The Dragon’s Work Exhibition 2022 is being held at Kurashiki Ivy Square. Let’s also support the students working hard in their internships.

The Takahashi River has long nurtured the culture and industry of the ancient land of Kibi and supported Okayama Prefecture.

The “Dragon’s Work Exhibition” has been held every September since 2010 as an industrial exhibition for the Takahashi River Basin, at Ivy Gakkan in Kurashiki Ivy Square.

In 2022, too, it is being held over nine days, from Saturday, September 3 to Sunday, September 11, with 19 companies and organizations taking part.

The “Dragon’s Work Exhibition” is also a corporate exhibition that offers internships to university students interested in companies’ activities and the products they sell.

I went to take a look.

What is the 2022 Dragon’s Work Exhibition?

The “Dragon’s Work Exhibition” began in its current form after the “Exhibition of 111 Descendants of the Dragon,” held in 2009 by a group of creators active mainly in Kurashiki, and subsequent events at the Prefectural Cultural Festival and National Cultural Festival.

The event is more than an exhibition and sale of products from companies in the Takahashi River Basin; it is also used as an internship opportunity for nearby university students to learn about the region’s culture and history.

Students taking part in the internships reportedly exchange information about their assigned booths before the venue opens.

The exhibitors in 2022 were as follows.

A visit to the venue

When I arrived at the venue, the first booth I visited was for Kojima Jeans Street.

The student in charge of the Kojima Jeans Street booth was a second-year student from Vietnam studying at Kibi International University, taking part in the internship to experience Japanese language and culture.

I bought a DANIA whale shark sacoche from her booth, but she turned the tables and asked me detailed questions, such as what I liked about the product and whether there was anything that concerned me.

KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD. booth

Next, I visited the booth of KAMOI KAKOSHI, famous nationwide for its masking tape, “mt.”

A family of three from within the prefecture used the company’s mt products at the hands-on booth set up at the venue, enthusiastically drawing fireworks across a large wall.

The intern in charge of the booth was enjoying it with them, too.

Ningyo no Kihou

In Takahashi City, in the middle reaches of the Takahashi River, is Ningyo no Kihou, one of Japan’s leading producers of Hina dolls.

There were also a few international students at this booth.

A second-year student at Kibi International University from Indonesia said she was interested in Japan’s distinctive Hina doll culture and had applied for an internship with the company.

“I’ve been interested in Hina dolls wearing beautiful fabrics since I was a child, so I’m very happy to be able to see the products up close.”

She told me, and wearing “batik,” her traditional clothing, gave me a careful introduction to the booth.

Takeyari Co., Ltd. booth

The Takeyari Co., Ltd. booth displayed a wide variety of colorful canvas tote bags.

The third-year student from the Design Department at Okayama Prefectural University who was in charge said she felt a strong sense of responsibility, having been entrusted with everything at the booth, including the displays.

After that, the booth reportedly continued to achieve strong sales, mainly to tourists.

From the Writer

Ivy Gakkan at Kurashiki Ivy Square is a historic building dating back to 1889.

The “Dragon’s Work Exhibition,” held here, marked its 13th year in 2022 and is a distinctive event that has been welcoming interns for nine years.

In recent years, the number of participating companies and visitors from outside the prefecture and overseas has fallen sharply, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even so, the venue features many appealing products from companies in the Takahashi River Basin.

The “Dragon’s Work Exhibition” is being held through Sunday, September 11, 2022. Please visit, take a look at the booths, and cheer on the students gaining all kinds of valuable experience.

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