“SPOMARU IN SOJA” (hereafter referred to as “Spomaru”) will be held at Soja Kita Park on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
Combining sports and a market, this event offers the chance to enjoy both “a sports day where adults take center stage” and “a market that’s fun just to visit.” It also provides opportunities for participants to connect with one another and discover new things to love about the area.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in May 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About SPOMARU IN SOJA
Spomaru combines a sports day and a market, and will be held for the first time on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
Sports Day
The sports day will take place inside Soja Kita Park Athletics Stadium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Only people aged 18 and over may participate. Teams of 5 to 12 people will compete in the following eight events:
- Beanbag toss
- Centipede balloon train race
- Giant ball squeeze race
- Three-legged race (red team vs. white team)
- Spomaru Quest (bread-eating race × obstacle course × scavenger hunt)
- 8 × 50-meter relay
Each event will be scored and evaluated, and prizes such as tickets redeemable at the market will be awarded to the top teams.
The goal of Spomaru’s sports day is not simply to compete to win or lose, but to have fun being active together. That’s why, unlike school sports days, it features many fun events.
They say they had a doctor review the events and designed a program with a low risk of injury, even for people who don’t usually exercise much.
Market
The market will be held in the plaza at Soja Kita Park, with more than 30 vendors from Soja City and beyond.
There will be not only food vendors but also shops selling goods and workshops, making it so extensive that you may not be able to enjoy it all during breaks in the sports day.
There will also be live painting by a paint artist and performances by a kids’ dance team. Even outside the athletics stadium, there will always be something to see.
Interview with Two Members of the Soja Spomaru Organizing Committee
We spoke with Soja Spomaru Organizing Committee Chair Sayaka Kawakami and Vice Chair Yukio Tanimoto about SPOMARU IN SOJA, a new event being launched in Soja City.
How Spomaru Came About
What inspired you to hold Spomaru?
Kawakami (surname only hereafter)
I usually offer Pilates and body maintenance treatments at a shop called studio 508 (Studio Konoha).
Many of the people who come here want to exercise despite not having an exercise routine, but lack the opportunity or find it hard to keep going on their own.
Of course, coming to Pilates means they’ve already taken the first step.
But they didn’t seem to have made exercise a habit, so I started wondering if there was some way to give people like that a reason to get started.
So, in June 2025, we held an event combining outdoor Pilates and yoga classes with a market. People told us, “It was so much fun” and “Please hold it again.” When we started thinking about a second event, I thought, “It would be great if we could enjoy it with many more people.”
When I thought, “What would be a good way to get people involved?” the first thing that came to mind was a neighborhood sports day.
I think there are few opportunities for adults to work together as a team toward a shared goal. So I wanted to hold a sports event where everyone could relive old memories and have a sparkling good time, which led us to organize a sports day.
So a big part of it was creating a new event that also encourages community exchange.
Tanimoto (surname only hereafter)
That’s right.
As we planned the event, we began to want to create an event that would become a symbol of Soja.
At first, we didn’t think it would grow this big, but once we decided to do it, we thought, “Let’s go all out!”
Who They Hope Will Attend
Do you have a target age group for Spomaru, or a particular kind of person you hope will attend?
Kawakami
We’ve set the requirement that participants in the sports day must be at least 18, but we’re not targeting any particular age group.
From next year onward, I’d also like to add more para-sports programs for people with disabilities.
Tanimoto
We’ve deliberately chosen not to define a target audience.
The event is about participants connecting with one another and enjoying exercise, so I don’t think it’s good to make it harder to take part.
Also, if we made it too focused on sports, people who aren’t confident in their athletic abilities might find it hard to sign up. So we made a point of including entertaining events that people can enjoy while competing.
Could you explain again why you’ve made it a team competition?
Kawakami
People can participate individually, but in principle, we thought everyone would have more fun if they came as a team, so we made it a team competition.
The idea was inspired by the Tomato Bank 6-Hour Relay Marathon, which I once ran with friends.
Tanimoto
Of course, team members don’t have to be friends.
People can form teams with local residents or coworkers and exercise together, which may let them see a different side of one another.
We also hope that taking part in Spomaru will give people a chance to connect and grow closer.
Why Hold Spomaru in Soja?
What do you see as the significance of holding Spomaru in Soja?
Tanimoto
Soja has many wonderful places, shops, and tourist attractions.
It’s also easy to reach from all over Okayama Prefecture, and I think the city has the potential to become even livelier than it is now. I want more people to know that.
This time, the event is only at Soja Kita Park, but if attendance grows in the future, the event could expand and perhaps be held at multiple locations around Soja City.
We want to build awareness by holding it every year, and that’s why it’s especially important to make the first Spomaru, in 2026, a success.
We want people to discover the good things and attractions Soja has to offer through Spomaru, and help make Soja even livelier.
Could you tell us about your specific strategy for bringing more energy to Soja through Spomaru?
Kawakami
The sports day costs 1,500 yen to enter, but participants receive a 300-yen market ticket as a participation prize, as well as a 500-yen community support ticket that can be used later at participating shops in Soja City.
Also, participants can win prizes for good results in each sports day event. Some of the morning events offer tickets redeemable at the market as prizes, so we’ve also set things up to encourage people who win tickets to visit the market at lunchtime.
Tanimoto
People will probably spend the whole day at the venue on Spomaru day, but we want them to come back to Soja later, so we’ve created community support tickets that can be used afterward.
We want people to use their community support tickets at shops that have supported Spomaru, keeping money circulating within Soja City and spreading this momentum throughout the city.
That’s why we believe the greater the circle of support, the greater the economic impact, and we’re inviting a wide range of shops to get involved.
What Kind of Event Do They Hope It Will Become?
What kind of presence do you hope Spomaru will have?
Tanimoto
I hope it will become a source of pride for Soja.
Kawakami
There’s more to Soja than the Kibiji Marathon.
Tanimoto
In fact, I hope it becomes something even bigger than the Kibiji Marathon.
Spomaru is a source of pride for Soja. Soja is a city with Spomaru.
Like “Kagawa means MONSTER baSH,” we want people to say, “Soja means Spomaru.”
Every event has a beginning.
For Spomaru, that beginning is this year, 2026. We want to keep growing it from here.
From the Writer
Adults who take on challenges change their community
These are the words printed on the SPOMARU IN SOJA 2026 flyer.
When we asked Sayaka Kawakami and Yukio Tanimoto of the Soja Spomaru Organizing Committee what they wanted to convey, both of them began by saying the same thing.
The two people taking on the challenge of holding SPOMARU IN SOJA 2026, the adults supporting that effort by setting up booths and providing funding, and the adults taking part in the sports day to find a new opportunity to change themselves—all of them will help bring energy to Soja.
An event where people can take that first step will be born in Soja in May 2026.
Registration to participate in the sports day closes on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
SPOMARU IN SOJA 2026 is waiting for adults ready to take on the challenge of changing their community.
SPOMARU IN SOJA 2026 Information
| Name | SPOMARU IN SOJA 2026 |
|---|---|
| Date | Held on Sunday, May 24, 2026 *Held rain or shine Sports festival: 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Market: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. |
| Location | Soja North Park Athletics Stadium |
| Participation fee (tax included) | The sports festival requires a participation fee of 1,500 yen per person and registration in teams of 5–12 people. Participation prizes include 300 yen worth of market tickets and 500 yen worth of local support tickets. No participation fee or registration is required for the market. |
| Website | SPOMARU IN SOJA 2026 |
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