Kurashiki Astronomical Observatory (commonly known as Kuraten) held a total of three events between late October and mid-December 2023.
- October 28: “Starry Halloween Event in Kuraten”
- November 25: “Kuraten’s 2023 Birthday Celebration”
- December 16: “Starry! Kuraten’s Final Christmas Event”
These events were planned and held by us, students at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School, divided into three teams: the “Event Planning Team,” “Social Media Team,” and “Information Outreach Team.”
As we prepared, we all thought about what we could do to bring in visitors and make sure they had a good time. As a result, many people came, and Kuraten was bustling with activity.
Here, we introduce how we prepared.
This article was contributed by students in the “Regional Economy Exploration” course of the Project Research program at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School. The editorial team at Haretoco General Incorporated Association edited and republished it.
The information presented was current when the article was published in January 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
October 28: “Starry Halloween Event in Kuraten”
The first event was “Starry Halloween Event in Kuraten,” held on October 28, 2023.
We came up with ideas such as the following:
- Since the event would be held at an observatory, we wanted to do “something” related to stars and space.
- Since the event date was close to Halloween, we wanted to include some Halloween elements.
- We wanted to set up something eye-catching and photogenic.
- We wanted the event to target elementary school students and preschoolers.
So, we created a star-themed quiz rally, a photo spot decorated with a large space illustration, and a Halloween piñata.
A piñata is similar to a Japanese kusudama (decorative paper ball): a game in which a container filled with candy is hung up and hit with a stick until it breaks open. Since the event was aimed at young children, we made the quiz easy to understand and added furigana, and distributed flyers at elementary schools.
For food sales, after negotiating with vendors, a food truck from “PAFFLE405” came to the event.
November 25: “Kuraten’s 2023 Birthday Celebration”
The second event was “Kuraten’s 2023 Birthday Celebration” on November 25, 2023.
November 21 was Kuraten’s 97th birthday.
One improvement we identified after the first event was to adjust how long each person could hit the piñata. We also made a schedule that allowed adults as well as children to take part, so parents and children could enjoy it together.
For the food corner, Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School newly sold roasted sweet potatoes. To make preparations quicker on the day, we tried out an efficient way to make them in advance.
However, there was also room for improvement in our outreach...
Before the first event, we handed out flyers in front of JR Kurashiki Station, but not many people took them.
We thought this was because people using the station did not match the event’s target age group (elementary school students, preschoolers, and their parents), so for this event we distributed flyers at kindergartens and in the neighborhood of Kurashiki Astronomical Observatory.
As a result, more people came after seeing the flyers.
No matter how many people an event could attract, people will not come if the information is not shared effectively.
We learned how important it is to make good use of information and share it with others.
For this event’s food sales, “Taiwan Castella Nakamuraya” set up a tent. Their fluffy fruit sandwiches were delicious.
December 16: “Starry! Kuraten’s Final Christmas Event”
The third event was “Starry! Kuraten’s Final Christmas Event” on December 16.
As the name suggests, we planned the following activities to give it a Christmas feel.
- Provided Santa hats and reindeer headbands
- Decorated the venue with a somewhat large Christmas tree
- Held a workshop to make mini trees out of yarn
The forecast called for light rain and low temperatures on the day, so during preparations the day before, we made plans to hold the event indoors and encouraged people to dress warmly, adapting as needed.
We expected fewer visitors than at the second event, but we rallied to do everything we could and prepared for it. As a result, many people came.
For this event’s food sales, “SERI’S KITCHEN” and “T’s Kitchen YOTTE” came with food trucks.
From the Writer
Through holding these three events, we keenly felt how difficult it is to plan and run an event.
- Tailor the content to the target age group
- Share information using flyers and social media
We learned that these two points are important for creating events that attract many visitors.
We may have fallen short in some areas because we did not have enough time to prepare or our schedules did not align. However, we did our best as high school students.
We sincerely thank everyone who attended.
Kurashiki Astronomical Observatory holds a variety of events. The latest information is available on its website, so please come and visit.
We would also like to thank everyone who set up a stall and kindly agreed to come despite being approached by high school students, helping make our events a success.
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Information provided by: Students in the “Regional Economy Exploration” research course at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School
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