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August 2026 — July 2027
Japan calendar
Japanese fairs, trade shows and design events that actually accept foreign exhibitors — in date order, with organisers, official links, how to apply, and how far ahead you need to move.
Dates were checked against organiser announcements in August 2026. Japanese event dates and application terms do change, so confirm with the official site before committing. Every link below goes to the organiser, not to an aggregator.
Part 1 — Trade shows and fairs
In date order
| Dates | Event / organiser | Type | How to apply & lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Aug–5 Sep 2026 |
Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo Japan Fashion Week Organization · Shibuya rakutenfashionweektokyo.com |
Fashion week | Open call for participating brands via the official site, closing roughly 5–6 months ahead. Predominantly Japan-based brands, but overseas designers have shown. A realistic target for a designer already stocked in Japan rather than a cold entry. |
| 14–15 Nov 2026 |
Design Festa Vol. 64 Design Festa Inc. · Tokyo Big Sight designfesta.com/en |
Easiest entry Art & craft | Open submission — no selection committee. Any creator may exhibit original work regardless of nationality. English application form. Booths are inexpensive. Apply roughly 4–6 months ahead; popular booth types sell out. Consumer-facing rather than trade, so treat it as a test of reception and a first Japanese footprint. |
| 24–26 Feb 2027 |
Tokyo International Gift Show Business Guide-Sha, Inc. · Tokyo Big Sight giftshow.co.jp/english |
Trade show | Japan's largest lifestyle and gift trade show — roughly 3,000 exhibitors across about 100,000m². Full English application process and overseas exhibitor sections. Apply 4–5 months ahead. Strictly business-to-business: you take orders, you do not retail. |
| Late May 2027 |
Design Festa Vol. 65 (Spring) Tokyo Big Sight designfesta.com/en |
Art & craft | The spring edition, same open-submission model. Apply 4–6 months ahead. Confirm exact dates on the official site as they are announced. |
| June 2027 |
Interior Lifestyle Tokyo Messe Frankfurt Japan · Tokyo Big Sight messefrankfurt.com |
Best fit for craft Trade show | Interiors, homeware and design products. Around 400 exhibitors from Japan and overseas, run by Messe Frankfurt so the process is familiar to European exhibitors and entirely in English. Apply 4–5 months ahead. For British ceramics, glass, textiles and homeware this is the single best-matched Japanese trade show. |
| Various year-round |
Lifestyle Week (Tokyo & Osaka) RX Japan · Tokyo Big Sight / Intex Osaka lifestyle-expo.jp |
Trade show | A cluster of co-located trade shows covering gift, homeware, tableware, beauty and stationery, running several times a year in Tokyo and Osaka. English application. Apply 4–5 months ahead. Useful if the Gift Show dates do not suit. |
If you have never shown in Japan, the sequence that works is Design Festa first, Interior Lifestyle Tokyo second. Design Festa costs little, admits anyone, and tells you within two days how Japanese visitors respond to your work and your pricing. That answer is what you need before spending on a trade show stand — and the photographs you come away with make the trade show application considerably stronger.
Part 2 — The invisible route
Department store
exhibitions.
This is the part of the Japanese market that foreign makers almost never find, and it is frequently the most commercially productive of the lot.
Major Japanese department stores — Isetan Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, Daimaru Matsuzakaya, Hankyu Hanshin and others — operate continuous programmes of one- and two-week exhibitions on dedicated gallery and event floors. A ceramicist shows for eight days, sells directly to a large and well-disposed audience, and leaves. Then the next maker moves in.
They are commercially serious. They are extremely well attended. And they are almost entirely invisible from outside Japan, because they are scheduled internally, advertised in Japanese, and booked through buyers rather than through any public application process.
What it takes
- An introduction to the relevant buyer. There is no form to fill in.
- Scheduling six to twelve months ahead. Floors are planned a long way out.
- Enough stock to hold a space for a week or two and to restock if it sells.
- Presence, usually. Japanese customers at these events expect to meet the maker, and sales reflect it.
This is precisely the kind of thing an introduction is for, and it is a large part of why we exist.
Part 3 — Practicalities
Three things that catch people out
Bringing samples that return home and bringing stock that will be sold are completely different customs positions. An ATA Carnet covers temporary import and avoids duty and consumption tax, but the goods must leave again. Selling means permanent import, with duty and 10% consumption tax payable. Decide before you book anything.
Quote in yen, and quote a price that survives the whole chain. Shipping, duty, consumption tax and a retailer margin will land your work at a multiple of your UK retail price. Japanese buyers are not price-averse, but they are extremely sensitive to a price with no visible justification.
Say what you mean and then meet it. Japanese trade practice treats a stated delivery date as a commitment rather than an estimate, and a first missed date is very difficult to recover from. Quote conservatively and deliver early.
Questions people ask
Short, direct answers to the questions this reliably raises.
Which Japanese trade shows accept foreign exhibitors?
Most of the major ones do, and several run dedicated overseas pavilions. Tokyo International Gift Show, Interior Lifestyle Tokyo and Lifestyle Week all have English-language application processes and international exhibitor sections. Design Festa is open-submission with no selection committee at all, which makes it the easiest entry point for an individual artist.
How far in advance do I need to apply to a Japanese trade show?
Four to five months before the event for most trade shows, and the better stand positions are allocated well before the formal deadline. Department store exhibition programmes are scheduled six to twelve months ahead. Applying late is the single most common reason foreign makers miss a season in Japan.
What is Design Festa and is it worth doing?
Design Festa is a twice-yearly art and craft fair at Tokyo Big Sight operating on an open-submission model — any creator can exhibit original work without passing a selection committee, regardless of nationality. Booths are inexpensive and the audience is enormous. It is not a trade show and buyers are not the primary audience, but as a first physical presence in Japan and a way to test how work is received, it is unmatched for the money.
Can I sell directly at a Japanese trade show?
It depends on the event. Trade shows such as the Tokyo International Gift Show are business-to-business and are about taking orders rather than retail sales. Consumer-facing events such as Design Festa allow direct sales. If you intend to sell, the goods must be permanently imported with duty and consumption tax paid, which is a different customs position from bringing samples under an ATA Carnet.
Do I have to attend in person?
For trade shows, effectively yes — Japanese buyers expect to meet the maker, and an unattended stand performs very poorly. For department store exhibitions and gallery shows, attendance is strongly preferred but not always mandatory, and we can represent you on the ground where the format allows it.
Get in touch
Which one is right for your work?
Send a link to what you make and we will tell you which of these is realistic, in what order, and what it would cost. No charge for that conversation.