I went to the 16th "Takahashi River Marche," a cultural exchange event featuring people, food, crafts, and works, held in 2022.

The "Takahashi River Marche - Achi Town Cultural Festival -" is a market event held around the streets of Achi-cho, Kurashiki City, with the main venue being the Ohashi House, a nationally designated important cultural property built in the mid-Edo period.

This year (2022) marks the 16th time it has been held, starting in 2012, initially taking place multiple times a year, and now being held once a year.

In 2022, it was held over two days on October 8 and 9, so I decided to visit while taking a walk.

Ohashi House and the pedestrian-only shopping street bustling with various booths

Inside the main venue, Ohashi House, it initially seems that there are many handmade crafts.

However, inside, there were more than 20 booths of different genres, including a workshop using flowers by "Kobo Hanayoshi" and booths selling products made from local specialties such as rush and tatami edging.

Additionally, throughout the pedestrian-only shopping street, there were many fun event booths, including delicious food booths.

The design of the pamphlet is by Take Takae

I spoke with Take Takae, who is responsible for the cover design of the pamphlet every year.

After graduating from the Printmaking Department of the Faculty of Art and Design at Musashino Art University in 2013, Take has been active in Okayama since 2016, and this is the fourth year of designing the Takahashi River Marche pamphlet as of 2022.

"The sense of unity and warmth of the people at an event held by the whole town is impressive, and I want to cherish this feeling of gaining power every time I participate, so I created it using the technique of copperplate printing,"

she said.

True to that image, it seemed that visitors were happily chatting at various booths throughout the venue.

Glass art works by students from Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts

The first thing that caught my eye at the entrance of the tatami room in Ohashi House was a "plastic bag" placed on the table.

It wasn't a particularly hot day, but I thought, "Could it be ice left behind by a visitor?" and reached out to touch it...

To my surprise, it was a cool "glass work."

This work seemed to be a glass art piece by students from Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, and I was amazed by the idea and execution.

Additionally, there were many craft items such as glass tableware made by blowing glass, and behind the glass art pieces, Take's prints used in the pamphlet were also on display.

Yoshino Pottery "Residents of the Heart"

When I went out to the garden, I was greeted by many fairies.

This work was displayed by "Yoshino Pottery," which makes ceramics in Yakage Town, Okayama Prefecture.

They are called "Residents of the Heart," made of porcelain fairies.

The production was done by ceramic artist Yokoyama Yukie.

Each piece had a unique expression, giving a very warm feeling.

This work uses a large amount of "shavings" produced during the porcelain-making process.

"I wanted to reduce the shavings that have been wasted for many years, so I thought of having 'Residents of the Heart' solve that problem,"

she shared.

However, it seems that the shavings are still not decreasing.

Conclusion

The Takahashi River Marche, held for the 16th time in 2022, was a very attractive event that matched the calm atmosphere of the historic Ohashi House.

In addition to many craft works on display, there were food booths using local ingredients and experiential events, creating a festival-like atmosphere throughout the shopping street, with many participants enjoying themselves.

I have been attending this event for the past few years, and it seems that it changes shape slightly and expands in scale every year.

This also reflects the deep feelings of the organizers and participants over the years as a town-wide event to revitalize the community.

I look forward to the next events.

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