From September 12 to 14, 2025, the Breads of the Creative Cities (BoCC) project was presented at the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Tamba-Sasayama International Conference, held in Tamba-Sasayama, Japan. The conference marked the tenth anniversary of the city’s designation as UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art. It gathered representatives from across the network to foster cultural exchange and discuss future creative initiatives.
The Creative Knowledge Foundation was invited to present a dedicated BoCC showcase in the official exhibition, focused on the Japanese cities taking part in the project and their bread-making traditions.
The showcase highlighted how, in Japan, the concept of “bread” can be read through regionally specific ingredients and techniques that differ from wheat-based baking. This inclusive approach reflects the project’s definition of bread as “a culturally significant staple food of a community, made with a local flour and water”, which embraces a range of grain- and flour-based products shaped by local contexts.
A special focus was dedicated to Tamba-Sasayama. There, ingredients such as Tamba Ginyose chestnuts and Tamba Guro black soybeans are used to create distinctive staples, including chestnut rice cakes, yokan and black soybean breads.
The presentation in Tamba-Sasayama confirmed the role of BoCC as a bridge between artisans, researchers and cultural institutions through the shared language of bread.