Your MetroNorth ticket gets you to the far east next week—sort of! Grand Central Terminal's Centennial celebration takes a journey to Japan starting next Tuesday at the second annual Japan Week. From March 19th through 21st, GCT will host a variety of activities and food events celebrating Japanese culture, as well as the announcement that Tokyo Station in Japan—whose 100th birthday is next year—is now a sister-station to Grand Central. Stalls and a stage will be set up in Vanderbilt Hall to house vendors, information booths and musicians for the three-day celebration.
"Ekiben"—or Bento Boxes as they're known around here—are traditionally sold at train stations in Japan, and a dedicated area of the festival will be devoted to these portable meals. The ingredients in each box are typically determined by the area in which they're sold and visitors will be able to sample cuisines from multiple regions of Japan all in one place. You can also try ekiben at some of the 35 restaurants participating in Japanese Restaurant Week, which is themed around the regional cuisines of Japan—including Akita, Hyogo, Kyoto and many others—and runs now through March 18th.
A pop-up tachinomiya (standing bar) will be erected each evening, selling sake and shochu by the glass. 90 different sakes from two dozen regions will be represented, with sake sommeliers and "sake samurai" on hand to answer questions. The $25 admission to the bar includes 5 sake tastings.
In addition to all the good eats, there are daily performances of puppetry and music, as well as talks given by sake and kimono experts. On the 21st, makeup master Satomi Shiroma will hold two master classes in the art of ancient makeup techniques. Ms. Shiroma is one of only 10 masters of Geisha makeup artistry in Japan and studied for an incredible 20 year apprenticeship to earn her title.
