On Tuesday, February 4, Japan’s largest hotel and restaurant trade show, HCJ 2025, commenced at the Tokyo Big Sight. HCJ is the gathering of 3 major exhibitions: HoteRes Japan – The International Hotel & Restaurant Show, Caterex Japan – The Exhibition for the Catering Industries, and the Japan Food Service Equipment Show. The 2025 edition features over 850 exhibitors across 20,000 square meters of booth space showcasing products and services benefitting hotel and restaurant operators. A total of 12,068 industry professionals visited HCJ on the opening day, and approximately 60,000 attendees are expected throughout the 4-day event. Reporters from Japan MICE media outlet POP Inc. spoke with exhibitors to uncover the latest trends.
Immediately upon entering the Big Sight’s East exhibition halls, visitors are greeted with an array of scents, from crispy potato croquettes straight from the fryer to fresh linens on hotel beds. The Big Sight venue offers a unique mixture of comfort and relaxation with exciting live cooking demonstrations and energetic foodservice robots.
Speaking of food, among all of the culinary delights being presented at HCJ 2025, the prevalence of waffles stands out in particular. Only to mention a few examples, Suntec Corporation is exhibiting its waffle batter dispenser and waffle maker for use in cafes and restaurants, complete with unorthodox toppings such as salsa and Bolognese sauce. Gibier Inc. is presenting premium Belgian waffle Danish pastries. And the American Waffle Company is offering its Golden Malted waffle and pancake flour mix and personal waffle maker.
However, Japanese sweets are not content to take a back seat to their international counterparts. Rex Very Co., Ltd. an Asakusa-based ice cream manufacturer, is showcasing its wide variety of gelato and Japanese snacks. Furthermore, the company is using HCJ 2025 as a platform to reveal its new “First Flush Tea” product line. Originating from Rex Very’s own matcha sweets cafe named Kaminari Issa, First Flush Tea provides individual tea bags containing the cafe’s original matcha blend, as well as other varieties of green tea. Designer Mayumi Matsuzaki explained that the tea bags are perfect for use in hotels as a welcome drink for guests, or placed in lounges or on buffets.
Rex Very official homepage: https://rex-very.com/
A newcomer to HCJ this year, Lusciouz is making a big impression in the glassware sector. The manufacturer has dedicated its booth entirely to exhibiting its decanters, sommelier corkscrew knifes, and its pre-release “HOTARU” line of crystal wine glasses. “Hotaru” is the Japanese word for “firefly,” which denotes the glasses’ signature characteristic: their glowing stems. When a HOTARU glass is placed under a spotlight, the stem becomes a luminous beam that is striking to behold. Each glass is meticulously hand-crafted and stands out remarkably in bar or restaurant settings.
Lusciouz is a division of Fukuoka-based Adaptrend Co., Ltd., the distributor of the well-known “Shogun Candy” Japanese snack boxes, which have become widely popular internationally. CEO Akimasa Okazaki elaborated that at this point, Shogun Candy has accumulated the highest number of reviews for Japanese goods on US Amazon. He hopes that unveiling Lusciouz products will allow them to also gain traction in Tokyo as the company works toward a full release.
Lusciouz official homepage: https://lusciouz.jp/
In addition to products, services are playing a prominent role in the exhibition as well. Pasona Group Inc. is introducing its Avatar Work Service, employing an animated avatar staff member to assist customers. A Pasona Group operator controls the avatar remotely in order to check in visitors at hotel reception desk, answer inquiries at an information booth, or fills in for any number of other roles. Avatar Solution Team Member Mari Fujimoto explained that since one operator can act as multiple avatars at one time, the service is critical in mitigating the stresses caused in light of recent labor shortages. The Avatar Work Service also offers personnel training and career counseling for employees who may find it easier to discuss more openly with an avatar.
Pasona Group official homepage: https://avatarwork.pasonagroup.co.jp/
Custom art solutions provider K ART Corp. is offering interior design for commercial facilities based around creating the optimal art to “harmonize” with their spaces. From total design consulting of an entire interior concept from scratch, to implementing art installations that complement company branding, K ART has solutions for every situation. At HCJ 2025, the company’s art gallery has created an interior design space that allows visitors to immerse themselves firsthand into the harmony that their art provides.
K ART official homepage: https://k-art-tokyo.com/
HCJ 2025 – HoteRes Japan, Caterex Japan, and the Japan Food Service Equipment Show will continue until Friday, February 7 at the Tokyo Big Sight. Admission is free for all industry professionals with pre-registration.
