Japan embraces We’re Smart World with strong growth and two impactful events
Japan is a fast growing country for the Green Guide & We’re Smart World movement evolving from 47 restaurants in 2023 to 80 by the end of the year 2025. During our trip to Japan, Frank & Gil, where joined by Henk de Bruin who already lives for more then 30 years in Japan, and who’s is our We’re Smart ambassador for Japan. Also 3 remarkable 5 Radishes Chefs joined us: Keiko Kuwakino (Sanaburi, Japan), Lieven (restaurant 't Aards Paradijs, Belgium) & Emile van der Staak (Restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel, Netherlands) who’s was our NR1 of the world in 2022 & 2023 and proud ambassador as ‘Untouchable’. This was not our first event in Japan but it was for sure our most impactful week because we hosted 2 top events.
On the 9th of June we organised the FUTURE AWARDS at the World Expo 2025 Osaka where we kicked off the Belgian Food & Drinks week together with the CEO of Fevia, the federation of the Belgian food companies, Bart Buysse.
The FUTURE AWARDS honours every year the frontrunners in pure-plant & plant forward. It was a great international mix of winners:
- PRODUCT: Super Brocoli sprouts from Murakami farm (Japan),
- PROJECT: The ‘brooddoos nodig’ action of Enchanté (Belgium),
- MEDIA: Food Inspiration magazine (the Netherlands),
- INNOVATION: Fermented Seaweed ‘Aonoru Shoyi’ from Seaveges (Japan),
- COMMUNICATION: book 'PLANT' from 5 Radishes Chef Emile van der Staak van het Restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel (the Netherlands),
- SPECIAL PROJECT: Fundació Visit València (Spain) & last but not least
- PERSONNALITY: Hein Deprez, Founder & Executive Director van Greenyard.
We want to congratulate ! おめでとう! the winners again for this remarkable achievement:
Hein Deprez, Kiyotaka Murakami, Yuichi Tomohiro, Kim Swyngedouw , Maaike de Reuver, Emile van der Staak, Miguel Angel Perez Alba & Désirée Stenderup. The Award show was follow by a VIP pure plant lunch crafted by 5 Radishes Chefs Keiko & Lieven in the restaurant of the Belgian pavilion in the presence of HRH princess Astrid & prince Lorenz, the General Commissioner of the World Expo and Japanse & Belgian decisontakers in food & drinks.
A few days later, on the 12th of June we hosted in partnership with the leading culinary magazine in Japan, Cuisine Kingdom, an event in the Belgian Embassy in the presence of 125 guest of which more than 60 Japanese top Chefs & 20 members of the press. After the presentation of We’re Smart, a unique debate was hosted & moderated by the Editor in Chief of Cusine Kingdom, Izumi Shibata, around the future of food food & the importance & the respect for the journey of food from the farmers to the Chefs. We closed this beautiful morning in an unique setting by a trade fair where pure plant Japanse producers showcased their products to the Chefs followed by a pure plant walking buffet by Chef Kazuya Iguchi of Toumin in Tokyo.
We got inspired by the pure, esthetic & proud Japanese heritage cuisine and learned a lot during the visit & evaluation of more than 10 unique restaurants from the mountains in Nigata very pure product cuisine to fusions in big cities like Tokyo, Osaka & Kyoto. The Green Guide is growing fast in Japan & the richness in plants (fruits, veggies, flowers, herbs, …) on this 3000 km long island is a source of inspiration. It was a week full of highlights and for that a special thanks to our partners: Fevia, the federation of the Belgian food companies, BelExpo - Belgian Pavilion, FIT - Flanders Investment & Trade & the Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo.
This is a new era starting for our profound relations & partnerships that we’ve built in Japan during the last years. We’ve the ambition to organize another remarkable event in 2026 together with our different partners & ambassadors Chefs so stay tuned and if you’re interested to join us on this remarkable journey don’t hesitate to contact us!
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