Although this event took place in 2024 (and I’m writing this in 2025), I’d like to reflect on our experience at the Hong Kong FOOD EXPO PRO 2024 and share a report as a recap.
Quick Announcement: We’re Exhibiting at Hong Kong FOOD EXPO PRO 2025!
We’re happy to announce that we will be exhibiting at the Hong Kong FOOD EXPO PRO again in 2025. More details will be shared soon. We hope to see you there in Hong Kong!
Link:
HKTDC Food Expo PRO
What is the Hong Kong FOOD EXPO PRO?
FOOD EXPO PRO is one of Asia’s largest international trade shows focused on food and beverages, held annually in Hong Kong. It brings together food producers, buyers, distributors, hotel and restaurant professionals from around the world. The event features a wide variety of categories—from high-quality food and beverages to seasonings, health foods, and food processing technology—providing an essential platform for companies looking to expand into the Asian market.
For Yamani, this was our very first time participating in an international exhibition.
We were invited to join by Chigonoiwa Sake Brewery of Toki City. A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Nakashima for making this opportunity possible!
Link:
Chigonoiwa Sake Brewery
Hong Kong FOOD EXPO PRO Photo Report
The event itself was held from August 15 to 17, but we traveled from August 13 to 19 to allow for setup and logistics. This was the longest I’d been away from home since my honeymoon—quite the adventure!
Day 1
Centrair Airport
It had been about 15 years since my last international flight, so I arrived at Centrair very early just in case. While watching planes from the observation deck, I noticed someone holding a very familiar panel…
It was Mr. Yamada from Tokiwokakeru Yamada-kun and Mr. Ito from TRIWIN Co., Ltd. carrying a panel of VTuber Utsuwa-san. In the Tono region, Yamada-kun is a local celebrity—what a surprise encounter!
Later, I met up with Mr. Nakashima from Chigonoiwa Sake Brewery, and together we headed to Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific flight
In-flight meal from Cathay Pacific
Our in-flight meal included a Haagen-Dazs ice cream, which made me feel a bit luxurious (bottom left of the photo).
Real airline cutlery
These are actual in-flight utensils.
Featuring the Cathay logo
Isn’t the Cathay Pacific logo cute?
Outside Hong Kong Airport
We headed out from the airport by Uber.
Our car was a Toyota Voxy
The car was a Japanese Toyota Voxy. The GPS was in Japanese, and it even played Japanese music—it felt surreal in the best way.
Night view of Hong Kong
By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was already dark. Time to rest!
Cup Noodles dinner
For dinner, I had Cup Noodles bought at a nearby 7-Eleven. It may look like I brought it from Japan, but it was actually sold locally in Hong Kong. Thank you, Nissin!
Day 2
On this day, we headed to the exhibition venue for booth setup. Since we had some free time in the morning, I took a short walk around the area.
Morning in Hong Kong
Surrounded by high-rises
Victoria Harbour
Though the weather was a bit gloomy, the view of Victoria Harbour was impressive. I heard there would be an amazing light show at night.
Advertisement featuring Kanna Hashimoto
Kanna Hashimoto’s smiling face was on a passing bus. We saw quite a few Japanese celebrities featured in ads around Hong Kong.
Trying dim sum for the first time
We had dim sum for lunch—it was my first time trying it!
Gifu Prefecture Booth at the Expo
At FOOD EXPO PRO, we exhibited in the Gifu Prefecture area. It was comforting to be surrounded by fellow exhibitors from Japan.
Our displayed products
We focused on sake ware and related Japanese tableware for our display.
After setup, we explored the city a bit.
Streets of Hong Kong
SOGO Department Store in Hong Kong
We even stopped by SOGO in Hong Kong and were surprised by how many Japanese products they had on display!
Trying turtle jelly for energy
Turtle jelly is a popular health food in Hong Kong, believed to be good for fatigue. It tasted like a medicinal coffee jelly—but I think it helped!
Hong Kong at night
That evening, we were invited to a Japanese sake event. It was grand and festive—truly capturing the energy of Hong Kong!
Day 3
I didn’t have the courage to try a new breakfast spot, so I went with the ever-reliable Starbucks.
Consistently delicious
And finally, the exhibition begins today!
Traveling to the venue by bus
Our booth at the exhibition
This year, we exhibited as a team with:
- Chigonoiwa Sake Brewery
- Utsuwa-san (VTuber, presented by Tokiwokakeru Yamada-kun)
- Yamani
It was our first experience exhibiting at an international trade fair.
McDonald’s in Hong Kong
For dinner, we ended up at McDonald’s in Hong Kong. We just didn’t have the courage to try someplace unfamiliar…
Riding the tram on the way back
Day 4
Morning in Hong Kong
By the fourth day, I started to miss home just a bit.
Amazon Prime Video screen
I didn’t realize you can’t watch Amazon Prime Video from abroad—lesson learned.
CalorieMate for lunch
Going out to eat during the exhibition is tough, so I opted for CalorieMate from Japan for lunch.
SHICHITA series on display
Our SHICHITA series, featuring adorable cat designs, received a lot of “So cute!” comments from visitors. That made me really happy.
One of the highlights of the day was finally meeting a customer we had been in contact with for a long time. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our booth in person!
A building that says “Love Hong Kong”
In the evening, we went over to the Tsim Sha Tsui area and rode a ferry. It was interesting to see how people in Hong Kong can get around by car, subway, and boat depending on the destination!
Day 5
It was the final day of the exhibition.
Running low on cash…
The day started with heavy rain.
Rainy streets of Hong Kong
DAIGO on a bus
By the third day of the expo, we were completely familiar with the venue.
Displayed sakeware items
The final day was just as busy as the others, and we wrapped up the expo with a sense of accomplishment.
Venue after the expo ended
On the way back, we spotted a sake barrel display at the station.
Sake barrels on display
It was clear to see that Japanese sake is appreciated even here in Hong Kong.
Day 6
This was our free day to explore Hong Kong.
Tram ride through the city
We were determined to enjoy the city while we were here—even though we were pretty worn out from the expo. But we couldn’t let the opportunity go to waste!
Restaurant “Café de Coral”
This local eatery reminded me of places like Sukiya in Japan—affordable and approachable. I felt more confident ordering using their touch-panel system.
Grilled fish cake, like hanpen
I had something that resembled grilled hanpen. The milk tea was delicious. Though I could order just fine, I was nervous at the pickup counter trying to figure out which tray was mine.
Don Quijote in Hong Kong!
Yes, there’s even a Don Quijote here!
Discounted Poteko snack purchased
Mid-Levels Escalator
This is the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator system, the Mid-Levels Escalator. I ended up going all the way to the top just for the experience.
Endless high-rises up the mountain
Even far up the hillside, tall buildings continued to tower above. Hong Kong is truly a vertical city.
I wanted to take a bus back from the top, but after waiting for quite some time, none came—so I walked all the way back down.
Victoria Peak shrouded in fog
At Victoria Peak, the clouds obscured the view, but every now and then we could catch glimpses of Victoria Harbour through the mist—it was stunning.
Night view of Victoria Harbour light show
In the evening, we went to see the Victoria Harbour light show. It started raining partway through, but luckily, we managed to catch the show before it got too heavy.
Day 7
Time to head back home.
Thankfully, the rain had stopped, making our travel back much easier. We made our way to Hong Kong International Airport to begin the journey home.
At Hong Kong Airport
That was Hong Kong FOOD EXPO PRO 2024
Back at AEON Mall Tokoname
And that wraps up our adventure at Hong Kong FOOD EXPO PRO 2024!
This was our very first time exhibiting at an overseas trade show, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how things would go. Balancing our usual workload while preparing for the expo was quite a challenge, and we cut it pretty close.
We even created our first English product catalog—albeit a rushed one we put together in about a week. Still, I’m glad we managed to pull it off and present something meaningful.
Special thanks to Mr. Nakajima from Chigonoiwa Sake Brewery, who supported and guided us throughout this journey. We’re truly grateful!
Link:
Chigonoiwa Sake Brewery
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