It's kind of exciting just to hear that it's the biggest sweets festival in Japan. "The 26th National Confectionery Expo Hiroshima" (nickname: "Hiroshima Confectionery Expo 2013") will be held in Hiroshima from April 19th to May 12th. The exposition is held once every four to five years, and it will be held in Hiroshima for the first time in 92 years!

The National Confectionery Expo is Japan's largest confectionery festival that conveys the history and culture of confectionery to posterity, promotes the confectionery industry and related industries, and revitalizes the host area. Yeah. The "1st Imperial Confectionery Candy Fair" was held in Tokyo in 1911, and although there was a temporary suspension due to the war, it was revived and held for the 26th time. At the venue, sweets from all over the country will be collected, displayed and sold.

In addition, more than 150 "craft confectionery" made by confectioners (Japanese confectionery craftsmen) and pastry chefs using traditional techniques will be exhibited. Japanese sweets are mainly produced with the theme of Kacho Fugetsu, and Western sweets are produced with a free theme that includes people and buildings. Excellent sweets are awarded the "Honorary Governor's Award", "Prime Minister's Award" and "Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award" by the imperial family, and the award is said to be the highest honor in the confectionery industry.

As for the contents of the expo, we are interested in the "National Confectionery Tour", which introduces more than 3,000 specialty sweets from 47 prefectures nationwide, the "Sweet School" by confectionery schools in Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest production volume in Japan. Various events will be held, such as the "Hiroshima and World Sweets Bazaar," where lemon sweets made from Hiroshima lemons are gathered, as well as a cafe and tea ceremony where you can enjoy limited sweets.

On January 9, 100 days before the event, the "100 Days Before Countdown Ceremony" was held in front of the former Hiroshima Municipal Stadium site, which is part of the Society. After a greeting from Mr. Yasuhiko Takeuchi, the chairman of the executive committee, the remaining day total was turned on. It feels like it's finally less than 100 days.

And the mascot character of this exposition is quite nice. There are many unique characters such as "Kashinari-kun", the lord of Hiroshima, the country of sweets, and "Sweets Princess", the princess who came from the sweets kingdom. "Daifuku-kun," who looks a bit like a hero with an anpan head, "Kashiwamaru," a handsome guy, and "Knight of Pudding," whose weakness is a cockroach. Wallpapers of characters with many ramblings can also be downloaded from HP.

The venue is the former Hiroshima Municipal Stadium site, Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium and its surroundings, and advance tickets (1,800 yen for adults) are currently on sale. Hiroshima is Momiji Manju. You can also observe the manufacturing process of such famous confectionery.

The rare feeling of once every four years is even more intriguing ... If you live nearby or plan to travel to Hiroshima, why don't you come visit us?