Sierra Resort Hotels Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Yuzawa Town, Minamiuonuma District, Niigata Prefecture, Representative Director: Reina Tomihara) will hold "Next Shinshu 2026" (read: nekusuto shinshu), a culinary festival where chefs with roots in Shinshu will collaborate across genres, on July 7, 2026 (Tue) at Hotel Sierra Resort Hakuba. This event is positioned as a sponsored event by Nagano Prefecture and a related event of the "Shinshu Destination Campaign Pre-Campaign." Under the concept of "Gastronomy for Tomorrow [Shinshu's Food Culture, for the Next Generation]," this event is a one-night-only collaboration dinner event where chefs inspired by Shinshu's rich climate and seasons will create a special course looking towards the future. It has garnered an even greater response than the first event held on June 30, 2025. This year, the recruitment capacity of 100 people was fully booked immediately after reservations opened. The hastily added slots were also quickly filled, and we currently have 136 applicants, with general participation applications now closed. This year, we welcome three new members, including Japan's leading Italian chef, Koji Kobayashi (Folliolina della Porta Fortuna, Karuizawa Town), bringing the total to 11 chefs who will challenge new expressions of Shinshu gastronomy in Hakuba, a location drawing global attention. ■ About "Next Shinshu 2026" A one-night-only collaboration dinner where ingredients nurtured by Shinshu's nature meet the skills and sensibilities of chefs with roots in Shinshu. Chefs embodying the "now" of the culinary world will create a special course looking towards the future, inspired by the land's climate and seasons. On the stage will be carefully selected ingredients nurtured by Shinshu's climate, delivered for this special occasion. Based on tradition, with a touch of innovation – Enjoy a new expression of Shinshu gastronomy, found nowhere else, in the globally-watched land of Hakuba. ■ About the Course Composition Sushi