Tokyo Marathon Tabehoudai

Tabehoudai is a Japanese word for All-you-can-eat, or buffet or smorgasbord.  It is a very popular way to eat as you can pick and choose a little (or a lot) of everything and try a whole heap of different dishes.  

Last weekend was the Tokyo Marathon, held throughout closed streets in some of the most congested parts of crazy Tokyo.  From the start to the finish of the 42.2 klms there was an endless stream of spectators and about every 5m was some kind soul offering food or refreshment of some kind or other.

Their offerings ranged from lumps of brown sugar and hard sweets and savoury snacks.  I felt like I was at the longest tabehouri table in the world as I raced my way through the streets.  I sampled a few things along the way but there was no room (or capacity) to try everything.  My favourites were Miniature An Pan, A few different forms of chocolate and brown sugar, cut up fruit, umeboshi, and some biscuits.  What I would have gone for if I thought that I could deal with it and keep running was an amazing variety of onigiri, sushi rolls and an assortment of unusual looking cakes.  I think there was a cutoff time for the race, but I pictured a lot of stragglers cleaning up on the food as they went just fast enough to stay ahead of the sag truck.  The biggest moving feast I have ever seen.

30,000 runners and still plenty of food to go around.