After Setsubun, the season of Hina Matsuri arrives.
It is said that the best time to display Hina dolls is on the first Tai-an after Risshun. The first Tai-an after Risshun in 2025 is Saturday, February 8, so Hina dolls are starting to appear around town.
I moved from Kanto to Kurashiki in December 2023, and I will be welcoming my second spring here.
Before moving to Kurashiki, I had the image of Hina dolls being something to view within each household or school, but in Kurashiki, it seems that the "Hina Meguri" event is held, where Hina dolls are displayed in storefronts throughout the city’s various districts, according to their themes. Kurashiki Hina Meguri is the name of this event.
After the period of measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus, I heard that the scale of the Mizushima district's Hina Meguri has expanded.
What is the "22nd Kurashiki Hina Meguri"?
The Kurashiki Hina Meguri, which displays Hina dolls at facilities, shops, galleries, and inns in Kurashiki City, will celebrate its 22nd event this year (2025).
From February 22 (Saturday) to March 9 (Sunday), the five districts of Kurashiki City will hold Hina Matsuri events based on their respective themes.
- Kurashiki District: "Hina Blossoms in the White-Walled Town"
- Tamashima District: "Tea Culture and the Peach Blossom Village: Tamashima Minato Hina Festival"
- Kojima District: "Good Day, Good Taste: Hina Meguri"
- Mabi and Funao Districts: "Connecting with Hina Dolls: The Bamboo Town and Sweet Pea Village"
- Mizushima District: "Everyone Come, Come: The Mizushima Hina Meguri Connected to Fortune!!"
What is the "22nd Mizushima Hina Meguri"?
The Mizushima District has participated in the Kurashiki Hina Meguri since its first event.
In 2025, it will be held at 13 locations, mainly at public facilities such as community centers and children's centers. Traditional Hina decorations and handmade Hina dolls made by local children and residents will be displayed.
Please check the following images for the exhibition venues.
In conjunction with the 22nd Mizushima Hina Meguri, the following ceremonial events are planned.
- Hina Train Departure Ceremony
- Opening Ceremony
- Hina Procession
During the event period, if five or more stamps are collected on the stamp sheet included in the Mizushima Hina Meguri flyer, you will receive a lottery ticket for shopping vouchers that can be used in the Mizushima shopping district. Why not give it a try?
Interview with the 22nd Mizushima Hina Meguri Executive Committee
I spoke with Hiroko Ozaki, the representative of the 22nd Mizushima Hina Meguri Executive Committee, about the history of the Mizushima Hina Meguri and highlights for 2025.
Please tell us about the history of the Mizushima Hina Meguri.
Ozaki (no honorifics)
Many other districts have traditional Hina dolls, but Mizushima did not have the splendid Hina dolls like those in other districts.
So, in the beginning, we displayed handmade Hina dolls in storefronts in the shopping district and served sweet sake to customers. As the event continued, we called for donations of unused Hina dolls from households through newspapers, and many dolls were collected.
Hina dolls are purchased for celebrations, so every household has a strong attachment to them, and they are expensive. Therefore, it seems that many citizens wanted to let them see the light of day rather than let them gather dust in a closet.
From around the third event, we displayed those Hina dolls in various shops in the Mizushima shopping district. At that time, it was held with the aim of revitalizing the shopping district.
The stamp rally that is still held today started when we were doing the Hina Meguri in the Mizushima shopping district. We wanted people to feel benefited by coming to the Hina Meguri, not just to look at the Hina dolls, and to encourage shopping in the shopping district with the shopping vouchers won in the lottery.
However, in 2020, the spread of the novel coronavirus made it impossible for people to gather. Since the Mizushima Hina Meguri involved food and drink, such as serving sweet sake, we were unable to hold activities for about three years.
Just when we thought we could finally restart, Mizushima was also facing an aging population, and it seemed unlikely that we could hold the Hina Meguri in the shopping district. Therefore, we decided to use public facilities such as community centers to hold the Hina Meguri. At the same time, we began to display Hina dolls made by children from kindergartens and nursery schools in the area.
As a result, many children began to visit the community center to view the Hina dolls they had made during the Hina Meguri period. The buzz around this became a topic of conversation in community centers throughout Mizushima, leading to the realization of the Hina Meguri in community centers across Mizushima, with events being held in 13 locations in 2025.
The Mizushima Hina Meguri has become a major event throughout Mizushima, stepping out of the Mizushima shopping district. What are the aims of this event?
Ozaki
Revitalization of the community.
In Mizushima, children from local middle and high schools work together with local residents to display Hina dolls.
Among modern children, there are those who do not have the custom of displaying Hina dolls at home. Local residents are now passing on to these children how to display Hina dolls and the significance behind them. I feel that what used to be a common practice in every household is now being transmitted by local adults to local children.
Additionally, a significant feature of the Mizushima Hina Meguri is that many Hina dolls created by kindergarten and nursery school children are displayed. Each school has teachers who come up with creative ideas to make unique Hina dolls together with the children.
When the children’s works are displayed, their families come to the Mizushima Hina Meguri. Some visitors come from outside the prefecture, such as Shikoku, saying, "I came to see my grandchild's Hina doll."
Since Mizushima is not a tourist destination, it is not often that travelers come. However, during this period, many families of the children come to visit, making the town lively.
Please tell us the highlights of the "22nd Mizushima Hina Meguri."
Ozaki
This year, after the period of measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus, Life Park Kurashiki will once again be one of the venues. At Life Park Kurashiki, more than 12 Hina dolls will be displayed, along with many creative Hina dolls, including hanging Hina.
Many Hina dolls that have not been displayed for a long time since the exhibitions in the Mizushima shopping district will also be showcased, so please come and see them.
Additionally, many children from certified children's centers, nurseries, and elementary schools in the Mizushima District will participate in the various ceremonial events.
In particular, the Hina Procession, where children dress as Hina dolls and parade through Tsura no Komichi, is something that people from all over the Tsurajima District look forward to every year. It is very colorful, so I hope many people will come to see it.
Finally, please give a message to the readers.
Ozaki
The Mizushima Rinkai Railway will also operate a cute Hina train, so please take that to come to the Mizushima Hina Meguri.
We look forward to your visit.
Conclusion
Including the school where I used to work, I often hear about organizations that have reduced the scale of their events after the period of measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
However, the Mizushima Hina Meguri, after the period of measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus, is set to be the largest Hina Meguri ever in 2025. This is likely because the local people have cherished and preserved the Mizushima Hina Meguri for many years.
For those who usually visit Mizushima by car or bus, why not take the Hina train of the Mizushima Rinkai Railway during the Mizushima Hina Meguri period, and participate in the stamp rally while touring the Hina dolls prepared by the entire Mizushima area?
Data for the 22nd Mizushima Hina Meguri
| Name | 22nd Mizushima Hina Meguri |
|---|---|
| Event Dates | February 22 (Saturday) to March 9 (Sunday), 2025 |
| Location | 13 locations in Mizushima |
| Participation Fee (including tax) | Free admission (Admission to the Regional Folk Museum is free with the flyer) |
| Website | 22nd Kurashiki Hina Meguri |
