The 5th Utsunomiya Gyoza Festival in YOKOHAMA Also promoting the new movie "Gyoza You Can Kiss"

The "5th Utsunomiya Gyoza Festival in YOKOHAMA" (Organized by Shimotsuke Shimbun, Co-sponsored by Utsunomiya Gyoza Association) was held for three days from April 20th to 22nd at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Event Plaza in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The event brought together 16 popular shops from Utsunomiya, the city of gyoza, allowing visitors to enjoy each shop's signature flavors, including grilled gyoza, fried gyoza, and boiled gyoza. Known as a gyoza festival attracting over 150,000 visitors annually, this marked its fifth iteration since its start in 2014.

On the opening day, an opening event was held on the special stage. Akihiro Suzuki, Director and Secretary General of the Utsunomiya Gyoza Association, greeted the crowd, stating, "Last year, 156,000 people attended, and many enjoyed themselves. For these three days, the quality here at this venue surpasses even Utsunomiya itself."

Food blogger Foreign Deb Hashii, serving as the cheerleader, shared that during his visit to Utsunomiya, he visited 12 gyoza restaurants in a row. He expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "Visiting gyoza restaurants in Utsunomiya takes time, but this venue is great because all the shops are gathered here. Just like last year, I plan to visit every shop, and I'm looking forward to seeing how many rounds I can do."

Yuki Tamura from the Japanese entertainment group, singer group, and local male idol group "BOYS AND MEN"—composed of male members from or residing in the Tokai region—rushed to the venue. Tamura stars in the romantic comedy film "Kissable Gyoza," set in Utsunomiya.

"While filming in Utsunomiya, I ate nothing but gyoza. That made me fall in love with Utsunomiya gyoza, and now other gyoza just don't satisfy me," he revealed, confessing his newfound status as a Utsunomiya gyoza fan. "Today, I plan to eat gyoza from every single shop here, and riding that momentum, I want to become the Gyoza Ambassador!" he declared emphatically.

Representatives from the 16 participating shops then took turns greeting the crowd, and a countdown was held just before the 3 PM start. At the signal, all shops began selling gyoza. Visitors made their way around to their desired shops, buying gyoza and savoring every bite.

The movie "Kissable Gyoza" will have an advance roadshow in Tochigi Prefecture starting June 15th, followed by a nationwide release starting June 22nd.

Official Website: http://kiss-gyo.jp/