The Kyoto Bread Festival, featuring popular Kyoto bakeries and hotels, kicked off on October 4, 2025, at Kamigamo Shrine, a World Heritage Site in Kyoto City's Kita Ward. Despite the unfortunate rain, visitors enjoyed tasting and comparing a variety of flavors, from classics to more innovative creations.
The event was launched in 2015 by an executive committee made up of the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper and Kamigamo Shrine, with the aim of promoting Kyoto's bread culture, a city with a high bread consumption rate.
Twenty-three stores from within and outside Kyoto Prefecture set up stalls, three of which were participating for the first time. Specialty items were lined up, including curry bread with blueberry powder, bread made with figs from Joyo City, and a wagyu beef hamburger with truffles.
A 69-year-old housewife from Otsu City, visiting for the first time, said, "I want to take my time to browse each store and make my selection." The festival runs until October 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Kamigamo Shrine has also started the "National Nice Heart Bazaar," which sells products made by disability employment support businesses. The event is organized by the Kyoto Social Employment Center Council and the Kyoto Shimbun Social Welfare Foundation, among others, with the aim of improving wages and expanding sales channels. Around 8,000 items, including sweets, pottery, and sewn products made by around 80 businesses from around the country, will be on display. The event will run until October 5th, from 10am to 4pm.
