JAL In-flight Meal Supervising Chef × Up-and-coming Pâtissier. Harima Badminton Boys Reunite at the Pinnacle of Cuisine 20 Years Later. A One-Day Dinner Event 'Gokoku Kyomei' Redefining Hyogo's Five Regions' Ingredients to be Held at Five-Star Hotel 'THE ORIENT'.
Chef Sho Moto-oka, supervisor of JAL in-flight meals, and Pâtissier Mari Ueno will host 'Gokoku Kyomei,' a one-day dinner event at the five-star hotel 'THE ORIENT Kobe' on July 18, 2026, redefining ingredients from Hyogo's five regions. This emotional culinary event stems from their reunion after high school.
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 21:56
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Pâtisserie BLEUETTA (Location: Nada-ku, Kobe City, Representative: Mari Ueno) will host a special dinner event, "Gokoku Kyomei Vol.1 - THE HYOGO SYMPHONY," featuring carefully selected ingredients from Hyogo's five regions (Settsu, Harima, Tajima, Tanba, Awaji), on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at THE ORIENT Kobe, which was newly rebranded and opened in 2026.
This project is set against a moving human drama: Pâtissier Mari Ueno, who received the Japan Cake Show Special Jury Prize, and Chef Sho Moto-oka, who supervises JAL in-flight meals and was a semi-grand prix winner at RED U-35 2024, met at a badminton match venue during their high school days. Twenty years later, they reunite in Kobe, each having achieved top national recognition in their respective fields.
#Kobe #Hyogo #THE ORIENT #Gastronomy #Pâtissier #Chef #JALInflightMeal #REDU35 #Hitosara #JapanCakeShow #GokokuKyomei #Harima #Kitano #RegionalRevitalization #FoodCulture #DinnerParty #SweetsFullCourse #French
An illustration imagining the harmony played by two geniuses from Hyogo Prefecture.
■ Event Overview
Event Name: Gokoku Kyomei Vol.1 - THE HYOGO SYMPHONY
Date and Time: Saturday, July 18, 2026, 15:00-19:00
Venue: THE ORIENT Kobe 6F Oriental Room
Address: 25 Kyomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, 650-0034
Access: 8-minute walk from JR Sannomiya Station / Hankyu Kobe Sannomiya Station
3-minute walk from Subway Kyukyoryuchi-Daimaru-mae Station
Participation Fee: 50,000 JPY per person (course meal, pairing beverages, tax included)
Capacity: Limited to 40 people
Sales Start: Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:00
Sales URL: https://gokoku-kyoumei.peatix.com/
*THE ORIENT Kobe is a five-star luxury hotel located in Kobe's central Old Foreign Settlement, boasting history and prestige.
【THE ORIENT Special Accommodation Benefit】
- Eligibility: Guests wishing to stay the day before or on the day of the event
- Benefit: 10% discount on accommodation fees
- Reservation: Book through the Executive Committee
- Inquiries: yasumasa@bleuetta.com
A five-star luxury hotel with tradition and innovation, standing in Kobe's Old Foreign Settlement
THE ORIENT 6F Oriental Room
■ Three Innovations
1. An innovative composition that "starts with sweets and ends with sweets"
Breaking the conventional wisdom that "dessert is an afterthought after a meal," a full 9-course gastronomy menu will be offered, creating a symphony with the talented French chef Moto-oka. This unprecedented dining experience will be realized by Chef Moto-oka, who also supervises JAL in-flight meals, and Mr. Ueno, who embodies a new era of pâtissiers.
2. Two geniuses who met in Harima reunite in Kobe
Mari Ueno (Pâtisserie BLEUETTA) and Sho Moto-oka (Restaurant KAM) both hail from Harima. Although they attended different high schools, they met many times at badminton match venues. Now, having achieved top national recognition in their respective fields, they reunite to showcase their cultivated talents for their hometown, Hyogo.
3. Hyogo's five regions' meticulously selected ingredients elevated to world-class gastronomy
A "culinary journey" where one can experience the diverse climate-grown ingredients of Hyogo's Settsu, Harima, Tajima, Tanba, and Awaji in one evening. This event aims to rediscover the value of regional culture and eventually transmit it to the world. The ingredients from the five regions have been carefully selected by the chef.
■ Artist Profiles
Mari Ueno
Pâtissier Mari Ueno leads "BLEUETTA," a pâtisserie located in Rokko, Kobe. Her meticulously crafted sweets, which engage with the individuality of ingredients, are highly acclaimed for their delicate beauty and profound flavors. With new sweets appearing in stores every week, she constantly takes on new challenges, never letting customers get bored. The exquisite balance of products, achieved precisely because a husband and wife are both pâtissiers, allows many fans to feel the small happiness and joy, which is the meaning of the cornflower, the origin of BLEUETTA's name.
She has received awards such as the Japan Cake Contest Special Jury Prize and the West Japan Confectionery Contest Excellence Award, drawing attention as an individual possessing both solid technique and sensibility.
As the initiator of this event, she proposes a new gastronomy composition that "starts with sweets and ends with sweets," creating a new dining experience through desserts using ingredients from Hyogo's five regions, thereby contributing to Hyogo.
Pâtissier and advocate of a new style, Mari Ueno
Miel
Award-winning work
Forêt Noire
Kirsch and Cherry
Butter Cake XO
Using Dillon Rum X.O
Bonbon Chocolat
This project is set against a moving human drama: Pâtissier Mari Ueno, who received the Japan Cake Show Special Jury Prize, and Chef Sho Moto-oka, who supervises JAL in-flight meals and was a semi-grand prix winner at RED U-35 2024, met at a badminton match venue during their high school days. Twenty years later, they reunite in Kobe, each having achieved top national recognition in their respective fields.
#Kobe #Hyogo #THE ORIENT #Gastronomy #Pâtissier #Chef #JALInflightMeal #REDU35 #Hitosara #JapanCakeShow #GokokuKyomei #Harima #Kitano #RegionalRevitalization #FoodCulture #DinnerParty #SweetsFullCourse #French
An illustration imagining the harmony played by two geniuses from Hyogo Prefecture.
■ Event Overview
Event Name: Gokoku Kyomei Vol.1 - THE HYOGO SYMPHONY
Date and Time: Saturday, July 18, 2026, 15:00-19:00
Venue: THE ORIENT Kobe 6F Oriental Room
Address: 25 Kyomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, 650-0034
Access: 8-minute walk from JR Sannomiya Station / Hankyu Kobe Sannomiya Station
3-minute walk from Subway Kyukyoryuchi-Daimaru-mae Station
Participation Fee: 50,000 JPY per person (course meal, pairing beverages, tax included)
Capacity: Limited to 40 people
Sales Start: Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:00
Sales URL: https://gokoku-kyoumei.peatix.com/
*THE ORIENT Kobe is a five-star luxury hotel located in Kobe's central Old Foreign Settlement, boasting history and prestige.
【THE ORIENT Special Accommodation Benefit】
- Eligibility: Guests wishing to stay the day before or on the day of the event
- Benefit: 10% discount on accommodation fees
- Reservation: Book through the Executive Committee
- Inquiries: yasumasa@bleuetta.com
A five-star luxury hotel with tradition and innovation, standing in Kobe's Old Foreign Settlement
THE ORIENT 6F Oriental Room
■ Three Innovations
1. An innovative composition that "starts with sweets and ends with sweets"
Breaking the conventional wisdom that "dessert is an afterthought after a meal," a full 9-course gastronomy menu will be offered, creating a symphony with the talented French chef Moto-oka. This unprecedented dining experience will be realized by Chef Moto-oka, who also supervises JAL in-flight meals, and Mr. Ueno, who embodies a new era of pâtissiers.
2. Two geniuses who met in Harima reunite in Kobe
Mari Ueno (Pâtisserie BLEUETTA) and Sho Moto-oka (Restaurant KAM) both hail from Harima. Although they attended different high schools, they met many times at badminton match venues. Now, having achieved top national recognition in their respective fields, they reunite to showcase their cultivated talents for their hometown, Hyogo.
3. Hyogo's five regions' meticulously selected ingredients elevated to world-class gastronomy
A "culinary journey" where one can experience the diverse climate-grown ingredients of Hyogo's Settsu, Harima, Tajima, Tanba, and Awaji in one evening. This event aims to rediscover the value of regional culture and eventually transmit it to the world. The ingredients from the five regions have been carefully selected by the chef.
■ Artist Profiles
Mari Ueno
Pâtissier Mari Ueno leads "BLEUETTA," a pâtisserie located in Rokko, Kobe. Her meticulously crafted sweets, which engage with the individuality of ingredients, are highly acclaimed for their delicate beauty and profound flavors. With new sweets appearing in stores every week, she constantly takes on new challenges, never letting customers get bored. The exquisite balance of products, achieved precisely because a husband and wife are both pâtissiers, allows many fans to feel the small happiness and joy, which is the meaning of the cornflower, the origin of BLEUETTA's name.
She has received awards such as the Japan Cake Contest Special Jury Prize and the West Japan Confectionery Contest Excellence Award, drawing attention as an individual possessing both solid technique and sensibility.
As the initiator of this event, she proposes a new gastronomy composition that "starts with sweets and ends with sweets," creating a new dining experience through desserts using ingredients from Hyogo's five regions, thereby contributing to Hyogo.
Pâtissier and advocate of a new style, Mari Ueno
Miel
Award-winning work
Forêt Noire
Kirsch and Cherry
Butter Cake XO
Using Dillon Rum X.O
Bonbon Chocolat