year they didn't have the adult game section, which is where I usually get my years supply of rice. Instead of serving snow cones they had Gunther's freezes. They still have entertainment. No mochi or vegetable tempura this year. They also don't sell half a chicken this year, you can only get them in a bento box, which was just as good, but we didn't take extras home this time. Overall it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Very disappointing Food was limited, area is crowded and hot with no fans provided.Having to walk from parking through alleys that reeked of urine and rotten produce was horrible. The inside eating area was hot and stifling and smelled of vomit.

What a fun afternoon and the food was delicious. Parking was pretty good and the Festival was well organized I thought. Lots of food, desserts, seating outdoors as well as indoors seating with air conditioning. Lots to see and great performances. They had a lot of fun activities for the kids and everyone was having a great time. We had the teriyaki chicken and rice the tempura with shrimp, green beans, potatoes and Broccoli. Also, we had a variety of traditional desserts. They also had poke bowls, sushi, noodle bowls, teriyaki beef sandwiches, chili dogs and hotdogs.. lol... and Italian iceI will definitely be coming back next year....

The Japanese Food & Cultural Bazaar is one of the most popular annual events in Sacramento. Most people I know from Sac make a valid effort to attend every year and all rave about the food. Although I don't attend every year, when I do, the weather is consistently hot, the food is consistently good, and the spirit of the event is consistently lively. This year, I decided to try this bazaar experience again and it was well worth the trip. I ordered the half chicken teriyaki ($9) from the stands outside and a bowl of udon noodles ($6) from the inside cafeteria/seating area. The chicken was tender and very tasty! There was plenty of chicken for two, so I ended up with extra to bring home. The udon noodles were also a great order! They have perfect texture and taste great in the broth. The udon comes with a couple pieces of fishcake, mushroom slices, green onions, and crispy tempura bits, all great additions. The ladies serving udon were very kind to offer a cup of hot tea as well.There were several games that were fun for kids. For $3, you are given 10 tickets and each game requires one ticket. We played the fishing game, tic tac toe, ring toss, rolling balls, and the skills game (throwing wiffle balls to land on muffin containers). It was nice that all plays get a tiny consolation prize. We came home with a bunch of rubber spiders, plastic insects, dolphin keychains, and one top prize plastic whistle. We also tried our luck at the dime toss, but failed to make even one. I did not get a chance to play the games inside where it seemed people won food and bigger items. The entire time I was there, there were no performances on stage, however, as I was leaving, I did see some people setting up taiko drums. I've also seen pictures and videos from other Yelpers that were able to catch performances.Overall, the Japanese Food and Cultural Bazaar is a great community event in Sacramento and yearly fundraiser for the Buddhist Church. All the food I've tried have been really good and the games are fun for kids. Parking and the heat are major challenges, but everyone that attends is sure to have a good time.

Awesome experience and it's always great to support the Japanese church and community!The Japanese bazar is so much fun filled with great food, entertainment, and great family fun! This is a perfect way to spend half your day with your family, friends or significant other! They have excellent food ranging from udon, beef teriyaki sandwiches, sushi, tempura, boba, and pastries! I tried the udon, shrimp and veggie tempura plate, beef teriyaki sandwich and the snow cone dessert! All the food was very very good but my favorite was the veggie and shrimp tempura! The batter was very tasty and not to heavy! The veggies included broccoli, sweet potato, regular potato, and green beans! The shrimp was very good and wish I got more.... crispy and juicy!! You can add two extra shrimp for an additional cost! The only part I was sad was they sold out of spam sushi! Oh well, next time!!! They have live performances by members of the church and they have church members and volunteers running carnival games for the children!! Parking can be tough.... street parking is optional and some try and park at the target but they have enforcers running the parking lot making sure people just don't park and walk to the event! I look forward to next years event!

WOW WOW. it's been 2 years since I've been back and I am impressed by their operations and layout of the event. The food areas are organized with ropes for line control and the clear signage for the diff types of foods.Boba-sushi-ramen -- they have it all. Baked pastries. It's always such a great event put together by the community and to experience yummy foods that are affordable and delicious. Eat and give back to the community.

It's a great chance to experience some culture and food. Get out there and show some support! My absolute favorite foods are the karoke (fried potato pancake) which are four for $6, and the somen salad (price unknown). Both are so so good. Being a vegan, I couldn't try anything else, but I know the chicken teriyaki is extremely popular. I mean heck, the line just for the chicken teriyaki wraps around 3 times! Get some good food, enjoy the entertainment and some good company.

The Japanese Food & Cultural Bazaar is a well organized and family oriented annual event. A multitude of booths are provided with a wide selection of Japanese foods from Teriyaki, Udon soup and noodle dishes to sushi. All of the food is freshly made and very affordable! Then, there are the delicious desserts and flavored shaved ice! If you are hungry enough, you will find yourself eating all day here! When we first walked through the entrance, the place was almost filled to capacity, but there seemed to be plenty of things to do for all ages. The outdoor portion of the festival was covered with a huge tent-like canopy that offered a little shelter from the hot sun. At least there was a nice variety of cold drinks available. A large stage was placed to one side and was somewhat viewable by most of the tables set up around it. There were also several booths that offered fun games for the kids, booths selling souvenirs, handmade crafts and even clothing. Japanese flower arrangements, handmade dolls, and calligraphy were on display for us to enjoy the artistic beauty that the Japanese are well known for. We were allowed to enter the building where there were more tables and chairs set up for people to relax and eat/drink. It was easier to find a place to sit here, but the noise of continuous chatter of people all talking at once was not so relaxing and very hard to hear yourself think. Lots of great entertainment was provided on the outdoor stage or in the Buddhist main chapel every 1-2 hours. Groups like Sakura Minyo Doo Koo Kai performed some Japanese folk dancing, the drum ensembles of Koyasan Taiko and Sacramento Taiko Dan, Hawaiian style entertainment by Na Alkane Ukulele Group, Koto concerts, and Japanese classical dancers all in traditional costume. One of my favorite bands also performed later that afternoon - Sacramento's own East Wind! I used to be one of their devoted groupies right when I got out of high school! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see them this time because we had to leave before they performed. :( I used to go to these events often with my friends when I was younger, then kind of lost touch when I had to become a responsible adult. Going to the Bazaar again after all these years made me realize how much fun I had been missing! I think this will be a yearly event for me again!