Since 2020, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection, the number of tourists visiting the Bikan Historical Area has drastically decreased.
Even if there was a temporary increase, repeated state of emergency declarations and priority measures to prevent the spread of disease have dealt a significant blow to cultural facilities, restaurants, and the tourism industry, and recovery has not yet been achieved.
In such a situation, I want to express my gratitude to those who choose to visit Kurashiki.
With this in mind, students from Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School (Kurasho) wrote letters for tourists.
This article reports on the students handing over the letters on December 4, 2021 (Saturday).
The letters were written by second-year students who chose calligraphy at Kurasho
The "letters" written for tourists were created by 124 second-year students who chose calligraphy at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School (Kurasho).
As part of their calligraphy class, it seems they did this as a summary project for "gyosho" (semi-cursive script).
Since the gyosho script is practical, the supervising teacher, Junko Kajitani, thought, "Let's write letters expressing feelings that can only be written now for the tourists in the Bikan Historical Area," and implemented this project.
A total of 100 sets were created, and all letters are "handwritten" by the students.
The packaging and decoration with masking tape were also done by the calligraphy students.
The students mentioned, "It was difficult to write in the unfamiliar 'gyosho' script."
What is the content of the letters?
The letters were required to include "feelings of gratitude for visiting during the pandemic".
For those students who could not fill a whole sheet of letter paper, they introduced their personal recommendations.
- You can enjoy the white-walled townscape
- There is the Ohara Museum of Art
- It's about a 10-minute walk from JR Kurashiki Station, etc.
According to the students who wrote the letters, "The contents are varied."
I received one, so I will introduce it as an example.
Additionally, four of the letters will be displayed at the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Office.
The exhibition will be until the end of December 2021
Handed over on December 4, 2021
With the cooperation of the Kurashiki City Tourism Division, it was decided that mask cases would be included, and the letters would be handed over on December 4, 2021 (Saturday).
From 9:00 AM at the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Office, the first 100 people who purchased tickets for the Punting Boat Rides on Kurashiki River would receive them for free, and the students would hand them out in order.
On this day, 12 students from the calligraphy club at Kurasho participated in handing out the letters.
"Please enjoy your time here."
"Thank you."
With nervous expressions, they handed over the letters, and the tourists who received them responded with smiles.
After that, they waved goodbye as the punting boats departed.
The 100 sets of letters were distributed in about an hour and a half.
Conclusion
As the number of COVID-19 infections decreases, the Bikan Historical Area, a tourist destination, is regaining its liveliness, with students visiting on weekdays and adults on weekends.
However, there are still many restrictions on student activities.
The students who wrote the letters are second-year high school students.
Having entered high school during the pandemic in 2020, half of their high school life is already coming to an end.
I hope that people can see the efforts of high school students who are working hard despite many restrictions.
Four of the letters will be displayed at the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Office for one month in December 2021.
When you visit the Bikan Historical Area, please be sure to take a look.
