Certain dishes subtly steal the show—this is one of them. When I hosted a long, leisurely lunch in my backyard to celebrate Camilla Marcus’ cookbook, everything on the table felt fresh and beautiful. But this salad was the one everyone kept going back for. It’s crisp, a little tangy, a little sweet, layered with texture, and somehow gets more delicious the longer it sits.
The best part? It holds up in the sunshine (no sad, wilted greens here!). You can dress this salad ahead of time and trust it to stay vibrant through a warm afternoon outside. For anyone who loves to host (or just wants something make-ahead friendly), that alone makes it worth bookmarking.
This recipe comes from Camilla’s cookbook, which is filled with thoughtful, ingredient-forward dishes that are elevated and totally doable at home.
Why This Salad Works
Camilla has a way of thinking about food that shifts how you cook—especially when it comes to something as simple as a salad. She says:
“The idea is to get that base to absorb the acid and salt, almost like a quick pickle, and then coat the whole salad with oil at the end, trapping the flavor.”
Once you understand that framework, everything clicks. Instead of tossing ingredients together at the last minute, you’re building layers—letting the vegetables marinate just enough to soak up flavor while keeping that essential crunch. And this one really delivers on that promise.
Here are some of the hard-working ingredients for this fresh salad you’ll enjoy season after season.
Crisp celery or fennel for that refreshing, high-water base
Sweet dates to balance the acidity
Salty blue cheese, shaved thin for richness
Smoked almonds for depth and crunch
Preserved lemon + chili brine to wake everything up
It hits every note: crunchy, creamy, bright, a little unexpected—and completely addictive.
An Every-Season Salad For Hosting
I’ve made this a few times since that lunch, and every single time, someone asks for the recipe. It’s unexpected in the best way—simple ingredients, but layered to feel thoughtful and elevated without trying too hard.
Add this salad to any spring or summer menu. It brings that balance of beauty and ease that makes everything feel just a little more special. And once you try it, you’ll see exactly why we couldn’t stop going back for another bite.
12 ounces celery (4-5 stalks) or fennel (1 bulb), washed and dried
1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon
1 tablespoon brine from pickled chilis
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup smoked almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin avocado oil
Instructions
Prep the blue cheese. Place the blue cheese in the freezer for at least an hour (or overnight) so it’s firm enough to shave.
Infuse the vinegar. Bring the vinegar to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the chopped dates, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to soften slightly. Strain, reserving the liquid.
Slice the vegetables. Thinly slice the celery (on a slight bias) or fennel using a mandolin or sharp knife. Save the celery leaves or fennel fronds for garnish. Place the sliced veg in an ice bath to keep it crisp.
Marinate. Drain and dry the vegetables, then add to a bowl with the preserved lemon, chili brine, reserved vinegar, and salt. Let sit for 3–5 minutes.
Assemble. Scatter the almonds and dates on a serving plate. Pile the marinated vegetables on top, then finish with shaved blue cheese, herbs, a drizzle of avocado oil, and cracked pepper.
KFC set out to recreate the image of three parts of the U.S. in sandwich form, and it looks like they hit at least one bullseye.
People in Japan are well aware that KFC originated in the U.S. Seeing as how Kentucky doesn’t get a lot of international tourists or pop culture attention, though, very few Japanese people have any strong impression of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s home state, to the extent that most Japanese people call KFC itself simply “Kentucky.”
So for the trio of sandwiches KFC Japan is adding to its menu, collectively named “The American Burgers,” they’re picked three other parts of the U.S. for their themes, saying that they want for them to be edible expressions of the image of America. That might sound like a challengingly abstract goal, but they might have nailed it with their Las Vegas “burger.”
I’ve put “burger” in quotes since it usually implies a sandwich with a either a ground meat patty or a bun, but the Las Vegas Style Double Down Fillet Burger has neither. Instead, it’s a pair of boneless fried chicken pieces being used to sandwich onion rings, a cheddar cheese slice, what appears to be a large dollop of mayonnaise, and a drizzle of barbecue glaze. KFC Japan describes the combined effect as “a guilty flavor,” and it absolutely looks like the sort of extravagant decadence one would wallow in while visiting Vegas, right down to the inevitable soul-searching self-questioning “Should I really have done that?” afterwards.
The other two members of the The American Burgers trio are less likely to trigger a review of your life choices, though they’re both definitely heavyweight meal options too. Picture above, the New York Style Onion Ring Fillet Burger scales itself back to one piece of boneless fried chicken and has a bun, but does keep the onion rings and cheddar cheese. The other key ingredient here is a garlic sauce which KFC boasts combines the umami properties of bacon and onion, with the goal of the sandwich, KFC Japan says, being to to deliver a hearty meal evocative of a New York diner.
And last, there’s the Texas Style Spicy Avocado Filet Burger. This one ditches the New York sandwich’s onion rings and garlic sauce, and instead gives you a diced avocado filling. This is sort of an unusual choice, linguistically/geographically speaking, since in America a burger with avocado is usually called a “California burger.” KFC Japan says the avocado filling is inspired by guacamole, but with an extra spicy kick added to it, and that Texas was chosen for the name as a symbol of guacamole’s popularity across the southern U.S.
With guacamole being at least as popular in California as it is in Texas, and having been introduced to the U.S. via Mexico, the “Texas” theming still feels a little off, and while New York is famous for its delis, it’s not necessarily any more known for diners than other large American city. Still, full marks to KFC Japan for capturing the excitement-to-potential-regret roller coaster of a Vegas bender in sandwich form.
The New York and Texas American Burgers are both priced at 580 yen (US$3.75), while the Vegas one is for higher-rollers at 790 yen. They’ll all be on sale for a limited time at KFC Japan branches starting May 27.
Sample ramen pizza, alongside other limited-edition items to pick up, or just make your own treats.
Snacks in Japan come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from ever-feuding mushrooms and bamboo shoots to make-your-own sweets, but one that I see fairly often in the hands of little children are packets of Baby Star Ramen. A popular snack made of deep-fried, crunchy, bite-sized pieces of instant noodles, Baby Star Ramen came about in 1959 when the founder of Oyatsu Company realized that the broken noodle fragments left at the bottom of instant noodle production lines could actually be seasoned and packaged up as a snack by themselves.
The Oyatsu Company factory is located in Tsu, Mie, and while factory tours are currently suspended, for those who want to dive into the world of Baby Star, right next door is Oyatsu Town, a theme park offering everything from a giant athletic course to making original Baby Star Ramen, as well as limited-edition food you can only eat there, resulting in an enjoyable experience for child and adult alike.
▼ Sadly, no factory tours are currently available.
Our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon visited the theme park with her kids in tow during Golden Week, one of Japan’s busiest periods for travel and day excursions, so upon arriving and noting that same-day entry was limited until after lunch, it wasn’t too unexpected. So, Natsuno’s first recommendation for any future visit is to always reserve your entry tickets in advance, particularly if you plan to go on a weekend or holiday.
Arriving at the entrance, the first thing to welcome Natsuno and her family was a giant Baby Star photo spot, appearing as if Baby Star was flowing like a waterfall, along with a spot where you could get inside a Butamen cup, Oyatsu Company’s line of instant cup noodles, adorned with designs of Hoshio-kun, the Baby Star Ramen mascot.
Peak season entry is 2,500 yen (US$15.70) for adults, whereas it drops down to 2,200 yen during the Regular days, and 1,600 yen for the Value days.
It’s best to check the company website for absolute clarity, but the general rule seems to be Saturday through Monday is Regular, Tuesday through Friday is Value, and national holidays like Golden Week in May and Obon in August are Peak.
▼ Natsuno couldn’t help but take one last look at the factory, as she really enjoys factory tours, but it sadly wasn’t to be.
Stepping inside, Natsuno was greeted with the company’s history spread out on the floor, designed almost like a board game.
It was quite interesting to learn that the name change to Oyatsu Company was an unexpectedly recent development.
▼ Not at all spoken through the pitch-black sunglasses of denial: 1993 is still very recent.
Proceeding further inwards, a giant athletic area appears, teeming with the Golden Week crowd of people.
While as an adult, Natsuno tends to curb her childhood playfulness and instead let her children loose to gallivant through play areas, she couldn’t quite restrain herself from wanting to join in on the fun. Looking around, she could even see many adults playing there quite seriously, so she embraced her inner child and entered the play equipment.
Among them, what was particularly enjoyable was the Hoshio-kun Giant Slide, which gets quite a bit of speed.
▼ They’re even considerate enough to provide wrap-around skirts to make sliding even more speedy.
The Super Giant Butamen-kun Adventure and Giant Jungle Gym are also extremely fun.
Since you walk on the net, the stimulation to the soles of your feet is amazing, nearing the level where you might mistake it for a minor piece of health equipment.
▼ Natsuno is still a child at heart, she promises.
The most popular one, though, is the giant athletic course consisting of three whole floors, which are divided by height; the first floor is for small children, but the second and third floors offer up more of a challenge.
Natsuno ventured up to the third floor together with her children but had to retire halfway through for a very specific reason: her sweaty hands.
It’s a little difficult to see in the image below, but this is a course where you have to move forward while moving around the outside of orange bars that bulge outward.
With hands that get particularly sweaty, Natsuno could just foresee herself slipping off due to them. Yet, because she wanted to show her children an inspirational figure that takes on challenges even in the face of adversity, plus it was too frustrating to just give up, she attempted it a second time and cleared it safely. However, she later heard from her children, “since we were moving ahead of you, we couldn’t see you.” Sad though she was, she still felt a sense of accomplishment, so it wasn’t all bad.
▼ There is even a section of the park dedicated to interactive digital content that kids can have fun with.
Next, the family moved on to the experience of making Baby Star at Hoshio-kun Kitchen, where you can make your very own original Baby Star Ramen.
For an additional 1,000 yen each to the park entrance fee, the children challenged the “My Special Baby Star,” where you can choose your favorite flavor from several types, season it yourself, and then have the staff bake it for you in the oven.
Natsuno had reserved in advance, but there seemed to be sufficient availability that you could even reserve on the day itself.
After completing the ramen, you put stickers on the original container, though her children instead opted to put on only a few, saving the rest for later to add to their sticker collection albums.
The family came away from the experience with the children beaming with happiness and proud faces for their new creations.
However, being hungry, they decided to swing by Baby Star Dining, where you can savor original foods using Baby Star, such as Baby Star Katsu Curry.
Among them all, Natsuno can personally recommend the pizza, particularly the limited-time Pink Butamen Gratin Pizza, being a lot more authentic than expected.
It’s baked in a pizza oven, so you get that classic pizza base texture, and the pink coloring is added via beetroot instead of food coloring.
The appearance certainly has quite the impact, referencing Butamen and its pig mascot, but the taste has no unexpected quirks and is extremely delicious.
▼ The Ramen Pizza was also full of ingredients and highly satisfying.
Of course, you can eat freshly-fried Baby Star Ramen.
At the gift shop Oyatsu Marche, limited-edition products and character goods are lined up, with Natsuno being drawn to all of the Butamen goods. He just has such a charming presence…
Natsuno also discovered Baby Star limited to Oyatsu Town, this time purchasing the Spiny Lobster Flavor (850 yen for a pack of six), and found it to have a very strong shrimp taste, both rich and delicious.
There was also a cute, little steel suitcase-like container that you could stuff your favorite Baby Star flavors into for just 1,700 yen.
Before walking through the doors, Natsuno had assumed she would be entering a facility designed just for children, but she ended up, even as an adult, enjoying it with all her might.
In the end, from their 10:30 a.m. start, they stayed fully until the closing time at 5:00 p.m., staying more than six hours. With the addition of a new area opening in Spring 2027, there will be even more to get lost in, although prospective visitors should take note that the park will be closed from January 12, 2027, to prepare for this new opening.
Whether you visit with kids or not, it’s all but guaranteed you’ll have a great time exploring Oyatsu Town, just remember to book in advance on the weekends and holidays.
Mont Blanc The Hakuzan is a sweets shop so nice it’s named twice.
Tokyo Station isn’t just one of the most important places in the city for travelers and commuters, but for sweets fans too. Both within the station itself and inside the attached Daimaru department store are an array of dessert specialty stores, and we’ve been wanting to try one of them for months now.
Make no mistake, the reason we haven’t yet tried the desserts from Mont Blanc The Hakuzan, which opened in October, has nothing to do with willpower to resist the temptations of desserts, as such psychological fortitude is in very limited supply at SoraNews24. No, the reason it took us half a year to do this taste test is because of how incredibly popular the place is, and thus how hard it is to actually buy their desserts.
See that “sold out” sign in above photo? Notice how nicely made it is, as opposed to being a handwritten notice that the staff needed to suddenly make? That’s because they know that their entire batch of Mont Blanc, the candied chestnut dessert that’s the store’s specialty, is going to sell out on a daily basis.
We’ve walked by The Hakuzan (as we’ll call the store for short, seeing as how both “Hakuzan” and “Mont Blanc” mean “white mountain”) plenty of times since it opened, but never at a time when we could get our hands on one of the coveted desserts. When we rolled up on a recent Sunday afternoon, just as we’d expected, all of the Mont Blanc that had been stocked that morning at 10 a.m. were gone. But that was OK, because we’d gotten to the shop at around 4:30, and there’s a second batch that comes out at 5 p.m.
This was what we were aiming for, but even then, it turned out we’d cut things very close. The Hakuzan sells its Mont Blancs in boxes that contain two servings for 1,980 yen (US$13), and they limit each customer to a maximum of two boxes. However, they only make 30 boxes per batch, so it’s possible that as few as only 15 customers will be able to buy any, and there were already about 20 people waiting ahead of us in line.
Thankfully, to help with crowd control at around 4:50, the staff asks how many boxes each person in line plans to buy, so they could guarantee us the single box we wanted, and gave us a purchase placard, shown in the photo above (note, though, that you still have to wait in line – leave the line, and your voucher will be voided).
Mont Blanc gets its name because it’s supposed to look like a mountain covered in snow, but a lot of stores and cafes shape theirs like a mound, closer to a hill. The Hakuzan’s version, though, really does look a steep-sided mountain, and we couldn’t wait to dig in…except actually, we had to wait. The Hakuzan’s Mont Blanc comes frozen, and they recommend a total thawing time of six hours (combined getting it home and then putting it in your refrigerator) for the optimal texture.
That’s a longer deferment of gratification than we usually like, but after waiting a little more than six months to try this, another six hours wasn’t going to kill us. And when the Mont Blanc finally was ready to eat, our patience was handsomely, and deliciously, rewarded.
Starting at the top, our fork passed through creamy candied chestnut paste, whipped cream, and a base of crunchy merengue, and there’s a nicely sized chestnut in the middle too. This is, without question, a sweet dessert, but not in an overly sugary or oily way, and the touch of rum The Hakuzan uses gives its Mont Blanc a mature, elegantly quality as well.
So yes, we’re happy to report that the 30 minutes we spent standing in line for The Hakuzan’s Mont Blanc was well worth it. At the same time, we realize that not everyone has space for that in their schedule, and we ourselves might have lucked out by happening to visit on a less-crowded-than-usual Sunday, and on busier days getting there even 30 minutes before the batch comes out might not be early enough. Currently The Hakuzan only has this single shop inside the Tokyo Station Daimaru, so it’s not like you can cut down the waiting time by going to a more remote branch, either.
If you want to get a taste of this dessert without lining up, though, there is a way to do it, as on the 20th of every month, online Mont Blanc pre-orders start for the following month. Granted, that means you’ll actually be waiting weeks, not minutes or hours, for your Mont Blanc, but as least you won’t have to be standing in line the whole time.
Shop information
Mont Blanc The Hazizan / 店名 モンブランTHE珀山
Located inside Daimaru Tokyo / 大丸東京
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi 1-8-9
東京都千代田区丸の内1丁目8-9
Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Website
Japan’s Kansai region inspires some very bold baking in Shakey’s Japan’s ovens.
A while back, Shakey’s celebrated its 50th anniversary of arriving in Japan with a special selection of pizzas that it called the “American Pizza Tour.” But having passed the half-century mark in Japan now, the chain has seen some very tasty stuff in this country too, and brings us to Shakey’s newest creations, pizzas inspired by the culinary traditions of central Japan’s Kansai region.
We start with the Kansai Chili Con Carne Style Pizza. The topping for this complex concept is sujikon, a dish popular in Kansai made by simmering gyusuji (beef tendon) and konnyaku (konjac gelatin) simmered in a soy sauce-based stock. The sauce here has a Kansai twist too, as it’s a mixture of tomato sauce and Doro Sauce, a thick savory Worcestershire-like sauce made in Kobe with a little spicy kick to it.
Next we have the Saikyo Grilled Spanish Mackerel Alfredo Style Pizza. Kyoto is also part of the Kansai region, and while history buffs love the city for its temples and shrines, foodies are especially fond of saikyoyaki, a Kyoto specialty of white miso-marintaed grilled fish. Sawara (Spanish mackerel) is the most commonly used type of fish for saikyoyaki, and so that’s what comes with this pizza, with its elegantly sweet notes accompanied by a buttery Alfredo sauce and crisp mizuna (Japanese mustard greens).
Dessert also comes courtesy of inspiration from Kyoto cuisine. Though not mentioned in the name of the Matcha and Strawberry Dessert Pizza, here Shakey’s is drawing from nama yatsuhashi, Kyoto’s representative confectionary of folded mochi with anko (sweet red beans) inside and often a dusting of cinnamon. This dessert pizza has a butter anko sauce and is topped with little balls of gyuhi (extra soft mochi) and strawberry pieces, with matcha powder and cinnamon which should deliver an intriguing mix of sweet, bitter, and tart sensations.
And finally, Shakey’s will be serving up Doro Sauce BBQ Spaghetti too, which should let you get an even more pronounced taste of the condiment than with the Kansai Chili Con Carne Style Pizza.
There’s no denying that the new pizzas are all very bold, pioneering innovations…but it’s also hard to deny that they’re pretty weird. Since Shakey’s Japan operates on a flat-fee, all-you-can-eat system, though, there’s no need to commit to ordering a whole pie, so you can try a single slice first, then go back for more if/when they win you over.
Shakey’s Japan Tour 2026 Kansai, as the new items’ stint is called, runs from now until August 31.
There’s a particular kind of afternoon that I want to bottle up and remember forever. The kind where nobody is looking at their phones, the wine glasses keep getting refilled, and somehow two hours pass, and no one has moved from the table. That’s how I remember the day that Camilla Marcus joined a group of friends and me for lunch in my backyard to celebrate the launch of her cookbook, My Regenerative Kitchen.
We’d been trying to make it happen for weeks, and when it finally came together on a warm spring day, the afternoon delivered everything we’d imagined. We set big platters of food on the table outside, served everything family-style, and lingered in that easy, unhurried way that only happens when the food is simple and the company is everything.
The menu tasted like spring. Chilled pea gazpacho passed around in little bowls. A fennel salad. Rose dark chocolate bark for dessert with coffee. Natural wine and sparkling water. And these tartines, which were the thing everyone kept talking about afterward.
The Chef Behind the Recipe
If you’re not familiar with Camilla Marcus, she’s one of those cooks who makes everything feel both effortless and considered. Her approach to cooking is easygoing and intuitive, grounded in a deep appreciation for seasonality and the farmers who grow the food. She’s also the founder of west~bourne, her direct-to-consumer brand making feel-good provisions inspired by California’s bounty. I’d known Camilla for a few years and am always excited for a chance to cook together—and these tartines perfectly represent the way she thinks about a meal.
The recipe comes from her cookbook, My Regenerative Kitchen, and her description of them is perfect: the ultimate chef snack. Equal parts creamy and crunchy with peak-season ingredients. No rules, and absolutely no fuss.
When it comes to food that’s this simple, the beauty’s in the restraint. The last thing we want to do is complicate something where every element is so good it earns its place. That means the bread matters (thick-cut, from a good bakery, fried in avocado oil until golden and crisp). The tomato is key (find the best heirloom you can get your hands on). And the blue cheese—frozen and shaved thin so it melts into lacy ribbons over the warm bread—is the secret ingredient that takes this to another level.
The roasted beet tartine—yogurt or crème fraîche spread thick, golden beets layered on top, finished with toasted pepitas—has slightly more surprising ingredients. Beets and crème fraîche are a combination I knew I loved, but something about the contrast with the crisp fried bread made it feel completely new. Cool and creamy against all that crunch.
Serve these as a starter, a lunch, or, honestly, the sort of snack that becomes the whole meal because you can’t stop eating them. They’re best when the tomatoes are at their peak, so definitely keep these top of mind as we head into the summer months.
We made these in a large cast-iron pan and kept them coming in batches. (You won’t believe how much the simple touch of frying the bread elevates these tartines.) And keep in mind Camilla’s more-is-more rule when it comes to the crème fraîche. It keeps these tartines feeling absolutely indulgent.
If you’re building a spring lunch around these, the pea gazpacho and a simple fennel salad round it out perfectly. Add a bottle of something cold and pink, clear your afternoon, and linger as long as you possibly can.
Chef Camilla Marcus’ tartine recipe from My Regenerative Kitchen — fried bread, heirloom tomato, blue cheese, golden beets. Simple, seasonal, and worth every bite.
Ingredients
Units
2 slices thick-cut bread (a simple country loaf or brioche works beautifully)
4 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more to garnish
Maldon salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
6 slices blue cheese, frozen to firm up, then shaved
1/4 to 1/2cup sheep’s milk yogurt or crème fraîche
6 slices roasted golden beets
1 tablespoon toasted pepitas
Instructions
Drizzle a cast iron skillet with enough avocado oil to coat the bottom, and get it hot over medium-high heat. Fry the bread evenly on each side, moving it around and flipping as you go, until nicely crisped and golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and drain on a rack or kitchen towel — hit it with a pinch of Maldon salt immediately while still piping hot.
On one slice, layer the tomato slices, then top with the shaved blue cheese and finish with a drizzle of avocado oil, Maldon salt, and cracked pepper.
On the other slice, spread the yogurt or crème fraîche in a generous layer, top with the sliced golden beets, and garnish with the toasted pepitas. Season with salt and pepper.
Gelato Pique’s spinoff cafes pique our interest with adorable ice cream and mochi treats.
From its name, you might assume that Gelato Pique is an ice cream brand, but it’s actually a Japanese apparel company that specializes in cute and cozy roomwear (including Pokémon designs). The company describes its aesthetic as being “inspired by sweet indulgences,” hence the “Gelato” part of its name.
However, there’s a lot of crossover between fans of comfy pajamas and relaxing cafes, so while it wasn’t Gelato Pique’s original plan, the brand has also been spun off into a Gelato Pique Cafe chain. This is where the brand’s linguistic atmosphere starts wrapping back on itself. Gelato Pique’s clothing has to be extra-cute in order to match the sweetness of its name, but that then means Gelato Pique Cafe’s customers are going to expect food and drinks on a higher level of photogenic cuteness than at other restaurants.
That’s a bar Gelato Pique Cafe is easily clearing, though with its Sea Animals sweets series.
Leading the way in this fresh wave of adorable eats is Gelato Pique’s original marine mammal crepe, the Mochimochi (“Chewy”) Seal Crepe, returning following its initial stint on the menu last summer. Wrapped inside the crepe are whipped cream, tiramisu cream, sliced mango, sliced almonds, and caramel sauce, and sitting atop it is a scoop of black sesame ice cream wrapped in mochi, with chocolate pieces to make the adorable seal’s facial features.
Joining the seal is the new Pukapuka (“Floating”) Otter Gelato, looking like a sea otter happily drifting about in the waves. Here too you get black sesame ice cream with chocolate pieces, and the critter’s hands are formed from black sesame-infused whipped cream.
There’s also the new Hinyari (“Chilly”) Walrus Crepe. Instead of black sesame, the ice cream topping here is a chocolate banana flavor, with chocolate for the eyes, nose and whiskers, and marshmallows serving as the tusks. Inside the crepe are tiramisu cream, sliced bananas, and caramel sauce.
And last, if you’re thirsty but still want something sweet, there’s the Purupuru (“Jiggly”) Penguin Soda Float. The base here is Ramune (an apple/citrus cider that’s a perennial summertime favorite in Japan) with fish-shaped pineapple gelatin pieces added. Floating atop the drink is a scoop of milk gelato, and standing on top of that is a penguin-shaped monaka wafer.
The Pukapuka Otter gelato cone is priced at 840 yen (US$5.40), the Purupuru Penguin soda at 890, and the crepes 1,290 yen each. They’ll all be available at Gelato Pique Cafe branches between now and July 1.
Watch the competition or sample multiple burgers in the sales area during this weekend celebration of gourmet burgers from around the world.
Although burgers are often associated with the U.S., we’ve got beef with anyone who says that a quality burger can’t be found in Japan. In fact, finding one is about to get even easier with the return of the prestigious Japan Burger Championship next month in its fifth edition. The event has attracted a total of 170,000 attendees over the past four years and promises to be a bun-believable showdown once again.
From June 12 through 14 at Yokohama’s landmark Akarenga Soko–otherwise known as the Red Brick Warehouse–visitors can enjoy a variety of festivities related to gourmet burger appreciation, which includes watching the competition, sampling a variety of burgers, and voting on which burger should be crowned the inaugural winner of the new Sales Division Award for the best gourmet burger being sold in the sales area. Entrance to the event is free, though individual food and drink purchases are not.
For the competition portion of the event, 12 competitors from around Japan who have already passed an initial screening round will take part in the semifinals on June 12 and 13, after which the top six will proceed to the finals on June 14. This year’s theme for the finals is “Energy Burger,” and competitors will be expected to concoct a gourmet burger that can be eaten for stamina in the hot summer. The overall winner of the competition earns the honor of becoming the Japanese representative to compete in the Hamburger Category for the World Food Championships to be held in the U.S. in October.
▼ Flow of the competition
At the same time as the competition, 27 gourmet burger shops will be in full operation in the sales area for visitors to conduct their own taste tests. The representatives include a mix of international gourmet burger chefs, past competition winners, famous steakhouses, and Japanese chefs making use of local and regional ingredients from their areas of origin. Some will even offer burgers crafted exclusively for this event.
While we’ve never encountered a burger that we couldn’t topple, we also understand that visitors will likely want to sample as many burgers as possible. Thankfully, the event has designed a system for visitors to request cutting a full burger into either halves or quarters or a half-burger into halves for a small additional fee. This makes for the perfect solution to share with family and friends so everyone doesn’t fill up on one shop’s burger alone. Anyone who is really up for the full undertaking, however, can participate in a social media challenge by taking a photo of a burger (full or half-sized OK) from every single shop and posting it on social media with a special hashtag. Anyone who clears this test will receive a limited prize–and as a bonus, the profound respect of the SoraNews24 writing team.
▼ A variety of ways to share burgers for a small additional fee (an extra 200 yen for a full burger cut into quarters, or 100 yen for the other options)
For a sneak peek of what you may want to taste test, pictured below are two previous Japan Burger Championship winners that will be selling their culinary crafts in the sales area. The 2024 champion, Harry’s Junction from Miyagi Prefecture, has a burger that combines the local zunda (sweetened, mashed edamame) specialty with sour cream (it’s also one of the 12 semifinalists competing in this year’s championship!). Meanwhile, the 2025 champion Brisk Stand from Hyogo Prefecture is offering a double cheeseburger with alternating layers of cheddar cheese and onions.
▼ Burgers from Harry’s Junction (top) and Brisk Stand (bottom)
A handful of gourmet burger shops from abroad will also be on site, including:
● One More The Burger House Dubai (UAE): Making its Japanese debut, the shop that previously won first place in the World Food Championships offers a burger featuring Japanese-style milk buns infused with truffle fragrance and wild arugula.
● Melting Soul (South Korea): This shop won the 2023 Korean Championship with its two smash patties, thick cheese, and bacon skirt gourmet burger.
● Zesty Saloon (South Korea): This shop won the 2026 Korean Championship with its smash patty, double cheese, and bacon skirt gourmet burger.
▼ Burgers from One More The Burger House Dubai (top), Melting Soul (middle), and Zesty Saloon (bottom)
For anyone who reaches their burger limit (if such a state of satiation is even possible), the event will also have plenty of fries, sweets, and drinks for you to order while you give your stomach a burger break.
Finally, food isn’t the only thing on the menu as several forms of entertainment will also be available to enjoy. For instance, Yokohama-based rock band Aonowa will hold a live performance on June 13 at 10:30 am at the venue.
▼ Aonowa
Other family-friendly activities will be the chance to see the elite, all-female White Angels police motorcycle unit and a performance by the 35-member Kanagawa Prefectural Police Band.
This isn’t the first time that the Akarenga Red Brick Warehouse has hosted a large-scale gastronomic event, and we certainly hope that it won’t be the last. We’re certain that the Japan Burger Championship 2026 is going to be well done, too.
Event information
Japan Burger Championship 2026 / グルメバーガー日本一決定戦
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Shinko 1-1-1, Red Brick Warehouse (Event Plaza A/B)
神奈川県横浜市中区新港 1-1-1 横浜赤レンガ倉庫（イベント広場A/B）
Duration: June 12-14, 2026
● Friday, June 12: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (food last orders at 8 p.m., drink last orders at 8:30 p.m.)
● Saturday, June 13: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (food last orders at 8 p.m., drink last orders at 8:30 p.m.)
● Sunday, June 14: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (food last orders at 7 p.m., drink last orders at 7:30 p.m.) Website
Humanoid Typhoon to hit Shibuya and Namba this July.
Trigun Stargaze, the sequel series to Trigun Stampede, was released earlier this year, and while there’s fun to be had in the CG-reimagining of the adventures of Vash the Stampede, for many fans there’s just no substitute for the original hand-drawn Trigun manga and 1998 anime TV series.
So now there’s a Trigun Legacy Cafe coming to Tokyo and Osaka.
Hosted by Chugai Grace Cafe, a themed restaurant subdivision of department store Marui, the cafe will be saluting Trigun and Trigun Maximum, the renamed-for-publishing-purposes extension of the manga by creator Yasuhiro Nightow. Though it’s simultaneously opening in both Tokyo’s Shibuya and Osaka’s Namba neighborhoods, the two Trigun Cafes will have slightly different menus. The image above shows the lineup for the Tokyo branch, and below is the selection for Osaka.
There’s some overlap between the two. For example, you can get Vash and Wolfwood “visual mocktails” at either branch…
…and the same goes for the $$30 Million Donuts, Smokey Black Forrest Parfait, and Plant-inspired Twins Birthday drink, which comes with an art card and gives you the bulb-like container to take home.
However, the Opening Animation Salmon Sandwich and Bride beverage are exclusive to the Tokyo branch.
The Tokyo branch has regular restaurant seating, while the Osaka branch is takeout-only. However, you won’t want to breeze through too quickly, since both cafes will also have attached merch shops with items like pin badges, acrylic art bocks, and polaroid snapshot-style art cards.
If you’re looking for something practical, the shops will also have calendars, key chains, and tote bags.
Once again, the lineup is a little more extensive in Tokyo, though, as only the Tokyo branch will have plastic mini posters, IC card stickers sized to go over Suica and other rail pass cards, and “art cookies.”
And of course, this being a Japanese anime cafe, customers will also get illustrated coasters for ordering food and drink items from the menu, with separate sets available for the first and second half of the cafe’s run.
The Trigun Legacy Cafe will be open from July 3 to 26 at the Chugai Grace Cafes in Tokyo’s Shibuya Modi and Osaka’s Namba Marui buildings.
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