Yakiimo FesⓇ OSAKA 2026
The food event Yakiimo FesⓇ 2026, held simultaneously in Tokyo and Osaka, returns to Osaka Castle Park this year. This 10-day gathering brings together approximately 30 varieties of diverse roasted sweet potato menus from across Japan. Alongside classic roasted sweet potatoes, visitors can expect sweets, sweet potato meals, and menus themed around “gap textures”—hard, crunchy, or crispy textures combined with sticky and fluffy ones. This textural contrast is a distinctive feature of this year’s event.
Items suited for souvenirs and commemorative gifts will also be available, including official Yakiimo Fes goods, new official capsule toys, and familiar potato snacks such as potato chips and imo-kenpi. The always popular Imo Friends Imo-gurumi, which sells out every year, returns in a larger, upgraded random-item format. Other new goods will also be on offer.
Event details
- Event period: 10 days, 2026/10/30 (Fri) – 11/8 (Sun)
- Event hours: Weekdays 11:00–19:00; weekends and holidays 10:00–19:00
- Location: Osaka Castle Park, Taiyo-no-Hiroba (3 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka City; 2-minute walk from JR Osaka Loop Line “Osaka-jo Koen Station”, 5-minute walk from Osaka Metro “Osaka Business Park Station”)
- Admission: Free (food and drink costs separate)
- Contact: None
- Website: https://yakiimofes.jp/osaka2026/
What is yakiimo?
Yakiimo means roasted sweet potato in Japanese. It is made by roasting whole sweet potatoes with dry heat, traditionally over hot stones, over charcoal, or in a stone-lined oven. The method differs from oven baking in the way heat is applied: lower and more even, over a longer period. This slowly draws moisture out of the potato and gives enzymes time to convert starch into maltose, which is why the flesh becomes noticeably sweet, moist, and dense. The skin browns and blisters in places. The interior can range from pale yellow to deep orange depending on the variety.
In Japan, yakiimo is associated mainly with colder weather. It is sold from small trucks that carry a stone-lined roaster and often announce themselves with a characteristic whistle, at festivals, and at specialty shops. It is ordinarily eaten on its own, with no seasoning, so the flavor of the potato itself is the point. Different varieties are grown for different qualities: some have a dry, chestnut-like texture; others are very sweet and creamy; some have purple or red skins. Events such as the Yakiimo Fes are organized around these differences, giving producers a way to show what their regional varieties taste like when prepared by the same basic method.
