Although hot days continued into September, many events are being held as we head into autumn.
The Akagome Festa, held every year in mid-September in Soja City, is an outdoor music event that began in 2016 at the invitation of singer Aikawa Nanase, who serves as an ambassador for red rice.
I finally got the chance to attend for the first time.
Here is a report centered on the outdoor concert, featuring a stellar lineup on a long early-autumn evening.
The information presented here is current as of when this article was published in October 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Akagome Festa 2024
Akagome Festa 2024 was held on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at the south plaza of Bichu Kokubun-ji Temple.
To enter, you need an Akagome Festa 2024 tenugui.
You can get one at designated locations (such as Soja City Hall and Sun Road Kibiji) by making a charitable donation of 3,000 yen per tenugui.
Shuttle buses ran from temporary parking lots and JR Soja Station to the venue on the day.
Please see the image below for details.
Getting to the venue and what happened before the show
I arrived at the temporary parking lot (Yamate Elementary School) just before 3 p.m. From there, I took a shuttle bus to the venue.
After about five minutes on the bus, we arrived at the bus stop near the venue. From there, we walked past Bichu Kokubun-ji Temple to the venue.
There were also what appeared to be bamboo light displays along the road. Looking forward to seeing them on the way back.
I arrived at the venue shortly after 3 p.m. Many people were already lined up waiting to enter.
Red rice paddies stretched out around the venue, and many people took photos of the red ears of rice hanging heavy, with the five-story pagoda of Bichu Kokubun-ji Temple in the background.
At 4 p.m., the gates opened.
Holding their tenugui, which served as their tickets, people spread out leisure sheets and claimed spots wherever they liked.
The area near the stage was reserved for leisure sheets, while the raised area behind it had folding-chair seating. According to the organizers, about 2,000 people attended.
My seat was about five rows from the stage, and I was able to enjoy a very immersive performance from close up.
About the concert
This year, the following four singers gave wonderful performances.
- May J.
- Aikawa Nanase
- Hitoto Yo
- Tendo Yoshimi
Founder Aikawa Nanase performed alongside the songstresses who came together through their connection with her. They are all singers who defined the Heisei era, and the audience was thrilled by their signature songs, all of which everyone had heard before.
Photography was prohibited during the performances, so I can’t include any photos, but the performance has been posted on social media by Soja City Mayor Kataoka and the performers. If you’re interested, take a look.
I was also struck by how much Soja City Mayor Kataoka enjoyed the event, both as an organizer and as an audience member.
Akagome Festa. This song really moved me. Hitoto Yo. pic.twitter.com/NMTCfyTRAc
— Soichi Kataoka, Mayor of Soja City, Okayama Prefecture (@souichikataoka) September 15, 2024
Food and drink stalls
Various dishes made with red rice were available at the food stalls beside the venue.
I also bought a red rice mapo tofu bowl and a red rice burger to fill up before the concert. They were made with mixed-grain rice, a blend of white rice and red rice. They tasted perfectly natural.
It was a hot day, so chilled pineapple and drinks were also selling well.
Red rice and Soja City
Red rice rituals have been passed down in three places across Japan: Tsushima City in Nagasaki Prefecture, Minamitane Town in Kagoshima Prefecture, and Soja City in Okayama Prefecture.
As mentioned at the beginning, Aikawa Nanase has served as a bridge, and exchange among these three municipalities has continued to this day.
This time, Mayor Kozono came as a guest of honor from Minamitane Town, home to the Tanegashima Space Center.
Apparently, Tendo Yoshimi was invited to perform because she serves as a “Tonmi Ambassador,” a goodwill ambassador for the town.
From the Writer
The concert, which lasted about two and a half hours, came to a close amid great success.
On the way back, now that night had fallen, the five-story pagoda of Bichu Kokubun-ji Temple was also illuminated, revealing its fantastical appearance.
The bamboo lights we spotted on the way in also gently lit our way back.
In 2013, we planted red rice in the paddy in front of this venue to pass its culture on to future generations. Eleven years have passed since then. The “red rice circle”—including this year’s Red Rice Festa and the exchange among the three cities and towns mentioned above, as well as the passing on of red rice culture—seems to have borne abundant fruit.
The proceeds from this event will be donated to support red rice through the Hikarino Mi Fund and to the Red Rice Children’s Exchange, and will be used to support exchange related to red rice.
As Aikawa Nanase also spoke about through this initiative, efforts to protect local cultures like these will become increasingly important in the future, as population decline in rural areas and the concentration of people in Tokyo are pointed out.
Thank you for holding such a wonderful event. We hope red rice culture will continue for many years to come, and look forward to next year’s event.
Red Rice Festa 2024 Information
| Name | Red Rice Festa 2024 |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, September 15, 2024 Doors open: 4:00 p.m. Event begins: 5:00 p.m. |
| Location | 1046 Kamibayashi, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture (South Plaza of Bichu Kokubun-ji Temple) |
| Admission | A tenugui is required for admission A charitable donation of ¥3,000 is required for each tenugui |
| Website | Red Rice Festa |
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