03/19/2013 – 03/21/2013
Grand Central Terminal

Japan Week, a public-private partnership that promotes Japanese culture, food and beverages to encourage travel to Japan, today announced that Japanese Restaurant Week will take place in New York City from March 4-18, 2013 with 35 restaurants participating. This year’s theme will be the regional cuisines of Japan and many of the participating restaurants will be serving “ekiben” bento boxes that include local Japanese dishes. Ekiben are sold at railway train stations in Japan and by replicating local dishes from 21 prefectures, these restaurants will enable guests to take a culinary tour of Japan while still in the Big Apple. Their prices range from $12 to $25. The bento boxes will also be available for purchase at Grand Central Terminal during Japan Week on March 19-21, 2013.

Throughout Manhattan, the participating Japanese restaurants, in alphabetical order, are: Aburiya Kinnosuke, Aki on West 4th, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Cha-An, CURRY-YA, Donguri, Greenwich Grill, Go Go Curry, Hakata Tonton, Hakubai / Kitano Hotel, Hasaki, Hatsuhana, High-Collar, Kubo-chan Ramen, Kyotofu, Marumi, Megu Midtown, Misoya, Ootoya, Rai Rai Ken, Restaurant Nippon, Robataya, Ronin, Sakagura, Sake Bar Decibel, Shimizu, Soba Koh, Soba-ya, Sunrise Mart, Sushi Ann, Sushi Azabu, Sushiden Madison Ave., Sushiden 6th Ave., Tori Shin and Wasan. Additional details on the menu items and pricing will be posted to japanweek.us.

The cuisines of 21 Japanese prefectures represented at Japanese Restaurant Week, in alphabetical order, are: Akita, Aichi, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Kochi, Kyoto, Miyagi, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka, Shizuoka, Tokyo, Toyama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi and Wakayama.

Highlighted event elements at Grand Central Terminal include:
• Grand Central Terminal/Tokyo Station “Sister Station” Announcement: On March 19, during the Kick-Off Gala, Japan Week will commemorate Tokyo Station’s “sister station” relationship with Grand Central Terminal, which is celebrating its centennial this year. Tokyo Station, now in its 99th year, is the first station to be chosen by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for this honor. Representatives from Japan Railways (JR) and the MTA will be present at a special ceremony.
• “Ekiben” Bento Boxes: A corner of the hall will be devoted to Japanese ekiben, which are bento boxes sold at railway train stations throughout Japan. Ekiben often contain local specialties from the region in which they are sold, and their debut in Japan Week will allow attendees to experience a culinary tour of Japan’s diverse regions.
• Japanese “Pop-Up” Bar: To replicate a traditional tachinomiya (standing bar), the event will construct a Japanese “pop-up” bar in the evenings selling jizake, which is local sake (rice wine) that is painstakingly produced by small craft brewers and is prized across Japan, as well as shochu, the country’s distilled spirit. Sake professionals will serve sake and shochu by the glass and will be available to answer questions. Tickets may be purchased online in advance and on the day of the event.
• Geisha Make-Up Demonstration: One of the event’s unique cultural highlights will be a 30-minute demonstration of geisha make-up techniques by Ms. Satomi Shiroma, who is among only 10 masters of this art in Japan. Moreover, the master title is customarily earned after a 20-year apprenticeship.