2019 Yokota Base Sakura Spring Festival

Full Bloom Sakura and No Rain!

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and luckily, it didn’t rain—what a relief! ε-(´∀｀*)ﾎｯ
The last time I visited Yokota in the spring, it was rainy, and I don’t remember seeing cars like this displayed.

As usual, the energy drink selection wasn’t great. If you came here just for energy drinks, you’d probably be disappointed (^_^;)

Some places were selling them for 500 yen...

...while others had them for 250 yen. The prices varied quite a bit.

I even found Rockstar being sold for just 200 yen. Since the area opened for the Spring Festival is quite small, it’s best to check all the stalls and buy from the cheapest one. The stalls selling them for 400–500 yen barely had any customers (^_^;)

A Fun and Affordable U.S. Base Festival for Just 1,000 Yen

Unlike a commercial event, this felt more like a local festival. Instead of coming here for energy drinks, it’s better to enjoy the cherry blossoms while trying some American-style festival food.

Homemade cupcakes! A lot of locals seemed to be taking them home.

There was alcohol too—pretty cool.

A true open-flame grill, lol.
It reminded me of backyard barbecues at my American friends’ places (ｕ_ｕ*)

So, what did I eat? Fries.
I’m always amazed at how people come up with such unhealthy menu items. Cost: 500 yen.

I was already quite full after the fries, but since I was here, I decided to go for a chili cheese hot dog.

There was so much cheese that you could barely tell what this was. The bun was cut in half, making it more like a sandwich, so I ended up cutting it into pieces with a fork to finish it. Cost: 300 yen.

Finally, I bought a can of Rockstar Organic for 200 yen.
Total cost: 1,000 yen—an affordable way to enjoy the cherry blossoms at Yokota Base! (●´ω｀●)

This time, there were an unusually large number of foreigners—maybe even more than Japanese visitors. I arrived a bit late, but there was no line at the entrance at all. Since most of the stalls were run by individuals rather than big vendors, there weren’t any bulk buyers, making it feel like a real festival. If the weather had been a bit warmer and sunnier, it would have been perfect. I’ll definitely consider coming again next year if I get the chance!