From Charity to Cosplay: The Most Talked-About Food Festivals Chef Junzo Miyajima Led Across the River in Rockville

Disclosure: Chef Junzo Miyajima is Executive Master Chef and a co-founder of IVEA Concepts, which is affiliated with our publisher. IVEA presented the BiteMe Charity Festival. This is not an independent review.

Most Northern Virginia diners know Chef Junzo Miyajima from his restaurants on this side of the river: Genki Izakaya in Fairfax, Churasuko in Tysons, which the Washingtonian called the first Japanese-Brazilian steakhouse of its kind, and Okaeri Japanese Café in Centreville. Across the Potomac in Rockville Town Center, he also led two of the most talked-about food festivals in the DMV, both with free admission.

BiteMe Charity Festival, Saturday, August 30, 2025. IVEA presented BiteMe in support of the Maryland Food Bank, and Junzo led it. It ran from noon to 8 p.m. at The Square at Rockville, 36 Maryland Avenue, with free admission. The MoCo Show listed what was on: authentic Asian dishes from across the continent, live cultural performances, an Asian goods market with snacks and specialty products, and showcases for all ages. The most important part was where the money went: all proceeds were donated to the Maryland Food Bank to fight food insecurity in the community. Okaeri, Panda Dumplings, Gong Cha and Lao Sze Chuan were among the restaurants serving.

Tomodachi Food Fest, Saturday, September 5, 2026. A year later Junzo led Tomodachi Food Fest, billed as the DMV's only anime food festival. "Tomodachi" means "friends" in Japanese. It ran from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Rockville Town Center with free admission for all ages, and pets were welcome. More than 20 food vendors came, including Kapow Buddy, The Bing Spot and Panda Flame Hibachi, along with anime-inspired merchandise, art and décor, a beer garden, and a main stage with dance performances and DJ sets all day. The festival's Eventbrite page lists 6.7k total attendees.

The cosplay runway. Visitors were encouraged to come dressed as their favorite characters, and Junzo led the festival's cosplay runway too. For us it was the most fun part of the day: the costumes were as much of the show as the food.

Back in Northern Virginia, the best way to eat his food between festivals: the Tornado Omelet Fried Rice at Genki Izakaya, which the restaurant calls the dish guests mention most, and the soufflé pancakes at Okaeri in Centreville, which Northern Virginia Magazine called the region's only authentic version. The full story of both festivals is on the IVEA Journal.