Starting this week and extending over the next few months, we will occasionally be posting entries related to our coverage of FOODEX JAPAN 2025, the venue for which was Tokyo Big Sight (TBS). The picture above is that of the partially buried saw, a sculpture that appears outside TBS. We like to think of it as having something to do with the ”cutting edge,” but we are not entirely certain what it symbolizes. However, we are confident in asserting that this event “is highly regarded as an ideal venue for both exhibitors and visitors to discover the latest food and beverage products and to expand business connections.”1 The exhibition has been known to attract approximately 80,000 visitors. This year it was held from March 11 through March 14.
We must say that we encountered a number of interesting and highly noteworthy products this year. How does Cherry Coffee sound to you? Oh, it’s also a craft beer, and we are definitely not talking about the cherry-pie variety of cherry, either. These are coffee cherries, the fleshy stuff surrounding the bean. And what about its provenance, eh?, as the Canadians might say. Well, get this—it’s from Okinawa. The brewery uses the highly regarded spring water from Nanjo City.
We tasted it chilled and found it to be slightly effervescent and mildly toasty with a hint of oiliness like that encountered in oatmeal stout. There are traces of tartness, tannins, and bitterness, which combine to offer the drinker a pleasant experience. The ABV is 5%.
1Japan Management Association. “FOODEX JAPAN 2025: Asia’s Largest Food and Beverage Exhibition to be Held in Japan This March,” News Release, February, 2025.
Drinking Japan 