HANASAKA Harvest Festival: 42 Farm High Schools Sell Their Produce in Tokyo

Where else can you buy rice, citrus and curry straight from the teenagers who grew and made them? The National Agricultural High School HANASAKA Harvest Festival 2026 (全国農業高校HANASAKA収穫祭2026) brings students from 42 farm high schools to Tokyo for one weekend, Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026. The students run the stalls themselves, and this year’s stamp rally moves onto your phone with an instant draw for gift vouchers.

What the festival is

This is a two-day sale of crops and processed foods made at agricultural high schools. All 42 participating schools belong to the National Association of Agricultural High School Principals, and this is the event’s 18th year.

For the students it’s a class in real-world selling: they handle distribution and sales themselves, and the goal is to get the next generation of farmers more interested in working in agriculture. For visitors, it’s a chance to pick up regional food from 19 prefectures in one trip, and to chat with the people who actually grew it.

If you enjoy school-run events like the Musashino Art University Festival, this one has the same energy, just with vegetables instead of art.

Dates, hours and venues

Note that Sunday closes early. If you want the widest choice, Saturday gives you more time.

The event is also supported by these organizations:

What you can buy

Each school brings its own produce and processed goods, so the line-up changes from stall to stall. The press release doesn’t publish a product list, but the photos from the release give a feel for it: citrus from Ehime, school-branded bags of rice and ready-made foods such as keema curry.

The students are also being judged while they sell. Over the two days, four schools that stand out for how they sell and how well they know their products will receive awards (see Ceremonies and awards). So don’t be shy about asking how something was grown or how to cook it.

Like the idea of buying straight from farming regions? Furusato nozei is another way to get regional produce from all over Japan, with a tax deduction on top.

Digital stamp rally and prizes

The stamp rally used to be on paper. This year it runs on your smartphone, and there are two separate chances to win.

1. Instant draw: scan the entry QR code at the entrance of either venue and answer a few simple questions. You then enter an on-the-spot draw for a ¥1,000 gift voucher (40 winners in total), usable at places such as Hoppe Town (ほっぺタウン) in Daimaru Tokyo or YANMAR TOKYO.
2. Second chance: visit both venues and spend ¥100 (tax included) or more at each. Buying ¥100 or more of a school’s products earns one stamp. Entrants go into a draw for original prizes related to the festival.

Student produce lunch at ASTERISCO

Can’t make the weekend? There’s a second way to taste the students’ work. From Sunday, November 1 to Saturday, November 28, ASTERISCO (アステリスコ), the Italian restaurant on the 2nd floor of YANMAR TOKYO, plans to serve a menu made with crops grown by the agricultural high school students. It’s lunch only.

The press release notes that its menu photo shows last year’s collaboration, so this year’s dishes may look different. Prices and the exact menu aren’t published there; check the restaurant before you go.

Ceremonies and awards

The four sales awards go to schools judged best on their approach to sales and product knowledge, and come with extra prizes. There’s also a side project: participating schools tested a paper mulch sheet, a new eco-friendly farming material provided by Oji F-Tex Co., Ltd. that may also help crops grow in summer. The school that writes the most insightful report on it receives the Oji Holdings Award at the closing ceremony.

On the evening of October 31, from 17:00, the students also get together on the 14th floor of YANMAR TOKYO for a quiz and a chance to meet students from other schools. That part is for the participating students.

Tips for visiting

• Plan to visit both venues. Entry into the second-chance draw requires a purchase at each one, and the stalls are split between them.
• Go early on Sunday. Sales end at 14:00 on November 1, two hours earlier than Saturday’s close.
• Bring a bag. Rice and boxes of fruit get heavy fast.
• Small purchases count. One stamp needs just ¥100 (tax included) or more at a school’s stall, so a single snack can do it.
• Check details on the official site. Things like admission, payment methods and access aren’t covered in the press release.

Looking for more weekend outings? We’ve also covered the Shibaura Canal Festival and its free canal cruise and the Setagaya Tamagawa Fireworks.

FAQ

When and where is the HANASAKA Harvest Festival 2026?

October 31 (Sat) and November 1 (Sun), 2026, at two venues: the 11th-floor event hall of Daimaru Tokyo and HANASAKA SQUARE on B1 of YANMAR TOKYO. Sales run 10:30–16:00 on the 31st and 10:00–14:00 on the 1st.

Is there an admission fee?

The press release doesn’t mention one. Check the official event site before you go.

How does the digital stamp rally work?

Scan the entry QR code at either venue’s entrance with your phone and answer a few simple questions to try an instant draw for a ¥1,000 gift voucher (40 winners in total). Spend ¥100 (tax included) or more at each venue to also enter a second-chance draw for original festival prizes.

Can visitors attend the opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony starts at 9:30 on October 31, before the store opens, and you can’t enter without applying in advance. The awards ceremony is on November 1 from 14:30 at HANASAKA SQUARE.

Can I taste the students’ produce after the festival?

ASTERISCO, the Italian restaurant on the 2nd floor of YANMAR TOKYO, plans to serve a menu using the students’ produce from November 1 to 28, at lunch only.

Source: Mainichi Newspapers press release (PR TIMES) · Official festival page. Details may change; check the official site for the latest.