Harinawa Marche - A market event organized by an apparel brand. Enjoy carefully selected flavors at Momotaro Jeans Kojima Ajino Main Store.

Harinia Marche is a market event operated by Momotaro Jeans, a domestic jeans brand under Japan Blue Co., Ltd. (ジャパンブルー).

During the holidays, the backyard of Momotaro Jeans Kojima Ajino Main Store is lined with restaurants and shops from Kojima and Okayama Prefecture, bustling with tourists visiting Kojima Jeans Street.

I visited the Harinia Marche held on March 19, 2022, and enjoyed local flavors and making leather keychains.

Here, I will introduce the Harinia Marche, which is organized by the long-established apparel store, Momotaro Jeans Kojima Ajino Main Store, located in the holy land of jeans, Kojima, Kurashiki City.

What is Harinia Marche?

I visited the Harinia Marche held on March 19, 2022.

Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, but the soft light from the sky made it a pleasant weather for spending time outdoors.

It seems like I can take my time and enjoy the market event slowly.

Overview of Harinia Marche

Harinia Marche is a market event held in the backyard of Momotaro Jeans Kojima Ajino Main Store.

When Momotaro Jeans Kojima Ajino Main Store renovated its building and reopened in April 2021, a backyard was created for visitors to Kojima Jeans Street to take a break.

To allow tourists visiting Kojima Jeans Street during the holidays to enjoy the flavors of Kojima and Okayama, the Harinia Marche utilizing the store's backyard started.

Since the reopening in April 2021, the Harinia Marche has been held seven times, including this time.

Momotaro Jeans Kojima Ajino Main Store - Renovated to a store where you can enjoy the charm of jeans

The history of Kojima in Kurashiki City, which flourished as a cotton production area during the Edo period, is passed down to the present as the holy land of jeans. The Ajino shopping street lined with apparel stores dealing in jeans is a jeans street...

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Participating Stores in Harinia Marche

Harinia Marche features restaurants and shops from Kojima and Okayama Prefecture.

Below are the stores that participated in the Harinia Marche on March 19 and 20, 2022.

What I Tried at Harinia Marche!

At Harinia Marche, they invite popular restaurants and shops recommended by the staff.

I enjoyed the staff's favorite flavors, so let me introduce them!

AYUSTAM

The hamburger shop AYUSTAM.

They offer hamburgers made with carefully selected meat, vegetables, cheese, and bread.

▼The ingredients overflowing from the bun stimulated the heart of the hamburger-loving author!

▼It's so big that I can't take a bite even if I open my mouth to the limit!

The patty is 100% beef.

The patty is filled with juices overflowing and rich cheddar cheese, along with crunchy vegetables!

It is not an exaggeration to say it is a top-quality hamburger.

JP’s vender 61

JP’s vender 61 is a chicken over rice vendor located in Nishikimachi, Kita Ward, Okayama City.

Chicken over rice is a dish popular at food stalls in New York.

According to the staff, chicken over rice is a variation of halal food eaten in Islamic regions that has become popular in New York.

It features chicken, lettuce, and other vegetables, spices, and chili sauce on top of white rice.

▼It is colorful and enjoyable not only for the taste but also for the eyes!

From the appearance, it looked quite spicy, but for me, it was just the right amount of spiciness.

The sweet and spicy chili sauce combined with the soft-boiled egg created a rich flavor.

Surprisingly, it paired well with the rice, making it hard to stop eating.

Fukafuka Taiga

I had imagined a mobile sweet potato vendor, familiar with the melody "Yakiimo, ishi yakiimo, oimo!" but was surprised when I saw the menu!

▼It was my first time encountering a baked sweet potato vendor that offers multiple types of sweet potatoes.

I wanted to try various flavors, but it seemed difficult to eat multiple sweet potatoes, which would likely be heavy in my stomach.

Suppressing my desire to try many varieties, I ordered the Awa Roman.

▼Of course, it was hot and fluffy!

Since I only ate one type, I couldn't feel the difference in flavors, but as the menu description stated, the Awa Roman indeed had a subtle sweetness.

I couldn't try more varieties due to a lack of space in my stomach, but next time I want to visit on an empty stomach and try a comparison of sweet potatoes!

Workshops at Harinia Marche

At Harinia Marche, workshops related to clothing are held.

I am looking forward to seeing what kind of workshops are organized by the apparel stores!

Overview of the Workshops

At the Harinia Marche on March 19, 2022, a stamping experience using leather scraps was held.

In this workshop, participants can stamp their favorite letters onto the leather surface using a mold with engraved alphabets.

I participated in the workshop and made a leather keychain, so I will introduce the process until completion.

My Experience Participating in the Workshops!

You can choose from two types of leather for stamping.

▼Here is a sample of the leather coaster.

▼For the jeans-shaped keychain, there are five colors available.

I decided to participate in the engraving experience for the jeans-shaped keychain and chose the color blue, the same as jeans.

▼This is the workshop booth.

All the tools needed for the workshop were prepared at the booth.

Since there was no need to bring any tools, I could participate easily.

▼This is the mold for engraving letters on the leather surface.

The tip of the mold has letters carved in reverse.

Once I decided on the letters to engrave, prepare the necessary molds.

▼These are the letters I will use.

Can you tell what I am trying to write?

▼Before engraving the letters on the keychain, I get to practice engraving on a piece of leather.

While practicing engraving, I adjusted my sense of the letters.

Striking the mold with a hammer seems like a simple and easy task, but it is surprisingly difficult to engrave at equal intervals and the same depth.

After practicing thoroughly and getting a feel for the force, I moved on to the actual keychain.

▼Before stamping, I wipe the surface with a damp towel to moisten it.

Moistening the surface of the leather makes it easier for the letters engraved on the mold to transfer.

I carefully stamp the letters to avoid making mistakes in the order.

▼This is the keychain I made!

This is Kurashiki Tocotoco, a web media that conveys "the present of Kurashiki"!

Since "KURASHIKI" and "TOKOTOKO" had too many characters for the width, I struggled to stamp them while narrowing the letter spacing.

By the way, I thought that "TOCOTOCO" might be the correct spelling after the workshop was over.

Even though I thought I messed up, I couldn't do anything about the letters engraved on the leather, and it was too late.

Since I worked hard to make it, I am using it as my favorite keychain!

Next, I interviewed a public relations representative from Japan Blue Co., Ltd. about the background of the Hareniwa Marche.

We deliver selected articles from Kurashiki Tocotoco via LINE