Japan Fes Texas

JAPAN Fes Texas returns to Republic Square on Saturday, October 24, bringing Japanese food and culture back to the heart of downtown Austin. It's part of a larger festival that started in New York in 2016 and has since spread city by city, from Paris to Florida, now reaching nearly 100 events a year. It bills itself as the world's largest Japanese food festival, with more than a million projected annual attendees and 2,000 vendors across its different editions.

The food is the main draw here. The festival's vendors have been featured in The New York Times, Food Network, and The Today Show. One of the standouts is Menya Jiro, whose ramen was named the best in the U.S. by Thrillist and won the JAPAN Fes Ramen Contest in 2016 and 2017. If you're coming for the food, that's the one to keep on your radar.

Texas is a relatively new chapter for the festival. It launched in Austin last year with three events and became the first JAPAN Fes to run into the night. This year, it's expanding to ten events across the state, with Bellaire added to the calendar. The organizers call it "Team JAPAN Fes Texas," and they describe it as something built by people showing up and connecting rather than run from the outside.

You'll find it at Republic Square, 400-440 W 5th St, Austin, TX 78701. It's a Saturday, so it's an easy one to fit into a weekend.