Toyama Governor, Kitakyushu Official From “Rival” City Meet for Sushi-Led Urban Development Forum

A sushi-themed forum on city building brought together Toyama’s governor, local chefs and an official from rival Kitakyushu City on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toyama.

The event, titled “Sea Sushi, Mountain Sushi: Gastronomy Toyama – Urban Development Forum,” was hosted by Shiawase Design, a Toyama-based public-private partnership, at D&DEPARTMENT TOYAMA inside the Toyama Prefectural Civic Hall.

Daisuke Maeda, representative of Shiawase Design, opened the forum, followed by Toyama Gov. Hachiro Nitta, who shared an update on the prefecture’s branding push, “When it comes to sushi, think Toyama.”

Hiroyuki Akashi, a producer at Shiawase Design, followed with a look at how Toyama is using food culture, especially sushi, as a driver for tourism and regional branding. About 60 people, including government officials, chefs and tourism professionals, attended.

Nitta outlined the core ideas of Toyama’s long-term development plan and noted that the “When it comes to sushi, think Toyama” booth at the Osaka-Kansai Expo drew about 50,000 visitors.

The keynote address was delivered by Kotaro Kashiwabara, chairman of the Japan Gastronomy Association. He said the timing was right for Toyama, pointing to Toyama City’s selection in The New York Times’ “52 Places to Go,” rising global interest in gastronomy tourism and several sushi-related projects now underway in the region.

A panel discussion later featured Yayoi Tokuda, an assistant section chief from Kitakyushu City’s Sushi Capital Division. Kitakyushu promoted itself under the slogan “Sushi Capital Kitakyushu,” using sushi as a tool for urban revitalization.

Tokuda explained that Kitakyushu’s strong sushi culture came from what she called the advantages of the sea, location and people. She also spoke about the challenge of promoting the city while living in the shadow of nearby Fukuoka, one of Japan’s largest metropolitan areas.

Panelists, including Kashiwabara and two directors from Shiawase Design, discussed how Toyama and Kitakyushu could work together and how sushi could help energize local communities. Ideas ranged from expanding a joint “Sushi Summit” to exploring chartered transportation linking the two regions.

Some participants noted that the relationship between Fukuoka and Kitakyushu mirrored that of Kanazawa and Toyama, with sushi serving as a means for regions with a lower profile to stand out.

The forum wrapped up with a tasting session featuring new sushi dishes created for the event by chefs from across Toyama Prefecture. Sake pairings were suggested by Noriko Ikemori, a certified sake sommelier who ran the sake-bar lodge Kura Stay Ikemori in Himi.

Chefs taking part included Fumiya Higuchi of the auberge AKAMA TOYAMA in Imizu and Akihiro Masuyama of Healthian-wood The Table in Tateyama. Participants shared candid feedback as they sampled the pairings.

Local media, including The Kitanippon Shimbun, covered the forum, which ended with growing interest in what sushi-led regional collaboration could look like next.

Photo by Masafumi Kashi