Japan Pavilion Lands at NRA Show, America's Biggest Restaurant Trade FairA · FULL TRANSLATION
- The NRA Show drew about 2,300 exhibitors to Chicago's McCormick Place May 16-19
- JETRO ran a Japan Pavilion showcasing Japanese food products
- The US is one of the largest markets for Japan's record food exports
- B2B trade fairs are the engine behind matcha, sake and wagyu channel growth
Japan's food export machine runs on trade-show floors: at the NRA Show in Chicago - America's biggest restaurant industry fair with some 2,300 exhibitors - JETRO again staged a Japan Pavilion to put Japanese foods in front of US buyers. Context matters: Japan's agri-food exports keep setting records with the US among the top markets, and North America's matcha boom or sake's expansion did not happen organically - they were built deal by deal with distributors at fairs like this. For small Japanese producers, the pavilion is a low-cost beachhead into an otherwise unaffordable market. Watch whether food exports to the US set another record this fiscal year.
(Summary, JETRO Chicago, June 8, 2026) The National Restaurant Association held the NRA Show, America's largest restaurant and food trade fair, May 16-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, with about 2,300 US and international exhibitors spanning food, beverages, kitchen equipment, tableware, POS and payment IT, and packaging. JETRO operated a Japan Pavilion exhibiting and promoting Japanese food products, helping Japanese companies connect with US wholesalers and restaurant channels.