This August, Tokyo will once again become one of the leading international meeting points for cider.
The occasion is SISGAJapan, the annual Japanese edition of the International Gala Cider Fair (SISGA), which will bring together numerous Japanese and international producers, as well as cider enthusiasts from across the Japanese capital. Following the remarkable success of its first edition in 2025, which attracted thousands of visitors, the only possible course was to continue promoting cider culture and spreading awareness of both Asturian and Japanese cider traditions, each committed to tradition, quality, market viability, and international projection. This year’s edition will take place at the prestigious Akihabara UDX Gallery in Tokyo on August 30 and has already confirmed more participants than the previous year, despite still being two months away.
A key new feature this year is the cider competition, whose entries will be judged by a Japanese jury. Registration costs 16,500 yen per product (approximately €89), with a submission deadline of June 15. As in the Asturian edition of the event, the judging criteria will include quality, presentation, absence of additives, and production methods that meet standards of quality and sustainability. SISGAJapan was created in 2025 as a joint initiative involving Japanese entrepreneurs and cider producers, Tokyo’s Kanda Eclipse First Sidreria, the Asturies XXI Foundation—organizer of the International Gala Cider Fair (SISGA)—and the European cider association CiderCities. Its aim is to strengthen ties among cider-producing regions, foster cultural exchange, promote product quality and market viability, and enhance the international profile of premium ciders. The festival will welcome producers from all over Japan as well as several international participants, offering visitors tastings, food pairings, information about local cider traditions from different regions of the country, workshops, conferences, award ceremonies, and networking opportunities for industry professionals.
One of the highlights of the programme will be the contribution of the Asturian delegation from the Asturies XXI Foundation, which will conduct a traditional cider-pouring workshop accompanied by an introduction to Asturian cider culture. This part of the programme will introduce Japanese audiences to one of Asturias’ most emblematic and deeply rooted traditions, a hallmark of identity that stretches from the humblest neighbourhood cider house to the heart of the Japanese capital. The Asturian presence at SISGAJapan is specifically intended to strengthen this exchange of practices, knowledge, and experiences between Japan and Asturias, two regions with long-standing cider traditions that are committed to promoting and enhancing appreciation for a product whose cultural, social, and gastronomic significance—as well as its role in local identity—deserves greater international recognition.
