JR Kyoto Isetan will be holding its fourth annual "Bread Festival" from February 28th to March 5th. This must-see event in Kyoto, a city with one of the highest bread consumption rates, brings together popular brands from the Kansai region and trending shops from Tokyo.


Signifiant Signifie, a popular brand created by chef Katsuei Shiga, a baker known to bread lovers and artisans alike since its opening in Setagaya, Tokyo in 2006, will be making its first appearance at the festival. North Shore in Osaka will be selling sandwiches packed with vegetables, while Bäckerei Berkeo in Kyoto will be selling authentic pretzels made by a female chef who trained in Germany. And Pain de Sange in Osaka will be offering a skipping-pile-shaped loaf of bread, packed with the unique ideas of a former designer.


In addition, the bread special featuring matcha, a Kyoto ingredient, will feature eight types of breads, including those sold exclusively at JR Kyoto Isetan and those available for a limited time only. The lineup will include "Kyoto Matcha Melon Bread" (141 yen) made with Fablan's whole wheat flour, and "Cake Matcha" (324 yen *pre-sale from February 28th to March 2nd) from Patisserie Tatsuhito Satoi, which is made with brown sugar mousse cream and matcha chocolate. There will also be matcha bread from various shops, including Brivory, Handmade Bread Workshop Oo no Mori, Bruges Rakuhoku, Boulangerie Opera, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, and Bakehouse Mer. All of these will be appearing for the first time.

In addition, specialty shops will be offering live demonstrations and sales. Butcher shop Nick will be selling "Roast Beef Cutlet Sandwiches" (8 slices per box, ¥1,620), thickly cut sandwiches made with roast beef slowly cooked at low temperature for a fragrant finish. Other items on offer include the "Mentaiko Butter France" (281 yen) from mentaiko specialty shop THE MENTAI by Fukutaro, which uses plenty of mentaiko in its mentaiko filling, and the "Croissant Waffle Strawberry Raspberry" (570 yen, limited to 100 per day), a limited-edition item topped with fresh strawberries from waffle specialty shop Waffle (570 yen, limited to 100 per day).