Taiwanese cultural festival in Tokyo draws large crowds

Tokyo, Sept. 16 (CNA) The two-day Taiwan Plus cultural festival that is taking place at Tokyo's Ueno Park has been attracting long queues and crowds, even before its 11 a.m. opening.

The festival -- one of the largest Taiwanese cultural events in Japan -- features Taiwanese food, drinks and artwork, as well as live performances by Taiwanese artists.

Hung Rui Chen Sandwich, which opened its first Japanese branch in May, is one of the approximately 80 Taiwanese brands participating in this year's event. Huang Che-cheng (黃哲誠), head of the brand's Japanese branch told CNA they have prepared 3,000 sandwiches to sell in the two days, which could be ramped up to 5,000 if demand calls for it.

He added that this is significantly higher than last year, when 60 percent of the 1,000 prepared were sold within an hour.

According to Huang, cheese and egg with meat floss, Taiwanese breakfast, and sesame and peanut crisp -- all limited edition -- are proving to be the most popular so far.

The sandwich seller has also collaborated with Japanese brands on food packaging for the event, Huang said.

Another stall that is catching the eye of event-goers is NINAO, a gelato brand from Tainan, which sold 70 portions in 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Beer, a Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL) brand, sold 350 crates of beer in two days at the event last year and has prepped 500 for this year.

According to Yang Chih-yun (楊智雲), the TTL's Division of International Business assistant manager for the 2023 festival, the brand has mainly prepared beer featuring fruits such as lychee, mango and pineapple -- fruits that Taiwan is renowned for.

Taiwan Plus 2023 is taking place from Sep. 16-17 at Ueno Park in Tokyo from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.