The Japan Onigiri Association will hold ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026 on January 27 at Tokyo Midtown Yaesu. In conjunction with this event, eight carefully selected municipalities from across Japan will gather to host a specialty products market focused on items that complement onigiri, including rice, meat, fish, vegetables, tea, plums, and nori seaweed.
ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026 Specialty Products Market
Date: January 27, 2026 (Tuesday) 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Location: HANASAKA SQUARE (B1F, YANMAR TOKYO, 2-1-1 Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Purpose: This event is held in conjunction with ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026 and centers on onigiri, a traditional Japanese food culture. Through the sale and experience of regional specialty products, the event aims to contribute to food safety, agricultural promotion, regional revitalization, and tourism development.
Participating Municipalities:
- Minami Uonuma City, Niigata (Rice)
- Yonezawa City, Yamagata (Beef)
- Date City, Fukushima (Chicken)
- Fukaya City, Saitama (Green onions)
- Murakami City, Niigata (Salmon)
- Fuji City, Shizuoka (Tea)
- Minabe Town, Wakayama (Plums)
- Yanagawa City, Fukuoka (Nori seaweed)
- Sekikawa Village, Niigata (Guest participation)
*Please note that video and photography cameras will be present at the event, and attendees may be captured on camera.
Special Event ① Famous Onigiri Shops at the Venue
Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku × Super Maruto (Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture)
As a special collaboration for the ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026 Specialty Products Market, Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku and Super Maruto from Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, will have a joint booth.
Super Maruto has been sharing the wish to transmit "Japan's best onigiri deliciousness" from Iwaki in Fukushima's coastal Hamadori region. Shop owner Yosuke Miura of Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku has been teaching them onigiri-making techniques, moved by their passion. This collaboration at the ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026 Specialty Products Market marks the culmination of their ongoing connection.
On the day, they will sell four types of onigiri including Asakusa Yadoroku's classic "salmon," "shrimp," and "plum," plus Super Maruto's award-winning "shimahokke" (mackerel), which won the 2021 Bento & Side Dish Grand Prize. Additionally, Super Maruto will offer a "Karaage & Tamagoyaki Set" combining their three-year consecutive Gold Award-winning karaage from the Karaage Grand Prix with their popular "Ken-chan's Tamagoyaki." Customers will also receive a complimentary bottle of "Ayataka" (provided by The Coca-Cola Company Japan).
*Numbered tickets may be distributed depending on crowd conditions. While tickets are being distributed, only customers with tickets can make purchases. Sales will end when stock runs out.
Onigiri Bongo × Sekikawa Village, Niigata (Guest Participating Municipality)
Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture, and Onigiri Bongo will present a special project at the ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026 Specialty Products Market.
Customers who shop at the venue will receive exchange tickets on a first-come, first-served basis (200 tickets planned / while supplies last) that can be redeemed for Onigiri Bongo onigiri.
Onigiri Bongo is known for its hearty onigiri wrapped generously with filling. For this occasion, a limited-edition onigiri using "Hebakura Pork," a rare branded pork produced only at Takahashi Farm in Sekikawa Village's Hebakura district, will be available: "Hebakura Pork and Shiitake Sprouts with Maple Syrup Soy Sauce."
This menu was developed with recipe input from cooking expert and freelance announcer Chikako Sato. Ms. Sato, originally from Niigata Prefecture like Onigiri Bongo owner Yumiko Ukon, has long been connected with the shop through their shared love of onigiri.
Special Event ② Limited Sample Giveaways for Attendees
Product samples will be distributed by ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026 member companies. Experience ingredients that enhance onigiri not only at the market but also at home.
Sample Items:
"Onigiri Rich" (Kikkoman Foods), "Portable Onigiri" (Onishi Foods), "Sesame Oil" (Takemoto Oil & Fat)
*Quantities are limited and distribution will end when supplies run out.
About ONIGIRI SUMMIT 2026
ONIGIRI SUMMIT is a food culture and regional collaboration event established in 2024 by the Japan Onigiri Association, bringing together diverse partners including municipalities, corporations, primary producers, and educational institutions. The inaugural event was held on February 2, 2024, where municipal leaders from participating areas gathered to make a joint declaration to pass on the Japanese food culture of onigiri to the next generation.
The venue showcases not only onigiri and related products featuring regional specialties, but also the diverse cultural resources that support onigiri, including pickles, tea, water, sake, furoshiki wrapping cloths, and hand towels. Rather than competition, the focus is on collaboration, with discussions centered on "community development through onigiri" while mutually enhancing each region's appeal.
ONIGIRI SUMMIT Website: https://summit.onigiri.or.jp/
ONIGIRI SUMMIT's Vision
The Japan Onigiri Association was established in 2014 with the purpose of promoting onigiri, a dish Japan proudly presents to the world, both domestically and internationally. Interest in onigiri is expanding globally, with new onigiri cultures and styles emerging in various regions. Since 2024, the association has accelerated efforts to "connect regions through onigiri and create new value." Onigiri has a wide range of ingredients and cultural backgrounds, leading discussions to expand to diverse themes including primary production, agricultural and fishery sustainability, food tourism, and disaster prevention and recovery. ONIGIRI SUMMIT serves as a platform for sharing these various challenges and possibilities, enabling municipalities, corporations, primary producers, and consumers to collaborate across boundaries and generate new value and innovation. The goal is to energize Japan's regions through onigiri and connect food culture to a better future.
Japan Onigiri Association Representative Director: Yusuke Nakamura
About the Japan Onigiri Association
The Japan Onigiri Association positions onigiri as Japan's proud "fast food," "slow food," and "soul food," and works to communicate its cultural background both domestically and internationally. The association views onigiri not merely as food, but as a unique Japanese food culture that condenses regional history, primary production, and living wisdom, aiming to convey its appeal and depth to many people.
Furthermore, to pass on this value to the next generation, the association actively participates in related projects and initiatives, expanding efforts toward sustainable development. Through onigiri, the association connects regions with regions and people with people, creating new value and experiences while working to promote understanding of Japanese food culture and build its future.
Website: https://www.onigiri.or.jp/
Rice Style Media - Onigiri Japan: https://www.onigiri-japan.com/
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- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OnigiriSociety
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onigirisociety/
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