Japan's premier local ice cream festival, "Aipaku®," is heading to Kyoto for the very first time. Aipaku® Premium KYOTO 2026 runs for five days from March 26 (Thursday) to March 30 (Monday), 2026 at Kyoto Municipal Hall "Miyako Messe" in Sakyo Ward.
Japan's Local Ice Cream Culture Comes to Kyoto
Aipaku gathers carefully selected local ice creams from across Japan, showcasing products made with an emphasis on ingredients, production methods, and the stories behind them. Craft soft-serves made with pure milk and minimal additives take center stage alongside exclusive event-only flavors and limited menus that merge premium ice cream with sweets and unexpected ingredient pairings.
Local ice cream culture, nurtured in regions throughout Japan, has grown into one of the country's defining food traditions. At this event, visitors can experience that diversity and depth all in one place.
Featured Products
Chocolate Gelato Double (¥935) / CACAO HUNTERS
Making their Aipaku debut, CACAO HUNTERS is a chocolate brand whose founder travels the world to discover rare cacao, guiding fermentation and drying processes and developing products end to end. Operating out of Colombia, the team works alongside local farmers to bring genuinely high-quality cacao to the world.
The standout offering is the CACAO HUNTERS Chocolate Gelato — featuring the bold chocolate character of cacao grown in Colombia's southwestern Tumaco region, with a smooth and aromatic finish. A white chocolate gelato variation is also available, built around the cacao's own fragrance rather than the usual sweetness-forward profile.
Nagasaki Castella Namasofuto (¥800) / New York-Do
The Nagasaki Castella Namasofuto is a fan favorite at Aipaku events — available only at New York-Do's flagship store in Nagasaki and at Aipaku itself. Founded in 1937, New York-Do has long shaped Nagasaki's Western confectionery scene. The product pairs an original soft-serve made using a proprietary method with traditional Nagasaki castella sponge cake. Only fresh Nagasaki red eggs are used, and the castella is baked with coarse sugar for a pleasing textural accent. Once tried, the combination tends to be hard to forget.
Bolognese (¥1,600) and Hinomaru Bento (¥1,200) / Ice Bistro Hirai
(Note: Both the Bolognese and the Hinomaru Bento are made entirely from ice cream.)
Kagawa-based artisan ice cream shop Ice Bistro Hirai brings a playful and technically impressive lineup. The waffle cone is baked fresh to order for every customer, delivering a crispy and fragrant bite. This time around, two eye-catching creations take the spotlight:
The Bolognese uses soft-serve and fruit to recreate the look of pasta, while the Hinomaru Bento reproduces the classic Japanese lunch box using soft-serve. Both are as visually striking as they are delicious. A warm homemade oshiruko (sweet red bean soup) is also on offer for those wanting something cozy alongside the cold treats.
Waguri no Shiawase Parfait (¥1,350) / Natural Ingredient Confectionery Workshop Mashure
Hokkaido-based additive-free cake and soft-serve shop Mashure makes a rare appearance outside of Hokkaido — only possible at Aipaku. The soft-serve is made solely from Jersey milk from a Biei-cho free-range dairy farm and sugar. The on-site baked waffle cone adds a delicate, handcrafted touch.
For this event, Mashure presents a special Aipaku-exclusive parfait featuring Japanese waguri (chestnuts) grown domestically. The chestnuts bring a natural sweetness and rich flavor that comes through clearly with each bite, in a dessert that reflects the shop's commitment to ingredient quality.
Strawberry & Pistachio Parfait (¥1,300) / MAX PISTACHIO
Pistachio sweets specialist MAX PISTACHIO arrives with an Aipaku-exclusive menu using premium Sicilian pistachios from Italy. The featured item is a parfait combining rich, fragrant pistachio ice cream with tangy strawberries, finished with a fruity peach strawberry sauce for a springtime-ready, visually appealing presentation. Drinks inspired by Sicilian local tradition are also available alongside.
Makiba no Milk Soft Tabekurabe (¥1,200) / Milk no Kurumi
A special side-by-side tasting experience features three varieties of milk-based soft-serve, each with a distinct character: Brown Swiss (rich and full-bodied), Jersey (sweet and umami-forward), and Holstein (clean and refreshing). The lineup allows visitors to experience the range of flavors that different cow breeds produce.
Also on offer from Milk no Kurumi is a soft-serve using milk from Country Home Fuukei, a well-known Tokachi (Obihiro) farm in Hokkaido's competitive dairy region. Made without added fresh cream or butter, it lets the natural depth of raw milk shine through while remaining light on the finish.
Momo Gelato Single / Momo Nōka Cafe La Pesca
A popular Aipaku fixture, La Pesca is run by Peach Specialty Yamashita — a peach farm in Yamanashi, renowned as Japan's fruit kingdom. Peaches and grapes, grown using the farm's own cultivation methods, are used whole (including the skin) to create gelato made fresh at a dedicated workshop on-site.
Kikyo Shingen Soft Ginzukuri + Koi Matcha / Kikyoya
Normally only available in Yamanashi Prefecture, Kikyoya's soft-serve brings a beloved regional treat to a wider audience. Inspired by the famous Kikyo Shingen Mochi confection, the soft-serve is topped with fragrant kinako (roasted soybean flour) and a rich original black honey syrup.
The Kikyo Shingen Soft Ginzukuri + Koi Matcha pairs a deep matcha soft-serve with premium Shingen Mochi Ginzukuri toppings. The kinako uses black soybeans from Tanba, while the black honey blends original syrup with acacia honey. The mochi itself is made with reduced sugar for a more refined sweetness. The overall result has the feel of an upscale Japanese-style parfait.
Aipaku Flower Crepe Soft (¥1,200) / Aipaku TOKYO
The soft-serve from Aipaku's own shop, Aipaku TOKYO, is a craft soft-serve made using only hand-selected ingredients sourced by ice cream critic Iceman Fukutome during his travels across Japan. The extraction process uses a top-of-the-line Italian Carpigiani machine. For this event, the soft-serve is paired with a chewy mochi crepe baked on-site — the contrast between the silky cold soft-serve and the warm, chewy crepe creates a memorable combination.
All prices include tax. Photos are for illustrative purposes. Menu items are available while supplies last.
Amatou Danshi Performance Group
The six-member male performance group Amatou Danshi, which blends sweets and entertainment, will take the stage at Miyako Messe. Active since 2018, the group is known for singing and dancing to original music while distributing sweets to the audience. They were also part of the very first Aipaku event. Performance dates and details will be announced via official social media.
Additional stage programs unique to Aipaku are also planned, making the event a destination for entertainment as well as ice cream.
About Aipaku® Premium
This event operates under the Aipaku® Premium format, an expanded version of the standard Aipaku event. While the core concept — a "paradise for ice cream lovers" — remains unchanged, the format adds more entertainment-focused content and a more spacious eat-in area within the venue.
- Admission (date-specified): Adults (elementary school age and up): ¥700 (advance ticket) / ¥800 (day-of ticket)
- Seven-Eleven ticket (advance/day-of shared): ¥700
- Children under school age: Free (must be accompanied by a guardian)
Aipaku® Original Insulated Bag (with Dry Ice)
For those who want to take ice cream home, an Aipaku® original insulated bag with dry ice is available at the venue for ¥600 (tax included). Those who bring their own insulated bag can purchase dry ice separately for ¥180. Standard eco bags without insulation are not recommended, as they may affect product quality.
Aipaku® Online Store
For those who cannot attend in person, Aipaku's online store ships local ice cream directly to homes across Japan.
- Aipaku® ONLINE: https://www.i-89.shop/
About Iceman Fukutome
Born in 1973 in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, Iceman Fukutome is an ice cream critic who tastes over 1,000 varieties of ice cream per year. He launched his career in 2011 as a "konbini ice cream critic" and runs the popular information site "Konbini Ice Mania," which draws over one million monthly visitors.
A recognized expert in ice cream, he appears regularly on variety and news programs, contributes to industry trade publications, produces products, and delivers "ice cream lessons" to elementary school students. In 2014, he founded the Japan Ice Mania Association and serves as its representative director. He is the author of several books including Nihon Natsukashi Ice Taizen, Nihon Ice Chronicle, and Nihon Gotochi Ice Taizen (all published by Tatsumi Publishing).
Event Details
- Event Name: Ice Cream Expo "Aipaku® Premium KYOTO 2026"
- Dates: March 26 (Thursday) to March 30 (Monday), 2026
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (extended to 7:00 PM on March 27 (Friday) and March 28 (Saturday))
- Venue: Kyoto Municipal Hall "Miyako Messe"
- Address: 9-1 Okazaki Seishoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
- Access:
- Approximately 8-minute walk from Higashiyama Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line
- Kyoto City Bus routes 32, 46, and others to "Okazaki Park Rohm Theatre Kyoto / Miyako Messe Mae" stop
- Admission:
- Date-specified advance ticket: ¥700 (elementary school age and above)
- Seven-Eleven ticket (advance/day-of shared): ¥700
- Day-of ticket: ¥800 (sold at venue only; cash and cashless payment accepted)
- Children under school age: Free (must be accompanied by a guardian)
- Ticket Purchase: Available at Seven-Eleven multi-copy machines (no handling fee); Seven Code: 113-764
- Payments: Cashless payment is the primary method inside the venue (cash generally not accepted)
- Organizer: Aipaku® Premium KYOTO 2026 Executive Committee
- Planning: Japan Ice Mania Association / Ice Cream Lover Co., Ltd.
Event details, operating hours, and program content are subject to change.
For the full lineup and additional details, visit the official Aipaku® website at https://www.i-89.jp.
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