Yokohama Takashimaya to Host the 25th Benibana Yamagata Road Products and Tourism Fair

Yokohama Takashimaya will hold the 25th Benibana Yamagata Road Products and Tourism Fair from Wednesday, May 27 to Tuesday, June 2 at the event hall on the 8th floor. The venue will be open until 8:00 p.m. daily, and will close at 5:00 p.m. on the final day. The event is organized by the Yamagata Tourism and Products Fair Executive Committee, the Benibana Yamagata Road Products Promotion Association, and Yamagata City, with support from the Yamagata City Tourism Association and the Zao Onsen Tourism Association. Around 90 shops offering Yamagata Prefecture gourmet foods and crafts will gather at the venue. Surrounded by rich natural landscapes of sea, mountains, and rivers, Yamagata is known for local cuisine, hot springs, temples, and shrines that make use of these regional blessings. In National Geographic’s Best of the World 2026 list, announced last October, Yamagata was the only destination in Japan selected, and its popularity among overseas travelers continues to rise. This fair will feature long-loved local dishes from Yamagata City, exclusive Japanese sweets created by reimagining signature products from popular confectioners, and beautiful crafts inspired by Yamagata’s natural environment. On the opening day, May 27, special value items and a dance performance by Yamagata Maiko will also be presented. Visitors can enjoy freshly prepared local favorites such as Sakaeya Honten’s Yokohama Takashimaya-exclusive special chilled ramen, Soba-dokoro Sanbyakubo’s first-appearance Yonezawa beef soba and handmade ita-soba, and Gotoya’s Takashimaya-exclusive set of Bangiku mixed rice and imoni stew. Exclusive sweets include Choeido’s fukimame bean paste and butter monaka, Sato-ya’s Atsumete Hayashi confection inspired by the Mogami River, D.TERRASSE’s mizu-manju in flavors such as lemon, berry, matcha, and cassis, and Shogetsudo Nunokawa’s live-prepared strawberry Mont Blanc. The fair will also offer limited and live-prepared bento, including Yonezawa Kohakudo’s Yonezawa beef steak and teriyaki kalbi bento using salt koji, Niku no Kuronuma’s Yamagata beef sirloin and Yamagata pork rice box, Nagomi Nosan’s deluxe bento with three types of meat, and Uotei Okazaki’s seafood chirashi using sakuramasu from the Shonai coast. Other specialty and classic items include Sato Nishiki cherries from Yamagata Phoenix Club, Shinkineya’s Beef Domannaka bento, Meiyuan’s zundan mochi, Naragejuku Tanno Konnyaku’s spicy miso dengaku konnyaku, fruit parfaits from Takahashi Fruit Land, cherry Mont Blanc parfaits from Grand Rock, strawberry tarts from Shogetsudo Nunokawa, fresh dadacha mochi from Juichiya, and breads from Beau Champ de Blé. On May 27 only, special value items will be sold through numbered quantity tickets distributed at the special item counter in the 8th-floor venue. Items include a 25th anniversary Yamagata Fair special food lucky bag, greenhouse-grown Sato Nishiki cherries, Komenokobuta pork cuts, and Yamagata beef trimmings, each limited to 50 units. Yamagata Maiko dance performances will be held on May 27 at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on the rooftop special stage, showcasing Yamagata’s hospitality culture. The event may be canceled in case of rain or severe weather, and is open to all visitors. During the fair, customers who spend 5,000 yen or more including tax at the venue can enter a prize lottery featuring Yamagata specialty products. As an early-bird benefit, original eco bags will be given to the first 250 customers each day, and to the first 500 customers on May 27, May 30, and May 31. Takashimaya app members can receive one additional lottery entry by presenting an app coupon. All prices include tax. Product quantities are limited and items may sell out. Participating shops and products may change or be canceled due to circumstances. Inquiries: Yokohama Takashimaya main number, 045-311-5111.