NoMaps 2025, an urban festival that unfolds throughout Sapporo with events transcending genres like business, technology, culture, and urban development, will be held from September 10 (Wed) to 14 (Sun). Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the festival will feature 15 categories with over 200 programs. More than 300 guests from Japan and abroad will gather in Sapporo for talks, experiences, and networking opportunities that will pave the way for the future.

Launched in 2016, NoMaps is an urban festival held in Sapporo with the mission to "carve out uncharted territories." It has been a place where technology, entertainment, and creativity intersect to create new value and encounters. This year's theme is "LOSS LESS FUTURE." Numerous genre-less events will be held to encourage a curiosity that finds the world interesting.

NoMaps covers a very wide range of themes. There are a total of 15 categories, including "WELLNESS," which makes health more fun and accessible; "CONFERENCE," featuring distinguished guests like former Japan national soccer team coach Takeshi Okada and Hiroyuki; and "SPORTS," held in the Odori pedestrian paradise. In 2025, new categories like "FOOD," which explores the future of food, and "SUPER WELFARE," which puts minorities, including people with disabilities, in the spotlight, will be introduced, expanding the festival's scale even further.

Here, we introduce all the categories and their respective highlights!

The CONFERENCE, which invites distinguished guests every year and boasts an overwhelming number of sessions, will be held on its largest scale ever in 2025. Approximately 150 esteemed guests, including former Japan national soccer team coach Takeshi Okada and Hiroe Imai of Shiro Co., Ltd., known for the cosmetic brand SHIRO, will participate in about 50 talk sessions over two days. It's a rare chance to hear directly from leaders and creators at the forefront of change.

The "WELLNESS" category, newly established in 2024 and well-received, is back. You can discover and experience new services and initiatives that make health more fun and accessible at exhibitions in Chi-Ka-Ho and the Odori pedestrian paradise. Talk guests include So Takei, known as the "King of All Beasts," and Michiya Tanimoto from Juntendo University, famous for his muscle exercises, who will explore this year's theme, "Let's Start Because It's a Hassle!"

The pedestrian paradise in Sapporo's Odori area on Saturday and Sunday will be packed with sports experience booths featuring athletes and performers! Events include the popular "T-Rex Race" from 2024, a volleyball experience with the Hokkaido Yellow Stars, and the "Red Bull Road Gap" skateboarding best trick contest.

The "FOOD" category, making its debut in 2025 at the Air Water Forest, aims to promote Hokkaido and Sapporo to the world as a "leading region for food." It will feature talks by distinguished guests from the forefront of food tech, dining, and primary industries, as well as food tastings, a market, and exhibitions.

Top runners in solving social issues from both within and outside Hokkaido will gather for meet-ups with businesses, government officials, NPOs, and university affiliates, as well as numerous pitch sessions by social entrepreneurs. The event aims to deepen learning and collaboration, leading to the creation and acceleration of new projects.

"EDU" brings together people involved in education in various forms from all over Japan, from teachers to high school and university students. Sessions will discuss practical applications and the latest trends in education, and meet-ups will be held that transcend positions and age groups.

With the need for public-private partnerships gaining more attention, this new category launches at NoMaps 2025. Over two days, workshops on public-private partnerships and sessions introducing advanced case studies will be held, primarily for municipal employees to learn about collaboration between the public and private sectors.

From Hokkaido to the world! This category presents global topics, which can often seem daunting, in an enjoyable way. Sessions include one exploring hints for urban development from Taiwanese culture, featuring guests like night market researcher Masaya Sanmonji, who appeared on the TV show "Matsuko's Unknown World."

A category for executives debuts in 2025. In collaboration with the economic media "REAL VALUE," special sessions will be held featuring speakers like Yuji Mizoguchi. Hokkaido companies and business leaders from outside the prefecture will connect to generate new business ideas.

This category also makes its debut in 2025. Centered on AI, it brings together everyone from children to adults, and from engineers to beginners, to explore the forefront of AI. Activities include an experience of the generative AI battle game "AI Chat Monster Battle," which was also featured at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

Aiming for a society where minorities, including people with disabilities, are looked upon with admiration, the "SUPER WELFARE" category also debuts in 2025. The exhibition will feature products with cool designs and technology that you'll want to try, while the symposium will feature presenters from Tokyo and Sapporo who are breaking the mold of traditional welfare.

The U35 generation (ages 22-35) from Hokkaido and across Japan will gather for a variety of cross-disciplinary sessions and pitches. It's a showcase of lifestyles and work styles for the U35 generation in Hokkaido and nationwide.

In the "STUDENTS" category, university students take the lead in planning and managing their own events. Practical, problem-solving-based learning sessions will be held.

The "KIDS" category offers safe and enjoyable fun for parents and children, featuring the "Kodomo Flea Market" where kids can learn while playing, the "Osagari Kururin" where you can take home as many hand-me-downs as you can fit in a bag, participatory art experience booths, and "Hoiku Talk" sessions to discuss the joys of childcare and education.

Meet-ups are where people connect and chemical reactions happen. The official meet-up, "NoMaps Meeeeeeeet!!," will be held on September 11 (Thu) and 12 (Fri) at SAPPORO STREAM HOTEL on the 7th floor of COCONO SUSUKINO, and on September 13 (Sat) at the urban culture farm "anaBa."

In addition to the main NoMaps categories, many other exciting events are taking place! We'll highlight a few, including "NoMaps Future Theater," a fusion of puppet art and cutting-edge AI; the "Inter-company Karaoke Championship" hosted by Pierre Taki and others; and "anaBa," a public space that suddenly appeared in central Sapporo.

A special performance combining puppet art using puppets, masks, and shadow play with cutting-edge AI generation technology. The puppet art is handled by Czech-based puppeteer Noriyuki Sawa, and the AI by CG director and generative AI artist Aoki David. It's sure to be a groundbreaking collaboration unlike anything you've seen before.

The "Inter-company Karaoke Championship," which started in June 2023 as original YouTube content under the slogan "Connecting Japan's Future with a Microphone," is coming to Sapporo for the first time. The event will feature comedian Tamabukuro Sujitaro, founder and chairman of the All Japan Snack Federation, and Pierre Taki of Denki Groove. The host is freelance announcer Yukari Oshima.

On September 13 (Sat), 2025, an urban culture farm will be born on the former site of the Hokkaido Building in Sapporo. With the theme of "Agriculture and Art," it will feature an urban farm, local food experiences, art exhibitions, a multi-purpose stage, and a lawn area. Pop-up stores will include "Neapolitan Pizza Baked in a New Kiln" from Onuma Ryuzan Farm Paard Musée and the popular Tokyo donut shop "HIGUMA Doughnuts." The official NoMaps meet-up event "NoMaps Meeeeeeeet!!" will also be held here on September 13 (Sat).

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, "NoMaps 2025" is an urban festival that offers a diverse range of future experiences across the entire city of Sapporo. This year, it has evolved even further with new categories including AI, food, executives, and welfare. It's five days to think about, encounter, and enjoy the future. Why not come and explore the city of Sapporo?