You don’t have to fly to Hokkaido to eat your way around it. For five days in October, Sunshine City in Ikebukuro fills one exhibition hall with about 65 vendors from across Japan’s northern island. Entry is free. You only pay for what you eat, drink or take home.
The event’s official name is Hokkaido Marugoto Fair in Sunshine City 2026 (北海道まるごとフェアinサンシャインシティ2026). It started in 2018, and this is the ninth edition. The organizer says more than 30,000 people come each year. Below are the daily hours, what’s new this year, and the stalls worth planning around.
Key facts: dates, hours and venue
| Dates | Thursday, October 8 to Monday, October 12, 2026 (5 days) |
|---|---|
| Entry | Free |
| Venue | Exhibition Hall A, World Import Mart Building 4F, Sunshine City 3-1-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo |
| Vendors | About 65, including 12 first-timers. About 42 of them serve food. |
| Seating | About 400 eat-in seats |
| Organizer | Sunshine City Co., Ltd., co-hosted by the Hokkaido Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry |
| Official site | Hokkaido Marugoto Fair (Sunshine City) |
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Oct 8 (Thu) and Oct 9 (Fri) | 11:00–21:00 |
| Oct 10 (Sat) and Oct 11 (Sun) | 10:00–20:00 |
| Oct 12 (Mon, public holiday) | 10:00–18:00 |
What’s new this year
- A Hokkaido sake tasting, for the first time. The Hokkaido Sake Brewers Association (北海道酒造組合) joins the fair for the first time. You can try 33 sake labels from 17 breweries in small pours, starting at ¥200. Details are in the sake section.
- 12 first-time vendors. They range from a pudding that pops out of a balloon to salmon dishes from Shiretoko.
- The soft-serve tasting set is back. Choose 3 out of 7 Hokkaido soft-serve shops and compare them side by side.
Many stalls cook in front of you. They grill, steam, fry, simmer and pour on the spot, so it’s worth grabbing a seat and eating while it’s hot rather than taking everything home.
First-time vendors to look for
These are the stalls making their first appearance at this fair, with the prices announced by the organizer. Japanese names are included to help you match them to booth signs.
| Vendor | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bocca | White Pudding (白いプリン), 4 pieces | ¥1,008 |
| cafe909 | Megumi Gold corn shaved ice (北海道産恵味ゴールドのかき氷) | ¥1,500 |
| Marumiya Omiya Shoten (マルミヤ大宮商店) | Shiretoko Chepu-man salmon bun (知床チェプ饅) | ¥600 each |
| Ore no Ramen Kouta (俺のラーメンこうた) | Rich Sapporo miso ramen with Hokkaido butter and corn | ¥1,600 |
| Utopia Shiretoko (ユートピア知床) | Salmon and kelp rolls (鮭重ね巻き) | ¥1,780 |
| Eiko Shokuhin (栄興食品有限会社) | Salmon toro (鮭とろ) | ¥600 |
| HOURS BEER | 7:00pm SUNSET GOLD | ¥600 |
| Dosan Komugi de Kawa mo Oishii Gyoza-ya (道産小麦で皮も美味しい餃子屋) | Gyoza wrapped in Hokkaido pork | ¥400 each |
| Royal Sweets (ロイヤルスイーツ) | Sweet potato | ¥460 per 100 g |
| Yoshiari Suisan, Mitsuishi, Hidaka (よしあり水産) | Shredded kelp (きざみ昆布) | ¥1,100 |
Two more first-timers, sei (Yoichi Chamber of Commerce) and Ezorisu no Hoppe (エゾリスのほっペ), are also on the list. Their menus weren’t included in the announcement.
The balloon pudding is an egg-free milk pudding sealed in a round balloon-like skin. Prick it with a toothpick and the pudding pops out. It’s made with Date Milk from dairy farms around Date, Hokkaido, and it’s known for its chewy, springy texture.
cafe909’s shaved ice is topped with a homemade syrup made from Megumi Gold, a very sweet corn grown in Usu, Hokkaido. The shop also plans to sell tomato and blueberry versions.
The Shiretoko Chepu-man is a steamed bun filled with salmon chanchan-yaki, a Hokkaido home-style dish of salmon cooked with vegetables. The salmon comes from Shari, the town with Japan’s largest salmon catch. The wrapper is made from wheat grown in Shari, and each bun is wrapped by hand.
Utopia Shiretoko’s salmon rolls are layers of salmon and thick local kelp, marinated slowly. The shop says it’s the top seller at Roadside Station Utoro Shiretoko, with about 12,000 sold a year.
Cooked-to-order stalls
These stalls cook in front of you so you can eat right away. If ramen is on your must-try list, note that Sakurai Ramen is limited to 100 servings a day.
| Vendor | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sakurai Ramen (櫻井ラーメン) | Hokkai champon miso butter-corn ramen (100 servings a day) | ¥1,600 |
| Atsumaru Suisan, Kushiro-cho (北の海の森釧路町アツマル水産) | Senpoushi scallops (仙鳳趾ホタテ) | ¥1,200 |
| Zangi Senmonten Ichi (ザンギ専門店Ichi) | Salt zangi, Hokkaido-style fried chicken | ¥540 per 100 g |
| Kaneo Seieimaru (カネオ成栄丸) | Crab rice, two-kind platter (おらほのカニ飯 2種盛) | ¥2,860 |
| Azuma Jingisukan Honpo (あづまジンギスカン本舗) | Salt koro jingisukan (lamb) | ¥1,500 |
| Ota Kamaboko, Hakodate (函館市 太田かまぼこ) | Shrimp, crab and scallop croquettes | ¥1,400 per pack |
For ramen fans, Ore no Ramen Kouta from the previous section is also worth a look. It’s a rich Sapporo miso ramen finished with butter and corn, and the shop has won awards at ramen festivals.
Hokkaido sake tasting
This is the headline addition this year. The Hokkaido Sake Brewers Association pours 33 sake labels from 17 Hokkaido breweries, plus 3 liqueurs made with sake. Each pour is 30 ml, so you can work through several without committing to a full glass, and you can drink it alongside food bought at the fair.
- Price per pour: ¥200–¥600, depending on the label
- Shot ticket: ¥1,000 for eleven ¥100 vouchers
- Bottles: you can buy a bottle of any sake you like
- Brewery staff: staff from 6 Hokkaido breweries take turns at the booth, a different brewery each day
According to the association, Hokkaido’s cool climate gives its sake a clean, crisp finish, and many labels are on the dry side. That’s why they pair so well with simple seafood like sashimi and sushi. Breweries are scattered across the island, and richer, fuller-bodied styles are becoming more common, so tasting across regions is the easiest way to find what you like. The association explains more on its official site, and Kunimare Brewery has a column on what makes Hokkaido sake taste different (both in Japanese).
The association has published the full list of sake being poured: Hokkaido Sake Brewers Association: tasting lineup (Japanese).
Soft-serve tasting set
The Hokkaido soft-serve tasting (北海道ソフトクリーム食べ比べ) is popular every year. Seven shops serve soft-serve made with Hokkaido milk. You pick any 3 of them and get each one in a mini cup.
- Ticket: ¥1,200 for 3 shops
- Examples in the lineup: Tokachi Jersey rich milk soft-serve, Yubari melon soft-serve, and Rishiri premium sea-salt soft-serve
Getting there and timing your visit
| Station | Walk |
|---|---|
| Higashi-Ikebukuro Station (Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line) | 3 min |
| Higashi-Ikebukuro-yonchome stop (Toden Arakawa Line) | 4 min |
| Ikebukuro Station (JR and Tokyo Metro) | 8 min |
The fair is in Exhibition Hall A on the 4th floor of the World Import Mart Building, one of the buildings in the Sunshine City complex. For general questions, Sunshine City’s information desk is at 03-3989-3331.
- Want take-home products? Go before 18:00. Product stalls close at 18:00 every day, so a weekday evening visit is mainly for eating.
- After a limited dish? Sakurai Ramen serves only 100 bowls a day, so go early in the day.
- Watch last orders. Food stops 30 minutes before closing, which means 17:30 on the final day.
- Sake and soft-serve both use tickets. Decide how many pours you want before you buy: the ¥1,000 shot ticket gives eleven ¥100 vouchers.
If you’re planning more outings this season, see our guides to where to watch the Setagaya Tamagawa Fireworks and the free canal cruises at the Shibaura Canal Festival. For a cheap soak after a day on your feet, check out the ¥300 Tokyo sento coupon. And if the fair gives you the travel bug, the Aki no Norihodai Pass covers three days of JR local trains.
FAQ
- Do I need a ticket to get into the Hokkaido Marugoto Fair?
- No. Entry is free. You pay only for the food, drinks and products you buy at each stall.
- What time does the fair close each day?
- 21:00 on October 8 and 9, 20:00 on October 10 and 11, and 18:00 on October 12. Last orders are 30 minutes before closing.
- Can I buy products to take home in the evening?
- No. Product stalls close at 18:00 every day, so do your shopping before then.
- How much does the Hokkaido sake tasting cost?
- Each 30 ml pour costs ¥200 to ¥600 depending on the label. A ¥1,000 shot ticket gives you eleven ¥100 vouchers, and you can buy bottles of the sake you like.
- How does the soft-serve tasting work?
- Choose any 3 of the 7 participating shops and get each soft-serve in a mini cup. The ticket costs ¥1,200 for 3 shops.
- What is the nearest station?
- Higashi-Ikebukuro Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, a 3-minute walk. Ikebukuro Station is an 8-minute walk.
Sources: official event site / Sunshine City press release (September 16, 2026) / Sunshine City press release (September 10, 2026) / press release PDF. Information as of September 29, 2026; all prices include tax.