The title is somewhat oxymoronic: Oktoberfest - Yokohama. Two cultures on opposite sides of the globe vary in nearly every way: Germans are sturdy, Japanese are tiny; Germans are fair, Japanese are dark; German is a guttural language, Japanese is soft; Germans have fast cars and autobahns, Japanese vehicles are efficient and the country's maximum speed is 100 kph; Germans love greasy sausage, Japanese foods are very lean; German's will toast to anything, Japanese hold up signs indicating it is time to toast; Germans drink beer, Japanese drink sake - except for Oktoberfest... Then, the cultural divide dissipates and you can become witness to a melding of two highly disparate cultures at Oktoberfest Yokohama 2010.
Imagine a tent full of food vendors and tables a la Hofbrauhaus, only more delicate in nature and spaced about 18 inches apart. Add to this picture the sound at a professional football game when the home team scores, only these people are cheering for the oom-pah-pah band on stage. For the full effect, the video below is off You-Tube (thank you to whomever posted it!). Sausages with grainy mustard and sauerkraut were being served right next to the cured cucumber on a stick and edamame. The sausages, although great (and much better for you) did not have the same greasy, German appeal.
We were a bit apprehensive that the beer would be some-what ho-hum, but were pleasantly surprised at the incredible selection, as well as taste, by the many beer vendors. Spaten and Hofbrauhaus even had a presence there! One IPA I tried had a very dry taste to it. After some conversing, it was agreed that it tasted the way it smells when you lay down on the hot concrete around a swimming pool in the summer. Some of you will know well the smell/taste I am referring to. Turns out that the "dryness" diminished with time...
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