98th Japan Coffee Festival 2026 in Osaka, Yodogawa Ward
The Japan Coffee Festival, a tasting festival aiming for the development and dissemination of coffee culture within Japan, will return to Yodogawa Ward, Osaka City, on September 27, 2026. For the 98th edition, the common theme is the rare 2024 Crop Ethiopia Helef Coffee (Washed), a bean that acquired an unexpectedly strong fermented aroma during the processing stage. Renowned coffee shops gathered from across the country will brew it according to their own techniques and sensibilities, using hand drip, syphon, Ethiopia style, and more.
Of the three coffee tickets provided at reception, one is a “Ticket of Fate,” which can only be used at the shop drawn via a gashapon (capsule toy) machine. The festival also works as a walking route: the three venues span Yodogawa Ward and Higashiyodogawa Ward, with cups to be enjoyed while strolling through the town between stops.
Event details
- Date: 2026/9/27 (Sun)
- Time: 10:00–17:00
- Location:
- General Reception / Inside Shopping Plaza Shin-Osaka (1-24-8 Higashimikuni, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka City)
- Coffee and Bakery Arle (4-17-8 Higashimikuni, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka City)
- Kissa Aoi (1st Floor MURAKAMI Mansion, 1-17-3 Nishiawaji, Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka City)
- Note: When visiting, please first come to the general reception inside ① Shopping Plaza Shin-Osaka.
- Fee: Advance 1,800 yen / Same-day 2,000 yen
- Includes 3 coffee tickets, special pamphlet, and a 100-yen discount coupon for coffee bean sales
- Refill tickets available for 1,200 yen
- Contact: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.japancoffeefestival.com/
Ethiopia Helef Coffee
Ethiopia Helef is a single-origin Arabica coffee from the Helef area in the highlands of southern Ethiopia. It is not a widely distributed commercial grade but a microlot: a small, separate harvest that can be traced to a specific community and set of farm plots. In the specialty trade, it is bought and sold on those terms, not as a blended commodity.
The trees grow at 1,800 to 2,200 meters above sea level, in volcanic soil and under shade from native forest. The slow maturation that results gives the beans a dense structure and a flavor profile that is more floral and tea-like than most other coffees. The cup commonly shows jasmine, bergamot, ripe stone fruit, and honeyed citrus, with a bright mouthfeel and a clean, lingering finish.
Production is limited. Much of Helef is processed at small washing stations, where cherry sorting and drying are done manually and in small batches. Only a modest number of bags reaches the international market each year, and most of that volume is sold to specialty buyers. It is not the kind of coffee that turns up in a standard retail display.
At the 98th Japan Coffee Festival in Osaka, Ethiopia Helef is being offered in Yodogawa Ward. For festival attendees, it is a chance to taste an uncommon Ethiopian origin and to see what high-grown, carefully processed Arabica can do without the usual commercial blending.
