Ginza Holiday Festival

I don’t get why the other reviewers seem to like it so much. To me it was just a huge rip off where you pay $ 7 just to get in, in order to spend even more $$$ on grossly overpriced food and crafts, and watch some very subpar performances. Or perhaps this was just part of the Japanese experience, that everything is so so so overpriced?
I was very underwhelmed the minute I walked in. I was expecting an actual festival, but this felt more like someone having a court yard party. By the entrance there was a small chapel, with an «exhibit» of two tiny rows of bonsai /​flower arrangements. Seriously? You call that an exhibit?
Then there was a stage where they perform Japanese cultural acts like drumming, martial arts, and dance. I would have enjoyed this IF the quality of the performance was any better than an elementary school (not even middle school or high school level) talent show. Don’t get me wrong, I play two instruments and have a black belt in tae kwon do, so I know how hard it is to actually master something and perform it!!! I just don’t have much respect for what I saw today though.
Oh well if all else fails at least I have food right? The prices were also ridiculously high. Sushi that doesn’t even have fish is $ 6. A tiny styrofoam cup of udon noodles is $ 5. Another tiny cup of shaved ice that is basically just ice with a small scoop of flavoring is $ 3. I settled for the chicken teriyaki dinner at $ 12 which I heard raving things about. It was quite good and flavorful thank god, but definitely not worth the $ 12.
That was $ 19 and 2 hours of my life that I’d never get back. I’m not impressed. I only gave it two stars because the chicken was actually pretty good and it’s not like anything /​anyone here really traumatized me.
P. S. To that person and maybe anyone else who wants to tell me that I «don’t get that it’s a fundraiser» — yes I get it, thank you very much. IMHO though even if you have the golden pass of «for charity» or similar, you can get away with either #1 mediocre quality things that are pretty cheap anyway (i.e. like a cup of lemonade for $ 2 or a bake sale where cookies are $ 1 each) or #2 charge steep prices for things that are actually really nice (i.e. charity antique auctions), and in certain cases if #3 it’s actually something I care about and would donate to your cause even if I didn’t get anything out of it. Charging steep prices for overall low quality items while there’s no #3 simply didn’t work out for me. If you don’t mind it or you actually care about their cause I respect that, but there’s no need to impose your ideals on me.

The only festival with the most comfortable seating. Prices are high.
Chicken Teriyaki ($ 12) — with speed steam technique, the chicken keeps moist the day after. Tasty. Long line due to slow cooking speed and efficiency. Small portion.
Vegetarian Plate ($ 7) — famously not good (teriyaki veggie burger on rice, coleslaw and edamame).
Udon ($ 5) — cold and all carbs in salty broth.
Kintoki ($ 3) — surprisingly addictive. Pretty good, I like even though I am not a bean fan.
SPAM Musubi ($ 3) — my only regret for missing it. Out by 7:00 pm even though event closed at 11:00 pm.
Ginza After Dark Performance — Ms Yoko Noge was fashionably late by 20 mins. I appreciate the blending of musical instruments and its authenticity. Between Ms Noge’s strong accent, I could not understand her lyrics… and plenty only stayed for 5 mins. I appreciate the well-​spaced plentiful of chairs.
Vendors — a doll exhibit for $ 6k. It seems like there is quality in the crafts. Unfortunately, the ones that I was interested in… was expensive.

Such a cute, fun little festival! Being of Japanese descent, it’s awesome to see my culture being celebrated in Chicago! The festival had some small shops with little trinkets and art by local artists, which was pretty cool. I purchased some succulents in a glass orb, which were really fun. There was also a bunch of food! The teriyaki chicken reminded me of my grandpa’s chicken, which was a great walk down memory lane. The udon was a little cold, but definitely tasty. The sushi was all vegetarian, but still very good. I can never turn down spam musubi and that was pretty delicious as well. I was able to catch some folk dancing and taiko drumming, which was super cool!
Overall, this is a great event, with proceeds going towards a great place. I will definitely be back next year!

The Ginza Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. It is slightly different than other Chicago «festivals» as this one is more focused on Japanese culture and there is a mandatory fee to get in. Unlike other festivals where there is a suggested donation, here you are required to pay for admittance to the all day event.
It is $ 7 to get in for adults and $ 6 for children, seniors, and students. If you do some searching online you can find $ 1 discount off your admission. Just print out the coupon and bring it to the front gate. They accept cash and credit both at the entrance as well as purchasing tickets to get food and drinks.
The Ginza Festival is located within and around the Midwest Buddhist Temple. There is a large stage with traditional Japanese performances as well as different forms of martial arts. Chairs for upwards of a couple hundred are set up so everyone can get a seat to see the events held throughout the day. From there you can walk through and browse through the pop up shops offering all sorts of Japanese art and novelty items.
In the back is where the food and drink are located with tables and chairs for a large amount of people. The entire area is usually always packed because this is a very popular event. If you are trying to sit and eat with group of 4 or more it may be difficult to find a seat depending on when you visit. Like I said above, you need to purchase your tickets in order to get food and drink. Each ticket is worth a dollar and you can buy these tickets in whatever quantity you please. The main course of teriyaki chicken and rice comes in at 12 tickets. Other items are not priced as high and you can get the full ticket list of prices online.
There is also some more art shops that are located inside the temple. Note that there is clearly an in and an out. The in is on the front right and the out is the front left. One year I came they also had a question and answer session on buddhism.
If you are Japanese or have any interest in Japanese culture this is definitely a must try and a yearly must do.

When I lived in Philly I would fly into chicago on this weekend to catch the festival. Yes it’s that good.
It’s quite a mix of things that make it unique.
1) Good food. Best teriyaki chicken, hands down.
2) Crafts. The Waza are artisens that are native to japane. Most dont speak English and have a stand by translator. Ten years ago there was a guy who did engraving. So I asked him to engrave my dog’s dog tag with his name in Japanese. I found out later the guy was a designated ‘national treasure’ who only worked in Platnium! He was nice and like my dog.
3) Entertainment. THREE different Taiko drum teams. If you have never seen it you are in for a treat. The band Kodo has made it world famous. The giant drums are quite amazing.
4) Buddhist culture. It is, after all at the Midwest Buddhist Temple.
I went all three days this year.

Annually, second week of August:
Youkoso irasshai mashita.
This is the best Teriyaki chicken anywhere, and I help make it! You can enjoy some good Japanese-​American food, learn a little bit about my immigrant group, and make some good karma for yourself (proceeds support the temple). Please visit!
Parking is tight in this neighborhood, you’re best off taking public transportation.
Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

If you like Japanese culture you’ll love this small festival. The stage shows are entertaining and informative and the food is quite tasty.

People wait all year in anticipation of this featival. The Teriyaki chicken is barbeque grilled on charcoal so you have to eat the skin. It’s the best part.
You can watch you calories for the rest of the year but this weekend it’s sushi, udon noodles, and corn. This is what I call heaven.

The Ginza Holiday is a small summertime festival that benefits the Midwest Buddhist Temple. It’s intended to provide a glimpse into Japanese culture, including arts & crafts, dancing, food and martial arts.
Although small, the festival is a refreshing change from what can be cookie-​cutter neighbourhood fests. It may be too basic for someone very familiar with Japanese culture, but would be good for people who want an introduction. Personally, I’m somewhere between those two, but I enjoyed it anyway.
Some of the merchant stands had somewhat inexpensive/​generic knickknacks, but those of actual artisans caught my interest more. There were some pretty, decorative tenugui — even one with cute frogs! (I should have bought it…) Another craftsman sat by his booth, splitting bamboo he would later use to make his baskets and other woven items.
It was great to have some vegan snack options. They posted an ingredient list for every item — very helpful to anyone with special dietary considerations. Unfortunately for me the tofu brownies were sold out! Instead I had kintoki, which is sweet adzuki beans over shaved ice.
I wish I could have stayed longer to watch the taiko drums and other demonstrations. I did enjoy reading the program booklet later on. It offered short descriptions of many aspects of Japanese history and culture — everything from samurai to sumi-​e to bonsai to cosplay.