The quest for Japan’s best breakfast

Breakfast is a very special and unique part of the appeal of a stay in Japan, and thanks to some serious tasting competitions, we are officially one step closer to finding Japan’s best breakfast.

Since 2010, Rakuten Travel’s annual Breakfast Festival has provided a platform for over 32,000 Rakuten Travel lodgings to show off their most delicious breakfast offerings. Last month, breakfast masters from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures gathered in front of Rakuten Crimson House in Tokyo for the second stage of the highly competitive culinary contest.

The first stage of the festival saw the top three hotel breakfasts from each of Japan’s prefectures selected by a combination of Rakuten member votes and Rakuten Travel reviews submitted by guests.

The next stage took place over two days in front of Rakuten Crimson House in October, inviting members of the public to judge offerings from the prefectural winners. Divided into six groups, representatives from each hotel gave a short presentation on the history behind their specialties before serving up a portion for tasting.

Many tasters spent the morning lining up outside of Rakuten’s headquarters for their chance to experience some of the country’s best morning meals. Each judge was presented with a selection of eight breakfasts, which they judged according to presentation, taste and suitability for consumption early in the day.

The dishes on offer featured an astonishing variety of creative morning cuisine, including French toast, miso soup, apple-topped gratin, vegetable sushi, croissants, cheese risotto, steamed buns, roast beef burgers and much, much more.

The eventual winners of stage two proved no less diverse, with a beautifully presented selection of steamed egg hotchpotch, fresh sushi, rice soup, rice porridge, somen galette and spinach chowder winning over the judges’ taste buds.

These champions will advance to the final stage, where they will be judged by a panel of culinary experts including the legendary Iron Chef warrior Toshiro Kandagawa on November 28.

A matter of pride for Rakuten Travel’s hotels

2018 marks the festival’s ninth year. The project began shortly after Travel Business Vice President Yoshiyuki Takano joined the service.

“When I first started working with Rakuten Travel about 10 years ago, I saw how much work the hotels were putting into their breakfast menus,” Takano recalls. “But their hard work was being overlooked by potential guests, who had no way of knowing about it in advance. That’s why we created this prize, to help hotels better market their excellent breakfasts.”

Recognition from the Breakfast Festival can be an important marketing tool for many hotels, and it isn’t uncommon to see the festival logo decorating both Rakuten Travel reservation pages and hotel check-in counters. “Winning that prize definitely helps boost the hotels’ brand image,” commented Takano.

But it isn’t all about winning. “With this festival we have created an offline space where hotels can directly interact with the general public who are judging the festival, like we saw during the second stage,” Takano explains. For online businesses, the chance to interact with potential customers can be a valuable opportunity.

The breakfast champion pool has been narrowed down to just six finalists, and the overall winner is set to be judged tomorrow. Keep an eye out for the Rakuten Travel Breakfast Festival stamp of recognition on your next Japan trip!