Sales of Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame, a specialty of Tamba Sasayama City in Hyogo Prefecture, will begin on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the sales start date set for this year.
Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame is made from "Tamba-guro," an extra-large black soybean variety that originated in Tamba Sasayama City, harvested while the beans are still unripe, green, and soft. Compared with ordinary edamame, the beans are larger and sweeter. Because they can be eaten for only about two to three weeks in October, they are also known as the "phantom edamame." Here is a look at what makes them special and where to buy them, so you can make the most of the season.
Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame Navi: https://tourism.sasayama.jp/kuroedamame/
What Is the "Sales Start Date"?
The sales start date is an announcement to consumers that the pods of Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame have swollen beyond the set standard and are beginning to reach their best eating stage.
This initiative began in 2006. Producers, sellers, and consumers follow the basic principle of not selling and not buying until the sales start date, carefully protecting and nurturing the black edamame of the "Tamba Sasayama brand" that earlier generations built, so that everyone can keep loving it for years to come.
The 2026 sales start date is Thursday, October 8
During the sales period, sales outlets around the city and farms where visitors can try harvesting are busy with many tourists. Black edamame are harvested and shipped only once they have grown beyond a certain point, so supply may be limited right after the sales start date. Please keep this in mind.
How to Enjoy Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame
Grown in clay-rich soil and the deep fog produced by the temperature swings typical of a basin, the black edamame have large beans with a distinctive sweetness, richness, and a fluffy texture. They can be eaten for only two to three weeks, but even within that period they keep ripening day by day, and the flavor grows deeper.
In early October, you can enjoy a juicy, fresh taste. By late October, the color and bite come closer to those of black soybeans, and the sweetness and umami become rich and full.
Enjoy the "phantom edamame," which was even praised in the gourmet manga Oishinbo, as the seasons change.
Where to Buy Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame
(1) Buy directly from producers or try harvesting: the Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame Sales Locations Map
Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame Sales Locations Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=18016wlFnTd9o5kD1ybU-Jts4QpxjzHo&femb=1&ll=35.060747200981446%2C135.230375&z=9
Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays are expected to be congested with traffic, so visiting on a weekday is recommended. To ease congestion, please use public transportation or rental bicycles, and when coming by car, please take the detour routes.
- Information on detour routes, traffic restrictions, and public transportation: https://tourism.sasayama.jp/traffic_info/
- Information on rental bicycles: https://tourism.sasayama.jp/rental-cycle/
(2) Online shop portal site: "Ouchi de Tamba Sasayama"
Ouchi de Tamba Sasayama: https://edamame.jp/
(3) Enjoy black edamame at a good value through "Furusato Nozei" (hometown tax donations)
Tamba Sasayama City's Furusato Support Donations (Furusato Nozei): https://www.city.tambasasayama.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/sozoutoshika/kigyoshinko/furusato/5395.html
Did You Know? Black Edamame and Black Soybeans Are the Same Bean
Tamba Sasayama Black Edamame is the still-ripening form of the Tamba black soybean used in the simmered beans served at New Year. Once the beans are fully ripened, until most of the leaves have fallen, the stems have dried and turned brown, and the pods rattle when shaken, they become Tamba black soybeans.
Black soybean cultivation in Tamba Sasayama was certified as Japan Agricultural Heritage by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Reiwa 3 (2021), as the "Tamba Sasayama Black Soybean Cultivation" system. Since the Edo period more than 300 years ago, whole villages have worked together on production, and growers have repeatedly selected large, round beans to raise, creating and spreading excellent seed. The unique traditional farming methods that earlier generations researched in order to make better produce in Tamba Sasayama are still carried on today.
About Japan Agricultural Heritage: https://tambasasayama-kuromame.jp/
