Kikkoman Trading Asia Pte Ltd Participates in Malaysia’s Japanese Cultural Event : Bon Odori 2025

August 5, 2025

From July 12 to 13, Kikkoman Trading Asia Pte Ltd (KTA), the Kikkoman Group’s soy sauce sales base in Southeast Asia, participated in Bon Odori 2025, Malaysia’s largest Japanese cultural event, held in Kuala Lumpur.

The ‘Bon Odori’ first began in 1977 with the aim of allowing Japanese children living in Malaysia to experience Japanese culture, and marks its 49th anniversary in 2025. Today, the festival has grown into one of the country’s largest Japan–Malaysia friendship events, attracting over 30,000 visitors annually. It is also recognized as one of the largest Bon Odori festivals in the world. KTA views this event, where many people with a strong interest in Japanese culture gather, as a valuable opportunity to introduce the Kikkoman brand to a wide range of potential customers at once, and has been participating since 2024.

The event was held in front of the Sunway Resort Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, where many visitors gathered around a central stage to enjoy traditional Japanese Bon Odori dancing. Dynamic live performances, including powerful taiko drumming, were showcased. The venue also featured food stalls offering takoyaki (Japanese grilled octopus balls), sweets, and booths introducing various aspects of Japanese culture.
KTA provided oden (Japanese hot pot) and soymilk to attendees. To suit the local Malaysian preference for spicy flavors like tom yum, two types of oden were offered: a standard version and a spicy version. At the soymilk booth, beverages containing grass jelly were served.
The event was a success, attracting approximately 50,000 visitors over the two days.

Reflecting on the event, a KTA representative commented, “We are truly grateful to everyone who visited the Kikkoman booth at Bon Odori 2025. Thanks to their support, our special oden corner, featuring Kikkoman’s halal tsuyu (soup base), was a huge hit. It was a joy for our staff to see so many smiling faces and hear people say ‘delicious!’ as they enjoyed the food we had wholeheartedly prepared.”

KTA will continue working to further expand the presence of the Kikkoman brand across Southeast Asia by participating in a variety of events, including those that promote Japanese culture.