The Kawazu cherry blossoms have begun to bloom, horsetail shoots are poking out along the embankments, and days of mild, spring-like weather are finally becoming more frequent.
Over the weekends, marchés and events have gradually been coming back.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Disability Health and Welfare Department, "Recent Trends in the Field of Disability Welfare" published in fiscal 2022 (Reiwa 4), it is said that about 7.6% of people in Japan have some kind of disability. Naturally, people with disabilities also take part in events held around town.
However, that does not necessarily mean we see people with disabilities in town every day.
On Sunday, March 23, 2025, the 2nd "Haru Fes" 2025, an event enjoyed together by people with and without disabilities (hereinafter "Haru Fes"), will be held in central Kurashiki City.
We asked the Haru Fes secretariat about the aims of the project and how to enjoy the day.
The content described is information as of the time this article was published in March 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What Is "Haru Fes"?
"Haru Fes" will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Aibi Red Brick Hall in Kurashiki Ivy Square, in central Kurashiki City. It is organized by "Kurashiki Shien LABO," which aims to create a new kind of community where welfare blends into everyday life.
On the day, Aibi Red Brick Hall will host the following programs and stalls.
- West Building (flowers, games and play area)
- North Building (music area)
- 14 food and merchandise stalls
For details, please check the images below.
Support Is Also Available for People Who Need Individual Consideration
So that as many people with disabilities as possible can enjoy the event with peace of mind, individual support will also be provided. Staff will be wearing bibs, so please feel free to speak to them.
We are told that they plan to do their best to accommodate needs such as medical care in a separate room, written communication, simple sign language, and guidance in English.
Scenes from the 1st "Haru Fes"
This year (2025) is the second time "Haru Fes" is being held. The first was held on Sunday, March 17, 2024, under the title "A Festival Colored with Music and Flowers."
It rained that day, but the weather makes no difference to people enjoying flowers and music. Among the visitors were people who had come all the way from outside the prefecture, such as Shikoku and Hiroshima, looking forward to the music, both with and without disabilities.
The forecast for 2025 is currently sunny, but preparations are also underway so that people can enjoy the event even in the rain.
Interview with the "Haru Fes" Secretariat
We spoke with Ando Kiyoko of the Haru Fes secretariat, within the NPO Parent Support Step, about how "Haru Fes" began and this year's highlight programs.
Please tell us the intent behind planning "Haru Fes."
Ando (honorifics omitted)
This time, we added the subtitle "enjoyed together by people with and without disabilities." As that subtitle says, "Haru Fes" is an event that aims for people with and without disabilities to have natural exchange.
Originally, it should be a given that anyone can go to any event, whether or not they have a disability. But you don't often see people with disabilities enjoying themselves around town, do you? So this time we deliberately called it "enjoyed together by people with and without disabilities," hoping that people with disabilities would feel they could come with peace of mind to this event.
That's not all. We also hope that through this event, people without disabilities will meet people with disabilities, their families, and their supporters.
Every spring, there is an event in central Kurashiki where you meet many people with disabilities.
There, you learn how people with disabilities take part in events, and you become used to enjoying something together.
And someday, enjoying the various events held around town together, with and without disabilities, will become the norm.
We are planning Haru Fes in the hope that it will become a starting point for making that the "norm" in the Kurashiki landscape.
I hear there are plenty of programs and stalls that can be enjoyed regardless of disability.
Ando
The floral decoration workshop, which last year (2024) was paid and open only to people with disabilities, can be experienced free of charge this year, regardless of disability. Please do enjoy making a large floral object together.
Also, last year the rehearsals for the live music were closed to the public, but this time they will be open rehearsals. You may get to see performers looking relaxed and the preparations, so it's a must for music lovers.
Along with the JAZZ live performances, you can also drink blended teas from JAZZ&TEA. In fact, the JAZZ&TEA blended teas are named after jazz tunes. Why not try drinking a blended tea named after the tune while listening to the music?
A first for this year is the "Taiko no Tatsujin Donderful Festival" experience and tournament.
It's one of the games that can be enjoyed regardless of disability, and a fun trial session will be held to coincide with this event. There is also a tournament, so we welcome anyone who thinks "I'm the one!" to join.
With so many programs, it sounds hard to see them all!
Ando
If you like music, enjoy the music; if you want to enjoy food, go sampling the stalls... You can choose and enjoy the programs that suit your own purpose.
This event has free admission and free entry and exit. So it's fine to join only the specific programs that catch your interest.
Why not also enjoy a stroll around Kurashiki Ivy Square and the Bikan Historical Area, in addition to the venue? The venue has a large eating and drinking space, and we have also prepared a separate room for resting and medical care, so if you get tired from walking around, you can come back to the venue and relax.
What would you like visitors to feel?
Ando
First, we want people with disabilities and their families to come to the venue with peace of mind and enjoy the event. Since we want many people with disabilities to come, we have also placed many staff members.
Staff will be wearing bibs, so please feel free to speak to them... That said, if you find it hard to approach someone, you are welcome to come to the general information desk. We will support you with anything, however small, so please don't hesitate to ask.
Even those who don't usually have the chance to interact with people with disabilities, please first enjoy this event to the fullest.
As you enjoy yourself to the utmost and are moved by the beauty of the flowers or the wonderful music, if you happen to glance beside you, a person with a disability may be looking at the same thing and moved in the same way. I'm sure you'll come across a scene like that.
Finally, please leave a message for our readers.
Ando
The forecast for the day is currently sunny, so I hope you will feel free to visit Kurashiki Ivy Square in the warm weather. Whether you have a disability or not, please don't feel pressured; just enjoy the programs you came for.
That alone is enough, so I'd love for many people to come. We look forward to seeing you.
From the Writer
"Unlike last year, this year we made the event title itself show that it is a welfare event."
Ms. Ando told us.
Last year, the emphasis was on getting many people to come regardless of disability, but because they did not state the thoughts behind the event, she said they were left with a lingering unease that they may have lost the chance to connect with "people who would have been interested in people with disabilities and their supporters."
That is why this year the subtitle became "enjoyed together by people with and without disabilities."
In the center of Kurashiki, people with and without disabilities enjoying the same event as a matter of course. Why not become part of that scene?
2nd "Haru Fes" 2025, Enjoyed Together by People with and without Disabilities Information
| Name | The 2nd "Haru Fes" 2025, Enjoyed Together by People with and without Disabilities |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, March 23, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Location | 7-2 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | Free admission |
| Website | Haru Fes Facebook page |
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