JRA Sushi and Sake Festival

On Sunday, November 2, the Sushi and Sake Festival was held in Little Tokyo.

The event is organized by the Japanese Restaurant Association of America (JRA), an industry group founded in 1999 to improve skills and hygiene in the U.S. Japanese food industry and to support legal and business needs.

The festival aims to further promote Japanese food culture in Los Angeles and is now in its 24th year.
It is held each year around this time because November 1 in Japan is Sushi Day.

Because the event offers unlimited food and sake, advance tickets sell out every year.
This year as well, Japanese food fans formed long lines even before the event began.

The main attraction for attendees was, of course, sushi.
They enjoyed sushi prepared by chefs from well-known restaurants.

On stage, a giant tuna carving demonstration was held as one of the attractions, creating great excitement among the crowd.
The carved tuna was prepared on the spot and served to visitors as sushi and sashimi.

In addition to sushi, the food area offered wagyu beef, yakitori, oden, and various drinks.
Outside, ramen, okonomiyaki, and many other types of Japanese food were served with the cooperation of JRA member organizations and companies.

In the alcohol section, numerous varieties of sake, including junmai, ginjo, and daiginjo from various breweries, were introduced. Participants enjoyed tasting and comparing the different flavors.

This year, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association also set up a special shochu section. 12 distilleries hosted booths, offering lectures and other activities to promote shochu.

The event also featured a booth by the Association for the Advancement of the Japanese Culinary Arts (AAJ), considered the oldest organization of Japanese cuisine chefs in Japan.

AAJ aims to preserve Japanese culinary techniques, develop new Japanese cuisine, and promote it worldwide.
In the United States, it conducts the bronze-level certification exam under the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture’s program for cooking skills abroad.