Japan Festival

Name

Japan Festival

Legal name

Japan Matsuri Association

Website

https://japanmatsuri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Festival Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage & Traditional Festivals (Folk, Ethnic, Indigenous) (MPAGAEAB), Festival, Fair & Event Mobile Concessions (THAFAHAI)

Keywords

• Cultural festival events
• Japanese culture events
• Non-profit cultural events
• Community event management
• Festival ticketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellinzona

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The festival generates revenue through sale of single-day and two-day passes to attendees. Tickets can be purchased online in advance or at the door on the day of the event.
2. Exhibitor Spaces: Commercial exhibitors, street food vendors, and artist alley participants pay fees to have booths at the festival.
3. Workshop Fees: Various workshops (cooking classes, art workshops, etc.) generate fees ranging from free to CHF 30 per session.
4. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors (Auto-Chiesa, Raiffeisen, Nintendo, etc.) provide financial and in-kind support in exchange for brand visibility.
5. Kimono Rental: Kimono rental service with dressing assistance available for CHF 15 dressing plus CHF 5 per 30 minutes rental.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Japan Matsuri is a Swiss non-profit association that organizes an annual two-day Japanese cultural festival at Padiglione Espocentro in Bellinzona, Switzerland. The festival sells single-day and two-day passes granting access to the event grounds, where attendees can also purchase street food, attend cultural workshops, rent kimonos, participate in cosplay contests, play in a gaming area, and watch live performances. A portion of festival proceeds supports the Sendai Rainbow House charity for orphans of the 2011 Japan earthquake.

Product overview

Japan Matsuri is a two-day Japanese cultural festival held annually in Bellinzona, Switzerland. The festival offers a unified portfolio of products and services centered around Japanese culture immersion, combining festival admission (single-day and two-day passes) with cultural workshops (Sumi-e, origami, ikebana, bonsai, sake tasting, martial arts, and culinary classes), street food offerings, traditional kimono rental, gaming areas with video and board games, competitive cosplay contests, vendor exhibitor spaces, live shows and concerts, and organized tournaments (Magic: The Gathering). The core experience is built around the intersection of traditional Japanese arts and modern pop culture, providing visitors with a comprehensive 360-degree immersion into Japanese traditions, cuisine, and entertainment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival Tickets Single-day and two-day passes granting access to the Japan Matsuri festival in Bellinzona, Switzerland, for general public visitors of all ages.
• Cultural Workshops

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Auto-Chiesa SAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive company serving as a sponsor of the Japan Matsuri festival.
• RaiffeisenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional Swiss bank serving as a sponsor of the festival.
• NintendocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor gaming company providing sponsorship and presence at the gaming area of the festival.
• EspocentrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe festival venue provider, located in Bellinzona, hosting the main event.
• Japanese Embassy in SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner providing official support for the cultural festival celebrating Japanese culture.
• Bellinzona MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government host partner providing support and institutional backing for the event.
• RSI (Radiotelevisione Svizzera di Lingua Italiana)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss public broadcaster serving as a media partner, providing coverage and promotion.
• FoodexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese food importer and specialist conducting sake tastings and workshops at the festival.
• MYOKO (Swiss School of Illustration and Manga)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss manga school providing prizes for the cosplay contest and promotional offers for workshop participants.
• Officine di GiacopominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkshop provider collaborating with Japan Matsuri on cosplay contest prizes.
• Association LotusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit Magic: The Gathering tournament organizer based in Ticino since 2017, organizing Modern tournaments at the festival.
• ASHINAGA (Sendai Rainbow House)coreOthersCharitable organization benefiting from festival proceeds. Japan Matsuri supports the Sendai Rainbow House project which builds houses to host children who lost parents after the 3/11 disaster.
• Bonsai Club TicinominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTicino bonsai enthusiasts association founded in 1986, conducting demonstrations at the festival.
• Camelia ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organization providing workshops on traditional arts including Shodo (calligraphy) and Neko mask painting.
• Shintai-Karate DominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarate school based in Lugano, member of JKS (Japan Karate Shintai Federation), conducting karate presentations and workshops.
• JKS (Japan Karate Shintai Federation)minorOthersJapanese karate federation based in Tokyo, founded in 2000 by Master Asai Tetsuhiko. Shintai-Karate Do is an active member.
• Takara Shuzo / ShirakabeguraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese brewery founded in 1954 in Nada, producing sake, shochu and liqueurs. Their products are featured in sake tasting workshops.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hyper Japan: Hyper Japan is a UK-based Japanese culture festival covering food, fashion, music, anime, and traditional culture, with ticketed entry and corporate sponsorships. It is a direct European peer operating a similar multi-stream cultural festival model.
• Japan Expo: Japan Expo is the largest Japanese cultural festival in Europe, held annually in Paris. It is the closest direct peer to Japan Matsuri, covering a comparable mix of traditional Japanese arts, anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese food, but at substantially greater scale (typically 250,000+ visitors).
• Japan Weekend: Japan Weekend is a Spanish touring Japanese cultural event held in Madrid and other cities. It offers a comparable mix of manga, anime, cosplay, and Japanese food stalls, making it a directly comparable regional peer with a similar community-driven festival model.
• Japan Film Festival Hamburg: Japan Film Festival Hamburg is a German cultural festival focused on Japanese cinema and culture. While narrower (film-focused), it shares the institutional, embassy-endorsed cultural festival positioning that Japan Matsuri has built with the Japanese Embassy in Switzerland.
• Saboten Con: Saboten Con is a US-based Japanese culture and anime convention held in Phoenix. It operates a similar model combining cultural programming, cosplay contests, vendor halls, and workshops, making it a directly comparable peer in the Japanese cultural festival niche.

Broad incumbents

• Anime Expo: Anime Expo is one of the largest North American anime conventions, held annually in Los Angeles with 100,000+ attendees. While focused more narrowly on anime/manga than Japan Matsuri's broader cultural scope, it serves a substantially overlapping pop culture audience with similar sponsorship and ticketing economics.
• MCM Comic Con: MCM Comic Con is a UK-based broad pop culture convention series with significant overlap in audience (cosplay, anime, gaming). It operates at much larger scale and broader scope, but competes for the same enthusiast and sponsorship segments in Europe.

Regional players

• Fête de la Musique (Swiss editions): Fête de la Musique is a broad cultural music festival with Swiss editions that competes for sponsorship, volunteer time, and summer audience share in Switzerland. While not Japanese-focused, it is a relevant regional peer for cultural festival logistics and corporate sponsorship competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@japanmatsuri5751
• Facebookfacebook.com/JapanMatsuriTicino
• Instagraminstagram.com/japanmatsuri
• Xx.com/JapanMatsuriTI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nippon-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan Festival