Osaka: The sixth Taiwan Plus culture market officially opened for business in Osaka, Japan, marking its return after a six-year hiatus. The event, organized by the Taiwan General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), will be held over two weekends, from August 9-10 and 16-17.

According to Focus Taiwan, GACC decided to host the market in Osaka this year instead of Tokyo to collaborate with the Ministry of Culture’s “We TAIWAN” cultural program, which runs from August 2 to 20. The market welcomed over 3,000 attendees just an hour after its opening at 3 p.m. in Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank.

Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Sue Wang, attended the event and highlighted its role in showcasing Taiwan’s cultural diversity through films and literature. More than 100 Taiwanese brands are participating as exhibitors in this year’s market.

The first weekend features 48 booths, including food stalls from Len Jen Bakery, Shang Shin Select, and Wu Deng Jiang braised pork rice. Various arts and crafts booths display Taiwan’s paper-cutting artworks and ceramics, along with stalls from Taiwanese artists selling merchandise.

A prominent attraction is a booth by the Tourism Administration, offering information on touring Taiwan and interactive games with souvenir prizes. The “We TAIWAN” cultural program’s mascot, “a-We,” proved popular, with merchandise like stuffed toys and gashapons glassware selling out quickly. Daily limited edition collectibles also sold out within an hour.

Next weekend, the market will expand to 60 booths, as stated by GACC Deputy Secretary-General Huang Jing-hui.