【The 50th 2026 Japan Hobby Show】Handicraft × Global × ICT Fusion. Hamanaka, with over 80 years of history, challenges "Next-Generation Collaboration"

Hamanaka Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 2-3 Hanazono Yabunoshita-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8585; CEO: Tomoko Hamanaka) will exhibit at "The 50th 2026 Japan Hobby Show" to be held from May 8th (Friday) to 10th (Sunday), 2026.

This event is the world's largest handmade hobby fair, where the latest trends in handmade and DIY gather, allowing visitors to experience the "joy of creating" through various workshops and artwork exhibitions.

Hamanaka's theme for this year is "Collaboration."

Through global co-creations with popular Korean handicraft brand "LINEA" and popular influencer "Mongchi," as well as ICT (Information and Communication Technology)-driven stage productions in industry-academia collaboration with the Information University, Hamanaka embodies its philosophy of "The joy of completion for everyone" in a next-generation form.

Event Details

Venue

Tokyo International Exhibition Center (Tokyo Big Sight) East Exhibition Hall 7 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0063 TEL: 03-5530-1111 (main) https://www.bigsight.jp/

Dates

May 8th (Fri), 9th (Sat), 10th (Sun), 2026

10:00 - 17:00

*VIP ticket holders can enter from 9:40.

Tickets

Please check the official website for details.

https://2026.hobbyshow.jp/tickettest

Organizer

Japan Hobby Association

Hamanaka Exhibition Content (Exhibition Area: ARENA C-5)

Hamanaka, as a comprehensive manufacturer of hand-knitting yarns and handicraft supplies, offers materials and ideas that can be enjoyed by beginners to advanced users.

On the day of the event, in addition to exhibiting and selling new Spring/Summer 2026 products "Cotton," "Cotton Chunky," and "Andaria Soft," we will also release 2026 limited colors of "Wash Cotton," a summer staple yarn celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

We will release 5 limited colors with the concept of "Dream Soda," inspired by Korean trend colors.

Furthermore, as booth workshops, we will hold workshops by Little Lion-sensei, who supervised the "Cotton" series, and Mongchi-sensei, a popular knitting influencer in Korea.

(Please note that all reservation slots are sold out.)

● Grid knitting bag knitted with Cotton Chunky (Little Lion-sensei)

Little Lion-sensei

Grid knitting bag Hamanaka Cotton Chunky

● Shijimi bag knitted with Cotton (Mongchi-sensei)

Mongchi-sensei

Shijimi bag Hamanaka Cotton

Popular Korean shop continues to exhibit from last year (Exhibition Area: ARENA C-6・7)

"LINEA," a hand-knitting shop whose original yarns and kits are attracting attention, will exhibit at the Japan Hobby Show again this year. It is a valuable opportunity to actually touch and choose popular Korean products that are hard to find in Japan.

Also, Mongchi-sensei's original bag kits will be sold at the LINEA booth.

We offer many carefully designed products, so please stop by.

Picture book reading and finger knitting stage by Aiper Takizawa

At the special stage, which features a variety of programs every year, Hamanaka will present a picture book reading this year. The featured work is the picture book "Mana-chan the Cat and Yu-kun: Rolling Yarn Rolls," published in February 2026. Hamanaka's official characters, "Mana-chan the Cat and Yu-kun," will appear, delivering the warmth of handmade crafts through a story about knitting.

Also on this stage, a student team from the Information University (Otsuki Research Group) will be in charge of digital production using ICT-driven video and slide creation. This initiative is part of an "industry-academia collaboration project" aimed at nurturing next-generation creators. Through the fusion of traditional "knitting" and the students' sensibilities with "digital technology," the world of the picture book will be expressed more vividly. This co-creation stage has high social significance, contributing to the PR activities of the educational institution and the students' research. Please experience this new form of expression where handmade tradition and cutting-edge technology intersect.

● Picture book "Mana-chan the Cat and Yu-kun: Rolling Yarn Rolls" reading

Picture book "Mana-chan the Cat and Yu-kun: Rolling Yarn Rolls"

Date and Time: May 9th (Sat) 12:00 - 13:00

【About the collaboration with the Information University】

This project is an industry-academia collaboration aimed at the digital shift of handicraft culture and supporting student education.

Creative by students of Kyoto Computer Gakuin and Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics.