SOGO Omiya in Saitama is holding its 40th Hokkaido food fair, known in Japanese as 第40回 北海道の物産と観光展, for twelve days from 1 October 2026. This year the store puts the spotlight on the farmers and makers behind each product: melon from Furano, Jersey milk from Tokachi, beef raised in Saroma and sea urchin from Yoichi.
The fair is split into two halves with different vendors, and many of the best items are limited to a fixed number per day. Below, you will find what is sold in which half, the daily limits, and the eat-in hours, so you can pick the right day before you go.
Dates, venue and the two halves
| Event | The 40th Hokkaido Product and Tourism Fair (第40回 北海道の物産と観光展) |
| Dates | Thursday 1 October to Monday 12 October 2026 (public holiday) |
| First half | 1 October (Thu) to 6 October (Tue) |
| Second half | 7 October (Wed) to 12 October (Mon, holiday) |
| Final day | The hall closes at 5 p.m. |
| Venue | SOGO Omiya, 7th-floor event hall |
| Address | 1-6-2 Sakuragicho, Omiya-ku, Saitama 330-9530 |
| Phone | 048-646-2111 (main line) |
| Admission | Not stated in the press release. Please check with the store. |
Melon, Jersey milk and a LeTAO parfait
The sweets line-up is built around farm produce. Furano melon is only in the first half, and Jersey milk ice cream from Tokachi is only in the second, so the day you visit decides which one you can try.
| Vendor | Item | Price | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furano Garden Cafe (Kamifurano) | Furano melon with soft serve | ¥880 | First half |
| Furano Garden Cafe | Cut Furano melon (1 piece) | ¥481 | First half |
| Furano Garden Cafe | 100% Furano melon juice (1 cup) | ¥481 | First half |
| Rookie Farm (Tokachi) | Milky ice cream (1 cup) | ¥391 | Second half |
| Rookie Farm | Jersey butter (170 g) | ¥3,001 | Second half |
| LeTAO (Otaru) | Hokkaido apple parfait, sold only at Seibu and SOGO 50 per day | ¥1,375 | Full period |
The Furano melon is red-fleshed and grown at the foot of Mt. Tokachi and Mt. Furano, where strong sun and big swings between day and night temperatures make it sweet and thick. You can have it cut, juiced or served with soft serve.
Rookie Farm uses milk from rare Jersey cows raised at Takada Farm in Shikaoi, Tokachi. The butter is on the pricey side, but it keeps well as a souvenir.
The LeTAO apple parfait is a Seibu and SOGO exclusive made with Hokkaido apples and milk from Jersey cows at Kato Farm in Tokachi. With only 50 a day, earlier in the day is the safer bet.
Premium bento: Saroma beef and two kinds of uni
Two headline bento boxes are sold in small daily batches. If either one is the reason you are going, keep these limits in mind.
| Vendor | Bento | Price | Limit / When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 金獅子精肉店 (Sapporo) | Top Farm Saroma wagyu and Saroma black beef steak bento | ¥2,700 | 50 per day Second half |
| Uni specialist 世壱屋 (Yoichi) | Hokkaido uni tasting bento, two kinds | ¥6,480 | 20 per day Full period |
The beef comes from the Top Farm group, which raises its cattle from calf to shipment in Saroma. The box pairs steak with a sukiyaki-style topping.
The uni bento lets you compare murasaki uni and bafun uni side by side, with the shop choosing whichever is in the best condition at the time. At 20 a day, this is the scarcest item on the list.
The ¥1,080 bento and which days to go
For a cheaper lunch, several vendors sell a ¥1,080 bento on set days, 30 boxes per day each. The press release lists these as examples, so there may be others at the venue.
| Vendor | Bento | Days (30 per day) |
|---|---|---|
| 北海工房 | 姫海鮮 (seafood) | 7 and 8 October |
| 旭川駅立売商会 | 海の彩り (seafood) | 5 to 8 October |
| やきにくれすとらん沙蘭 | Beef steak and hamburg steak mini bento | 5 and 6 October |
| Uni specialist 世壱屋 | うにいくらハーフ (uni and salmon roe) | 5 to 8 October |
Eat-in: ramen and more, freshly made
The eat-in corner serves dishes such as ramen, sushi and soup curry. The restaurants switch between the two halves.
| Half | From | Restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| First half | Sapporo | Sapporo Ramen Furaibo (札幌ラーメン 風来坊) |
| First half | Chitose | 北の味覚 すず花 |
| Second half | Sapporo | ビストロ南家 |
| Second half | Otaru | らーめん初代 |
More soft serve and lamb to take home
| Vendor | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| IMOTERIA GELABO (Sapporo) | Small roasted sweet potato soft serve | ¥651 |
| Milk Design (Nishiokoppe) | Farm soft serve tasting set | ¥1,001 |
| 228 COFFEE Roastery (Hokuto) | Premium coffee soft serve sundae | ¥1,100 |
| あづまジンギスカン本舗 (Atsuma) | Frozen salted Australian lamb cubes for jingisukan (250 g) | ¥1,458 |
The frozen jingisukan is an easy one to carry home if you want to cook Hokkaido-style grilled lamb yourself.
How to plan your visit
- Melon fans: go in the first half (1 to 6 October). Furano Garden Cafe is not there in the second half.
- Beef and Jersey milk: go in the second half (7 to 12 October) for the Saroma beef bento and Rookie Farm.
- Budget lunch: 7 or 8 October gives you the widest choice of ¥1,080 bento.
- Limited items: the uni bento (20 a day), the LeTAO parfait and the steak bento (50 a day each) are the ones most likely to run out.
- Last day: the hall closes at 5 p.m. and the eat-in at 4:30 p.m. on 12 October.
Department store fairs add up quickly, so it helps to pay with a card that earns points. If you are still choosing one, our guide to credit cards you can get in Japan as a foreign resident is a good place to start. If you like regional food delivered to your door, also see what changes in furusato nozei this October.
Other food deals starting around the same time: the 7-Eleven onigiri sale from 1 October and the Starbucks Japan and Pokémon collaboration. For cheap train travel this season, check the Aki no Norihodai Pass for JR local trains.
FAQ
- Q. When and where is the Hokkaido fair at SOGO Omiya?
- It runs from 1 to 12 October 2026 in the 7th-floor event hall of SOGO Omiya in Omiya-ku, Saitama. On the final day, 12 October, the hall closes at 5 p.m.
- Q. Are the same shops there for the whole fair?
- No. The fair is split into a first half (1 to 6 October) and a second half (7 to 12 October), and several vendors, including the eat-in restaurants, appear in only one half. LeTAO and the uni shop 世壱屋 are listed for the full period.
- Q. What are the eat-in hours?
- The eat-in corner is open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with last orders 30 minutes before closing. On 12 October it is open until 4:30 p.m.
- Q. Which items are limited in number?
- The uni tasting bento is limited to 20 per day, the LeTAO apple parfait and the Saroma beef steak bento to 50 per day each, and each ¥1,080 bento to 30 per day on its listed dates.
- Q. Is there an admission fee?
- The press release does not mention one. Please call SOGO Omiya on 048-646-2111 if you want to confirm this or the regular opening hours.
Source: Sogo & Seibu press release (PR TIMES, 29 September 2026). Prices and quantities are as listed in the press release and may change. Please check at the venue.