The city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, is known by many as "curry town." The port city claims that the curry rice dish that is commonly consumed in Japan spread from its kitchens, as it had a close connection to the Imperial Japanese Navy, which adopted curry from the British Royal Navy in the Meiji Era (1868-1912).
The Yokosuka Curry Festival, which is held May 11 and 12 at Mikasa Park, is thus an occasion to enjoy various kinds of curries from across the country.
One of the events features the local Yokosuka Navy Curry, with a limited number of 5,000 dishes offered each day by 16 shops. Visitors can eat four types of navy curries for just ¥500.
This year's festival will see a new program on May 11 dubbed the National Grand Prix of Local Curry, the winner of which will be chosen in part by the crowd.
On top of that, there will be music and dance performances by schools and other organizations, as well as street performers who will entertain visitors in front of the Imperial Japanese Navy's battleship Mikasa, which is on display in the park.
The Yokosuka Curry Festival 2013 takes place at Mikasa Park in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on May 11 and 12 (9 a.m.-4 p.m). For more information, visit www.cocoyoko.net/event/curry-fes.html.