December 2019, one year and five months after the July 2018 torrential rains.
The “Aun Festival” was held in December 2019 in the Kawabe district of Mabi, following its inaugural event the previous year (2018).
The Aun Festival was organized by the Kurashiki Junior Chamber, which formed an executive committee out of a desire to bring some cheer to Mabi, Kurashiki City, which had lost its brightness after the July 2018 torrential rains.
For the daytime program in 2019, the Youth Division of the Okayama Prefecture Construction Workers’ Union also set up an event called “Fukkosai 2019: Light,” a place where local residents could unite their hearts as they worked toward recovery.
We report on the winter festival in Mabi, which drew a lively crowd, including people who had moved away from the town!
The information presented was current when this article was published in December 2019. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Aun Festival for Recovery
The Aun Festival for Recovery was planned and run primarily by the Kurashiki Junior Chamber to bring cheer to Mabi, which was damaged by the July 2018 torrential rains.
Its aim was to bring people together by watching the fireworks as one, and give them the energy to continue working toward recovery.
The Kurashiki Junior Chamber is an organization made up of young people aged 20 to 40 who aim to realize “a bright and prosperous society.”
About Fukkosai
In 2019, many people in Mabi were still living in temporary housing. The population had declined, and with fewer lights in town, the community had grown darker than before.
Fukkosai began with the hope that it would be an opportunity for “local children to have fun while experiencing what makes Mabi special.” Bamboo, a local specialty, was used to make bamboo lanterns, bamboo dragonflies, and stilts.
The event was planned with the hope that the “making things” skills of the Okayama Prefecture Construction Workers’ Union Youth Division could once again bring light to the town.
A crowdfunding campaign was launched to give more people a chance to learn about and take an interest in the disaster-stricken area, and funds were raised to hold Fukkosai.
The daytime event was “Fukkosai,” and the evening event was the “Aun Festival.”
Venue and program for “Fukkosai 2019: Light” and “Aun Festival for Recovery 2019”
On December 15, 2019, “Fukkosai 2019: Light” and “Aun Festival for Recovery 2019” were held around Kawabe, Mabi.
There were plenty of booths for children, including free woodworking classes and “recovery handprints,” as well as candy scooping and shooting galleries—fun for parents and children alike!
There were also food stalls serving udon, French fries, curry, and more, drawing a lively crowd.
▼The program was as follows:
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. | Fukkosai opens (woodworking classes, recovery handprints) |
| 3:30 p.m. | Food stalls open |
| 4:00 p.m. | Woodworking classes end |
| 5:00 p.m. | Oedo Tam-sudare |
| 5:32 p.m. | Moment of silence |
| 5:33 p.m. | Organizer’s greeting |
| 5:43 p.m. | Greeting from Mabi representative |
| 5:48 p.m. | Greeting from the Okayama Prefecture Construction Workers’ Union |
| 5:53 p.m. | Greeting from the Mabi-Funao Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division |
| 6:00 p.m. | Fireworks begin |
| 6:30 p.m. | Fireworks end |
Bamboo-themed booths at “Fukkosai 2019: Light”
The road south from Lawson Kurashiki Mabi Kawabe Store toward Kawabejuku Station was closed to all traffic, creating a pedestrian zone.
Tents housing a variety of booths lined the road.
A sign for “Fukkosai 2019: Light” welcomed visitors at the north end.
Members of the Okayama Prefecture Construction Workers’ Union showed people how to make “bamboo lights,” and the children participating worked hard at it.
The words “Let’s do our best, Mabi” expressed hopes for Mabi’s recovery.
The children worked hard to draw illustrations on Japanese paper.
We looked forward to seeing the bamboo lanterns completed and lit up that night.
About 2,000 bamboo lights lined the road at the venue.
Members of the Okayama Prefecture Construction Workers’ Union’s local branches had spent about a month preparing them.
Have you ever played on bamboo stilts?
The children cautiously climbed onto the unfamiliar stilts and earnestly learned how to walk on them.
The bamboo lanterns were completed and lined up alongside the bamboo lights, brightening the venue.
As we walked around the venue, we came across Marby-chan!
Marby-chan, born in 1992, is the official character of the Mabi area, and is modeled on the bamboo shoots for which Mabi is known.
Further south, there were lots of booths with activities to delight children!
The “recovery handprints” were made by arranging handprints of different sizes around the word “pride,” creating a vivid display.
Visitors applied water-based paint, pressed their hands onto the display, washed them, and then moved on to the next booth.
After making a handprint, children could grab a handful of candy!
The children ran happily to their parents with bags full of candy. Their smiles were contagious, and I couldn’t help smiling too.
Colorful handprints surrounded the words “Let’s connect, Mabi” and “Let’s do our best, Mabi,” creating signs that lifted your spirits just by looking at them. They were lined up on the stage.
Food and drink booths, centered on Mabi, offering plenty of warming treats
After 3:30 p.m., the food and drink stalls opened.
Drawn by the delicious aromas, lots of people gathered.
“Saruyа Handmade Udon,” which was closed for business as of December 2019, also had a stall.
Many participants happily slurped steaming-hot udon noodles in soup with a rich dashi broth that warmed them from the inside.
Saruyа Handmade Udon planned to resume serving customers at its shop in 2020.
![[Temporary Location] Saruya Handmade Udon — An udon shop operating from its owner’s home in Mabi, with the goal of returning to “everyday life”](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/23063915/DSC00878-3.jpg)
Disaster relief group Gorilla served drinks such as coffee and cocoa at its “Gorilla Cafe” stall.
A cold wind was blowing on the day of the event, and it was chilly even during the day, so I had a warm “hot cocoa” and warmed up.
“Noraneko Shokudo” also has a stall. It opened in August 2019 in the Kawabe district of Mabi.
![[Closed] Noraneko Shokudo Mabi Branch — Hearty set meals and snacks that go well with drinks, at a welcoming spot where locals gather](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/23043004/DSC08964.jpg)
The spicy “Kaguya Mochi,” made with bamboo shoots from Mabi, is delicious too, but that day I tried “Ryukyu oden.”
The daikon radish was superb, soaked through with dashi broth.
Everything was piping hot and warmed me up even more.
As we filled our stomachs at the food stalls, the sun gradually set, and the evening scenery of Mabi spread out before us.
The sun sank, its orange glow shining along the mountain ridges, and it gradually grew dark.
In fact, the venue for the “Reconstruction Aun Festival” was a place I had visited on a reporting trip about two months earlier, before the rice harvest!
Fireworks will be launched at night over this area, where the rice has been harvested.
“Oedo Tamasudare”: Fun to watch, fun to perform
At 5 p.m., the “Oedo Tamasudare” performance that opened the “Reconstruction Aun Festival 2019” began.
Most members of the “Oedo Tamasudare Chikufukai” group were affected by the torrential rains of July 2018, and reportedly lost both their costumes and their homes.
Thanks to support, they were able to buy new costumes. They now perform “Oedo Tamasudare” in various places, bringing smiles to many people.
The bamboo blinds transform into various shapes to the accompaniment of a song, and the audience claps along.
At the end, several blinds stretched out beautifully, prompting loud applause and cheers.
The roughly 30-minute performance was over in no time, and the deep blue sky spread overhead.
After the performance, a moment of silence was observed for those who died in the torrential rains of July 2018, and the organizers and people from Mabi took the stage to give speeches.
Address by Mabi representative Sato Michihiro
Speaking as a representative of Mabi, Sato Michihiro took the stage and shared his thoughts on the current situation.
“My home and my parents’ home in Yata, Mabi, as well as the company I run, were completely destroyed last year (by the torrential rains of July 2018). The company has been rebuilt, but my home has not yet been rebuilt, and I currently live in temporary housing in Tamashima.
I want to return to Mabi as soon as possible, but that has not yet been possible.
Some people are gradually returning to Mabi, but many places remain vacant lots, and it seems that recovery will still take a long time.
Even now, it seems that nearly 5,000 people are living in temporary or prefabricated housing.
I want to stand alongside the people of Mabi and work toward recovery, one step at a time, helping make Mabi even better than it was before the disaster.”
Bamboo lights and bamboo lanterns
Just before 6 p.m., it was completely dark, and the bamboo lights and lanterns were lit.
Their orange glow sparkled, gently illuminating the venue.
There were lots of bamboo lights at our feet.
They contain candle-shaped LED lights, so they are safe even if knocked over.
We enjoyed the magical atmosphere.
The “bamboo lanterns” made by the children, filled with their heartfelt wishes, were lit.
The heartwarming creations made passersby stop and take a good look.
Winter fireworks light up the night sky over Mabi
Just after 6 p.m., fireworks were launched to music!
Large blossoms of light bloomed across the winter sky over Mabi.
In the crisp air, fireworks burst one after another with loud pops.
The fireworks launched over the rice fields could be seen from close by, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Voices calling “Amazing! Beautiful!” could be heard all around, from children to adults.
Fireworks shaped like stars.
There were even fireworks in the shape of smiley faces!
We got to see all kinds of fireworks, from spectacular displays to cute ones.
A flurry of fireworks filled the sky, bringing the event to a moving finale!
People had cameras and smartphones in hand, but stopped taking pictures and simply gazed in wonder as beautiful fireworks lit up the sky over Mabi.
At the end, the words “Let’s do our best, Mabi” appeared at the launch site, and the fireworks crew waved lights toward the audience.
From the Writer
Though the cold had set in, we enjoyed the performances, food and drink, lights, and fireworks—a heartwarming event that warmed our spirits.
At the end, an announcement invited visitors to “Please take home a bamboo light,” and many people picked one up to take home.
It was a year of great change in Mabi, as the Heisei era gave way to Reiwa.
It was a year in which we could feel Mabi moving forward little by little, thanks to the people working hard there and those who supported them.
There are still many problems to be addressed, but this was a precious moment when, even if only briefly, we could forget them and watch the fireworks with smiles.
As a writer who lives in Mabi, I am deeply grateful to everyone who planned and held the Reconstruction Aun Festival.
In 2020, Mabi will continue to move forward little by little. What kind of year will it be?
May it be a year filled with smiles.
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