OKINAWA COFFEE NUMA DAY
Drink, learn, and enjoy. Okinawa's scene is one step ahead
Okinawa Coffee Numa Day was held in Okinawa City in the central and southern part of Okinawa Island in 2023. The event was led by Nakamura Yoshiyuki and Erina, who run the specialty coffee shop Mame Pole Pole in the area. Yoshiyuki, who also roasts coffee, is skilled enough to come second in a world competition. As a result, the festival also features events from a competitive perspective.
"In terms of competition, the easiest to understand is the Aeropress competition. We had people who have experience as judges in various competitions both in Japan and abroad judge the competitions and provide feedback after the competition. As roasters, we also wanted people to know the appeal of coffee beans, so we had producers take to the stage at the talk event. We wanted people to see, hear, drink, and immerse themselves in the 'coffee swamp', just as the name 'Numa Day' suggests," says Yoshiyuki.
The fact that everyone from makers to players is able to participate is thanks to Yoshiyuki's global success. In fact, this is not the first event the two have organized. "We held the Okinawa Coffee Festival in 2016.
"It all started with wanting to screen the film 'A Film About Coffee.' We wanted to show people the appeal of the world of 'seed to cup,' which is the film's theme, and we not only served coffee but also held workshops on roasting," says Erina. "It was because we had created such a learning opportunity that we were able to create a festival that was so deeply immersed."
At the entrance, a bag of coffee beans hangs and the word "NUMA" is written in large letters. "Numa" means "let's drink" in Okinawa, and has a double meaning with "swamp." 
The park also houses a relocated traditional Okinawan house that is a nationally designated registered cultural property.
Kanazawa Coffee Festival
From birth to the earthquake, and on to the next episode. Don't miss Kanazawa's future!
"Since the Noto Peninsula earthquake occurred on New Year's Day 2024, we've been doing what we can as a coffee shop, such as collecting donations and providing soup kitchens on site. Roads are finally being repaired, but recovery is still a long way off," says Fumiya Yamamoto, executive committee chairman of the Kanazawa Coffee Festival and owner of Nonstop Coffee Stand & Roastery in Kanazawa.
"Because of the earthquake, we have decided not to hold the festival in 2024. But we will do it next year!" This festival, which is back on track, was born in 2023.
"Ever since I opened my shop in 2020, I had vaguely thought, 'I wish there was a coffee festival in Kanazawa.' It was also fun to set up stalls at festivals in Sendai and Tokyo. Then, when I participated in a festival in Fukui, I casually said, 'I want to do it in Kanazawa next year!' The word spread like a rumor, and a few days later a friend (who later became the executive vice-chairman) asked me, 'Let's do it together!' (laughs)."
Meetings began the following month, and about six months later, the event was held. "The first thing we thought of was to specialize in coffee. There are events in Kanazawa where you can drink coffee, but we thought we'd try something different, so we called it a 'festival' and kept food to a minimum. We also held a brewing competition." Since then, specialty coffee shops have been popping up little by little in Kanazawa, and the scene seems set to become even more exciting.
The venue, Motenashi Dome Underground Plaza, is directly connected to Kanazawa Station and is easily accessible. Because it is underground, the event can be held regardless of the weather. 
The stage hosted events such as the brewing competition "Nonstop Coffee Brewers Cup."
HITACHINAKA COFFEE FESTIVAL
Wanting to liven up the local area. That led to one of Japan's largest festivals
The Hitachinaka Coffee Festival brings together around 100 coffee and food shops from all over Japan. The executive committee chairman is Daisuke Sekiyama, who is involved with Hitachino Coffee, a roastery and cafe in Mito. He says that it was his relationship with the shop that led him to start the festival.
"I returned to my hometown of Hitachinaka in Ibaraki about 15 years ago. Since then, I've been planning and hosting music events and drive-in theaters, with the aim of livening up the area. However, there are fewer events on the inland side of the town than on the coast. That's when I got my eye on Shinsui Central Park. In other words, it all depends on the location. So, when local roasters said, "We'd love to participate in a coffee festival!" I thought it sounded fun, and so we started it.
My friend Yasuo Ishii of Leaves Coffee set up a stall at the festival, which I think helped spread awareness. Thanks to him, the festival has grown to the scale it is today. I would like to use this festival as a base to further liven up Hitachinaka."
COFFEE CITY FESTIVAL SAPPORO
What is Guest City, which invites not only shops but the entire town?
The seventh festival, held in June 2024, featured Kumamoto, with all the local shops gathered in Sapporo. The establishment of a "guest city" is what gives the festival its name. It all began in 2021, when Masayuki Tsuchiya of the Sales Department at Sapporo PARCO and Koji Tanaka, who was in charge of events at TV Hokkaido, were searching for a new event to hold at Sapporo PARCO.
The idea for the event came about because Sapporo and Portland, USA, are sister cities, and the two share a love of coffee. They then approached Sho Yano of commono Inc., which runs the local cafe The Relay, for advice.
"In fact, Sapporo has one of the highest coffee consumption rates in the country. However, specialty coffee hasn't really taken root. We already have a Coffee Marche, which brings together shops from all over the country, so we thought we'd focus on cities. Coffee and city culture are closely linked, starting with Portland. We'd like to deepen exchanges with each city through this festival, just like sister cities."
YOKOHAMA COFFEE FESTIVAL
A young barista creates a versatile style
Coffee festivals are set to rapidly increase in number from 2020 onwards, but the Yokohama Coffee Festival started a little earlier, in 2019. It was started by Momozaki Yu, who runs the coffee stand Peach Coffee in his hometown of Yokohama. He was 20 years old at the time.
"All I have is passion (laughs). I wanted to hold an event like the Tokyo Coffee Festival, where people can enjoy comparing coffee drinks! The first hurdle was renting a venue. As I was looking into ways to co-host the event, I was able to borrow a corner of the Hotchpotch Music Festival. That was the beginning." After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was a huge success in 2022, and the following year it was held alone for the first time at Yokohama Hammerhead.
"I've been able to connect with the exhibitors and get to know some great baristas. That's why we basically only accept applications from the public. I think it would be ideal if a variety of stores would naturally gather together." His next goal is to hold his first standalone event in a park. While his dreams are expanding, he is also exploring the possibility of holding an event in a smaller market style or co-hosting with a commercial facility. The challenge continues.
