Fukukō Festival in Mabi (held on January 26, 2020) - A festival wishing for further recovery of Mabi, where generations come together to enjoy交流!

On January 26, 2020, more than a year and a half after the heavy rain disaster in July 2018.

As a disaster recovery support event, "Fukukou Matsuri in Mabi" was held!

This Fukukou Matsuri is designed for everyone from small children to parents and grandparents, allowing three generations to enjoy together.

Delicious gourmet food, heartfelt performances, and interactions at the experience corner brought smiles to those who attended.

Focusing on the performances of the day, Kuratoco reporter "Miniko" will introduce the event!

About "Fukukou Matsuri in Mabi"

"Fukukou Matsuri in Mabi" is a festival to support the recovery of the disaster-stricken Mabi, and there is no admission fee for the event itself.

At several locations in the venue, disaster support donations were collected, and those who donated received a hat magnet!

The Fukukou Matsuri involves various organizations, including the Okayama Prefectural Senior Citizens' Club Federation and the Kurashiki City Senior Citizens' Club Federation, as co-hosts, along with disaster support organizations and local businesses as co-sponsors, and Kurashiki City as a supporter.

There were also scenes of friendly exchanges among the disaster support organizations that participated in the Fukukou Matsuri.

“Oh! How have you been? Thank you for your help last time!”

“Yeah, how have things been on your side lately?”

New connections in the Mabi community that were born after the disaster were glimpsed.

Overview of "Fukukou Matsuri in Mabi" held on January 26, 2020

The location was in front of Kibinomakibi Station.

There were two parking areas: the west parking lot of "Life Town Mabi" and the parking lot of the Mabi branch office.

It is about a 1-minute walk from Kibinomakibi Station, making it easily accessible by train.

Although rain was expected, the day turned out to have beautiful blue skies!

Blessed with good weather, the event was successfully held.

During the day, it was warm enough that wearing a coat felt hot.

▼As I walked around the venue, I spotted Mabi's local character "Marby-chan!"

As expected, very popular with the children!

Overview of Food and Merchandise Booths

Ten organizations participated, including restaurants from Okayama, disaster support organizations, and railway companies.

▼This is a café by the disaster support group "Disaster Support Group Gorilla".

Those who came first headed to the main office to receive their tickets for "Fukukou Mochi" and "Pot-au-feu".

Fukukou Mochi was freshly made by the local community.

Watching the mochi being pounded live felt very festive.

First, three strong men pounded the mochi with perfect timing!

After that, children joined in, saying, "I want to try too!"

It was adorable to see them holding the heavy pestle and doing their best.

Fukukou Mochi could be chosen from three types: kinako (roasted soybean flour), anko (sweet red bean paste), and sugar soy sauce.

It was wonderful to receive it for free.

The pot-au-feu was hearty with plenty of vegetables.

It warmed me up.

In addition to festival staples like takoyaki, cotton candy, and grilled squid, there were also stylish items like omelet hot sandwiches at the stalls.

Before long, lines formed at various stalls, showing their popularity.

There were also sales of handmade accessories and hand-knitted acrylic scrubbing pads.

▼The long-lasting hand-knitted acrylic scrubbing pads were just 100 yen for three!

There was also a health consultation corner in the venue.

In one corner, the Korean restaurant Sarangbang was selling kimchi.

Although they are currently closed, they mentioned that they are only making kimchi now.

The charming interior with a view of the garden and the reputation of their dishes are well-known even to the author.

The taste of the handmade kimchi was indeed delicious!

I am sure I am not the only one looking forward to visiting the restaurant again.

At the Ibara Railway booth, they were giving away limited edition commemorative badges to those who came by Ibara Railway.

▼If you get this boarding certificate at the station, you can exchange it for a can badge.

Doesn't it look like a big ticket?

I was told that this is a reproduction of an old "in-train ticket."

It seems to be a ticket that was commonly used before the spread of transportation IC cards like ICOCA.

Railway enthusiasts might find it irresistible!

The can badge features the Ibara Line mascots, Icchan and Hacchan.

It has a handmade feel, which is heartwarming.

There were also sales of magnets and a bookmark-making experience, so people who came to the festival by means other than the Ibara Railway were also enjoying themselves.

▼The "Yume Yasuragi-go" that was designed on the bookmark.

During the festival, it was seen passing through the tracks several times, and could be spotted from the venue!

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Performance Overview

Here, I will introduce the performances seen at the Fukukou Festival.

Performance by Kibi no Makibi Taiko

Kibi no Makibi Taiko kicked off the festival!

Enticed by the sound of the drums, many people gathered.

During the heavy rain in July 2018, their practice area was flooded, and it seems that their drums and costumes were soaked in muddy water.

Everyone seems to be expressing their joy of being able to play the drums with their whole bodies.

Their stance is also cool!

With a powerful performance that seems to infuse each sound with soul, I couldn't take my eyes off them.

Street Performance by Tochimochi-san

Next is a street performance by Tochimochi-san.

Tochimochi-san, who usually works as a Kurashiki City Office employee.

He is also the leader of the performance group "Tenryoza" formed to cheer up the victims of the heavy rain in July 2018.

When the high-difficulty juggling was successful, there was a big round of applause!

The thrilling street performance and witty talk made for an exciting atmosphere.

Guitar Performance by Hayashi Yukio

The wonderful singing voice was presented by artist Hayashi Yukio.

Everyone was captivated by nostalgic songs like "Kassai" by Chiaki Naomii and "Mata Au Hi Made" by Ozaki Kiyohiko.

Finally, he sang "Hanamizuki" by Hitoto Yo with the wish that "the happiness of the people of Mabi lasts for 100 years."

Chindon & Kamishibai by the "President of Japan's Best Dagashi Shop"

With the sound of bells ringing, wearing high wooden clogs and colorful kimono,

The Chindon Man appeared.

Behind the man who said, "The kamishibai featuring dagashi is about to begin!" a large number of children quickly followed.

This somewhat suspicious man is actually the president of a dagashi shop!

The kamishibai began.

Even the children who had been playing energetically were absorbed in the story.

At the end, "Gifts for smiling children!" dagashi were distributed, and the children's innocent smiles brightened the surroundings.

Bichu Kagura by Hoshuyukai

Next is Hoshuyukai performing Bichu Kagura.

They presented two performances.

One was "The Dance of Kotoshironushi no Mikoto," wishing for the happiness of Mabi.

The other was "Susanoo no Mikoto's Defeat of the Great Serpent."

The Yamata no Orochi defeated in this performance represents water damage.

It was a story that linked perfectly to Mabi, which does not succumb to water damage.

I, who thought that kagura was a traditional culture with a high hurdle, was surprised that it could be performed with just a single curtain as a partition and no stage.

The closeness to the audience was also exceptional.

The performance of defeating the great serpent was powerful, with movements that looked just like a real serpent.

Both adults and children were captivated as if watching a hero show.

When the serpent's head was defeated, cheers and applause erupted.

Even I, who watched kagura for the first time, couldn't help but get goosebumps!

Chorus by Mabi Junior Choir

Next up is the Mabi Boys and Girls Choir.

It consists of five girls living in Mabi, ranging from elementary to high school students.

What stood out particularly was the song "Shiawase Wakeru you ni" (May Happiness Be Delivered).

This song was created by a music teacher who was affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe.

Since then, it has been sung in various places as a song of recovery.

Mabi, which suffered from flooding.

Listeners seemed to envision the landscapes and people of Mabi when they heard the word "hometown" in the lyrics.

Many people nodded as they savored the lyrics.

When the song ended, there was an overwhelming round of applause.

Though small in number, all delivered their clear singing voices, and the rhythmic songs with choreography and swaying bodies were full of energy!

It was a choir that gave us power.

Quiz and Experience-based Stamp Rally

The Fukukou Festival has various innovations to keep the children engaged.

▼ Many children were lined up at the fluffy play equipment.

There was also a Mabi quiz and a stamp rally, where completing all four experience booths at the venue would complete the challenge.

▼ Of course, I solved the Mabi quiz smoothly!

▼ As shown, I received stamps for each booth I visited.

Around 11 AM, there was a long line of families at the experience booths.

The craft corner was the most popular!

Staff members were teaching how to make rubber guns, spinning tops, and origami.

It takes about ten minutes to complete.

In the ring toss game, each person can throw up to three times.

It was surprisingly difficult, and everyone was excited.

There was also an interesting experience called ground golf.

Elderly members of the community were providing one-on-one instruction to the children.

It was heartwarming to see the children quickly becoming friends with the local people through traditional games like handball.

After collecting stamps from the four experience booths and bringing them to the main office, participants received a gift!

It was a set of assorted snacks and a stamp that disappears when rubbed.

In Conclusion

The Fukukou Festival was filled with delicious food and performances, and time flew by faster than expected.

It was also a day that made me feel the strong bonds of the community in Mabi, fostered by disaster relief organizations and the residents of Mabi.

The July 2018 heavy rain disaster left a significant scar on the entire Mabi area.

Even after more than a year and a half, many people are still living in temporary housing.

It seems that the state of living apart from long-time friends and the feelings of anxiety continue.

In such times, connections within the community and interactions among three generations of people should help prevent isolation.

I found the people of Mabi, who can unite and support each other in difficult times, to be truly admirable.

Fukukou Festival in Mabi Data

Name	Fukukou Festival in Mabi
Date	January 26, 2020, 10 AM to 2 PM
Location	Yada, Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
Participation Fee (Tax Included)	Free (Food and drink costs are separate)
Website	Okayama Prefecture Senior Citizens' Club Federation Harebare Senior Okayama

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