Many events were held throughout Japan during Golden Week 2024.
In Kojima, a town known for textiles such as school uniforms and denim, the “Kojima Fest #Seni-sai” festival, centered on textile product sales, is held every spring and fall.
This event, which could be called the forerunner of the outlet malls now found throughout Japan, including Kurashiki, offers a packed program: bargain sales of manufacturers’ sample items and B-grade goods, sales of locally produced denim, and food stalls serving a variety of gourmet treats. Here is our report.
The information presented was current when this article was published in May 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is “2024 Spring Kojima Fest #Seni-sai”?
“2024 Spring Kojima Fest #Seni-sai” is a major event that brings spring to life in Kojima, centered on sales of denim and other textile products, as well as food stalls serving local specialties such as tako meshi (octopus rice).
It was held in central Kojima on Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28, 2024.
We visited the event
It had unfortunately been raining since morning, but by the time we arrived in Kojima shortly after 11 a.m., the rain had let up.
The venue is just beyond the gate marking “Kojima, the Holy Land of Jeans.”
At the bargain sale venue, leading Kojima jeans brands such as BIG JOHN, Betty Smith, and Domingo, as well as Kanko Gakuseifuku, another local industry, had stalls selling outlet items, samples, and B-grade (non-standard) goods.
Branded denim was also on sale at special prices.
Studio D’Artisan, which has shops in Minamihorie, Osaka, also had a stall, run by its Kojima factory, Kouritsu Co., Ltd.
Although its shop at Achiterasu (Kurashiki store) has unfortunately closed, this stall was bustling with many people looking for bargains.
Walk across the Exchange Center
The Kojima Civic Exchange Center, notable for its arched, drum-bridge-like exterior, is a building that opened as the Kurashiki City Seto-Ohashi Bridge Memorial Museum (Bridge Museum) when the Seto-Ohashi Bridge opened.
You can actually climb up onto the roof and walk across it.
I remember being able to go up to the rooftop whenever I wanted when it was the Bridge Museum, but perhaps for safety reasons, it has been open only during events like this in recent years.
Head up the stairs beside the building.
It feels like crossing a huge arched bridge. Somehow, the sky seems close, too.
The concurrent event “THE DENiM 2024” was being held on the lawn below.
“Bargain Sale Area” around Kojima Station
At the “Bargain Sale Area” around Kojima Station, a variety of textile products—not just denim—were being sold at low prices.
Since everything was so inexpensive, many people were searching for bargains.
Kojima-born brand Domingo
A variety of bottoms were piled up in the wagon; if you find your size, they’re an excellent bargain.
Amazingly, socks were 100 yen a pair, and many shops like this had set up stalls.
From the Writer
This festival has continued under different names since long before I was born. In recent years, denim has helped raise awareness of “Kojima” nationwide, and I feel that the number of visitors from outside the prefecture has increased considerably compared with the past.
However, perhaps because many production bases have moved overseas, I feel that the sales tents used to be larger and livelier than they are now...
Even so, I think the fact that it has continued this long is due in part to the impact of the concurrently held “THE DENiM 2024,” but above all to the efforts of everyone involved, who have steadily promoted “Kojima, the town of jeans.”
I’m looking forward to the next one.
2024 Spring Kojima Fest #Senisai: A Day to Discover Bargains and Local Gourmet Food — Event Information
| Name | 2024 Spring Kojima Fest #Senisai: A Day to Discover Bargains and Local Gourmet Food |
|---|---|
| Event dates | April 27 (Sat.) and 28 (Sun.), 2024 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
| Location | Kojima |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Kojima Chamber of Commerce and Industry official website |
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