Commemorating the Debut of the New Sightseeing Train 'GRAN Tenku'! Japan Coffee Festival Held Across Koyasan and 8 Foothill Stations
NANKAI Co., Ltd. will host the 'Koyasan and Foothills Japan Coffee Festival 2026 Spring' on April 18-19, 2026, to celebrate the new 'GRAN Tenku' train and promote tourism in the foothill areas.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 01:17 (326h 45m after Collected)
NANKAI Co., Ltd. (President: Nobuyuki Okajima, hereafter 'NANKAI') will hold the coffee festival 'Koyasan and Foothills Japan Coffee Festival 2026 Spring' on Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, as part of its efforts to encourage visits to the Koyasan and Koyasan foothill areas. This event allows visitors to taste and enjoy various coffees from particular coffee shops.
The theme this time is 'Commemorating the GRAN Tenku Debut: May the Journey and the Coffee Leave a Beautiful Afterglow.'
Each vendor will engage with the theme and provide a cup that remains as an afterglow of the journey. In addition, at this event, NANKAI employees under the new trade name adopted in April 2026 will participate as vendors for the first time, delivering their best cup to the attendees.
## The Current Situation Where the Koyasan Foothill Area is Passed By
Koyasan was registered as a World Heritage site in 2004 and has welcomed many pilgrims and tourists from home and abroad. On the other hand, there has been a challenge where the Koyasan foothill area (Hashimoto City, Kudoyama Town, etc.), which serves as the gateway, is passed through without visitors stopping by during their Koyasan sightseeing.
Although the area has a history of pilgrimage routes and post towns, it has not led to stays or excursions, creating a demand for establishing hubs and mechanisms for excursions.
## Making the Journey Itself the Destination, Not Just the Goal
In response to these challenges, our company started the 'Koya Flower Railway Project' in 2007 to 'create travel appeal even on the way to Koyasan' together with the local community, promoting sustainable appeal development.
Examples of these initiatives include the opening of 'Omusubi Stand Kudo' at Kudoyama Station in 2019, the opening of a station building hotel (the first in Kansai) at Koyashita Station, and the renewal of Gokurakubashi Station in 2020.
In this way, we have continued efforts with the local community to enhance the excursion potential of the foothill area and nurture related populations.
The theme this time is 'Commemorating the GRAN Tenku Debut: May the Journey and the Coffee Leave a Beautiful Afterglow.'
Each vendor will engage with the theme and provide a cup that remains as an afterglow of the journey. In addition, at this event, NANKAI employees under the new trade name adopted in April 2026 will participate as vendors for the first time, delivering their best cup to the attendees.
## The Current Situation Where the Koyasan Foothill Area is Passed By
Koyasan was registered as a World Heritage site in 2004 and has welcomed many pilgrims and tourists from home and abroad. On the other hand, there has been a challenge where the Koyasan foothill area (Hashimoto City, Kudoyama Town, etc.), which serves as the gateway, is passed through without visitors stopping by during their Koyasan sightseeing.
Although the area has a history of pilgrimage routes and post towns, it has not led to stays or excursions, creating a demand for establishing hubs and mechanisms for excursions.
## Making the Journey Itself the Destination, Not Just the Goal
In response to these challenges, our company started the 'Koya Flower Railway Project' in 2007 to 'create travel appeal even on the way to Koyasan' together with the local community, promoting sustainable appeal development.
Examples of these initiatives include the opening of 'Omusubi Stand Kudo' at Kudoyama Station in 2019, the opening of a station building hotel (the first in Kansai) at Koyashita Station, and the renewal of Gokurakubashi Station in 2020.
In this way, we have continued efforts with the local community to enhance the excursion potential of the foothill area and nurture related populations.