Yokohama Fishing Fest 2025 and Following Japanese Shows

Yokohama Fishing Fest (called Yokohama Fishing Festival until last year) is the fishing exhibition show, displaying the new products to the users for the earliest timing of the season. It attracts not only the domestic users but also the visitors from foreign countries. This year, it was held from 17th until 19th of January, in an exhibition hall, Pacifico Yokohama.

In this blog, I would like to show this exhibition from the Japanese media exposures and some background information. At the end there is information about other shows in Japan to be held in this spring.

Firstly, the below is the TV coverage, introduced by Yahoo news (probably not possible to view in the EU region). It was broadcasted by the TV station, TV Kanagawa.

Link to the news site

For those who are in the EU region, below is the general introduction about the show on YouTube channel.

Link to the YouTube video is here.

Background of the show

This Yokohama Fishing Fest was hosting 228 exhibitors, and expected over 35 thousand people during three days of the event. This event was organized by JAFTMA, Japanese Association of Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association. This is one of the three major leisure fishing associations, JSF (Japan Sportfishing Association) and Osaka Fishing Tackle Cooperative Association (which runs the Osaka fishing show.) 

This show is organized by the “Manufactures Association” and the original concept of the show is to exhibit new products. It was started in the middle of the peaking era of the fishing market in Japan, in the middle of the 1990’s. Reflecting Japan's biggest market is around Tokyo and the Kanto region, since this show started in 1995, it has been held in Chiba prefecture. Since 2005, this show has been taking place in Yokohama, south east of Tokyo central.  The number of visitors was around 55 thousand visitors in 2008. And it gradually reduces the numbers of visitors in coordination with the market situation (for the market size, you can check this blog article.) This 2025 show is expecting around 35 thousand people.

For those who want to see the official information about 2008, you can check this PDF (in Japanese.) For your information the JAFTMA’s report about 2024 can be viewed here.

What are in the show

One of the big topics is the new product launch. Every year, two Japanese fishing tackle giants, Daiwa and Shimano, introduce something new there. Since this show is the earliest timing that users can see and touch these new products globally, these new products are attracting the users all around the world.

In this year’s show, Daiwa is launching new Saltiga spinning reels, on one side. 

And on the other side, Shimano is introducing the new Stella SW reels. 

There are many more new products from various brands. You can briefly zap the new products from these YouTube videos.

Videos from Lure Magazine

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

In addition to exhibitions about products, there are some cultural aspects of fishing in the show. There is an artificial fishing pool for children to enjoy fishing.

And there is a small shrine for anyone to wish for their big success in this year’s fishing.

There is a booth to show the Japanese traditional rods. The below is the photo of the booth of rod builders in Kishu (or Kii) region.

Your destination; Fishing shows in Japan

For angling enthusiasts, this Fishing Fest is one of the big destinations in Japan. 

There are other shows happening from February to April around Japan. Except for the show to be held in Osaka from 31st January to 2nd February 2025, the size of each show is not as big as Yokohama. However you can see and touch the key new products in the shows below, in the order of the size or the importance.

• Osaka Fishing Show (Osaka, from 31st Jan to 2nd Feb, 2025)
• The Keep Cast (Nagoya, 8th and 9th Mar, 2025)
• East Japan Fishing Show (website Japanese only, Fukuoka, 15th and 16th Mar, 2025, held by retail chain/wholesaler Takamiya)
• Niigata Fishing Show (website Japanese only, Niigata, 15th and 16th Feb, 2025, held by retail chain Fishers)
• Fishing Show in Tohoku (website Japanese only, Miyagi, 30th and 31st Mar, 2025, held by retail chain Casting)
• Yamagata Fishing Show (website Japanese only, Yamagata, 23rd Mar, 2025, held by retail chain Joshuya)