About 13 months have passed since the heavy rain disaster in July 2018, on August 24, 2019.
The annual summer event in the Yata area of Mabi Town, which could not be held last year, took place this year!
Residents, including those involved in "Yata Community Development," gathered to run the event.
Children performing on stage, parents watching over them, everyone wore happy smiles, and the handmade atmosphere created by the locals made for a warm and comforting event.
We will mainly introduce the state of the stage on the day!
About the "Bamboo & Interaction Festival"
The "Bamboo & Interaction Festival" is a summer festival held every August in the Yata area since 1999.
It is organized by the Yata Area Community Development Promotion Council and the Summer Festival Executive Committee of the Social Welfare Council.
It seems that it has become a tradition for young people in their 20s from the community to serve as the executive committee chairperson and lead the festival.
Senior members of the Yata Community Development support the younger generation from behind, and everyone from local youth to older residents collaborates to plan and run the event.
The state of the "Bamboo & Interaction Festival" held on August 24, 2019
As of August 2019, half of the Yata area residents are living in temporary housing away from Mabi Town, so the event started at 3:30 PM, about two hours earlier than usual, to make it easier for everyone to return.
The location was Kibinomakibi Station Square.
The parking lot on the west side of "Life Town Mabi" was available, making it easy to access from Kibinomakibi Station and a convenient gathering place.
There was some light rain during the event, but it did not pour down, and the festival was successfully held.
The state of the food booth
A total of 23 organizations participated, including local groups from Mabi, businesses in the elderly and disability sectors, volunteer groups, and restaurants from Okayama.
The food booths were bustling with many local organizations, offering ice cream, curry, yakitori, local beer, Mabi okowa, takoyaki, and shaved ice.
Uchiwa fans were sold for 100 yen, and there was a plan where one in every two fans won a prize.
I won a foaming net for washing my face!
The uchiwa fans featured a poster that won the grand prize in the poster contest, and the illustration depicting the festival atmosphere brought smiles to everyone.
The state of the stage
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony featured a performance by the drum and fife band of Mabi Kanariya Nursery School.
There were some moments where the tempo was off, but the sight of the children raising flags and beating drums while watching the teacher's conducting was truly earnest.
The little children from Mabi brightened up the opening with their cheerful energy.
Brass band performance by Mabi Junior High School and Mabi Higashi Junior High School
Next was a performance by the brass band clubs of Mabi Junior High School and Mabi Higashi Junior High School.
Mabi Junior High School suffered flooding damage to its school building due to the heavy rain disaster in July 2018, and classes are currently being held in a temporary school building constructed on the grounds of Mabi Higashi Junior High School.
As a result, the brass band clubs of Mabi Junior High School and Mabi Higashi Junior High School are currently practicing together, and they performed together on this day as well.
Students living in temporary housing away from Mabi Town have a school bus leaving at 4:30 PM, making it difficult to secure enough practice time, as the advisor teacher explained.
Despite the challenging circumstances, they delivered a bright performance, and both the performers and the audience clapped along, creating a lively atmosphere.
Color guard by Soleil
Next, a color guard performance by "Soleil" was presented.
Do you know what a color guard is?
It is a part that uses equipment such as flags and rifles to perform visual expressions.
They threw flags and rifles high into the air and caught them beautifully!
They performed a splendid routine in time with the music, captivating the audience.
Flags printed with the Seto-Ohashi Bridge fluttered, and the colorful performance was truly impressive.
Oedo Tamatsudare
The familiar opening line of "Ah, well, ah, well..." was presented in the "Oedo Tamatsudare" performance.
Some participants had been affected by the heavy rain disaster in July 2018, but everyone joyfully raised their legs and sang while performing the tamatsudare, bringing smiles to the audience.
Kibi no Makibi Selection
And this year, for the first time, the "Kibi no Makibi Selection" was held.
The event aims to select the modern Kibi no Makibi, and the person chosen as Mr. Kibi no Makibi will be given the opportunity to appear in a promotional video for Mabi Town.
There are no age or residency restrictions for applicants.
Seven people who wanted to "support and liven up Mabi" applied and appeared on stage dressed in the costume of Kibi no Makibi!
It was introduced that five of them live outside of Mabi and are participating as volunteers in photo restoration.
One volunteer shared their experience, saying that when they were able to hand over a cleaned photo that had been covered in mud, the owner received it with tears in their eyes, which made them tear up as well.
One person, who travels five hours one way from Nagoya to volunteer, expressed their joy at experiencing the kindness of the people and nature of Mabi, saying, "Mabi is my second hometown."
Various forms of PR for their feelings towards Mabi were presented, including a person showcasing their proud song.
The youngest participant is a fourth-grade elementary school student attending Ayata Elementary School in Mabi.
They seemed a bit shy when answering the host's questions, but the orange costume suits them very well.
The first Mr. Kibi no Makibi Grand Prix was selected based on the loudness of the audience's applause, and fourth grader Yamaguchi-kun was chosen!
The Grand Prix winner received products from "Teori," a furniture manufacturer using bamboo from Mabi, while the two runners-up received Mabi-grown Pione grapes as prizes.
Finally, all seven participants gathered on stage for a commemorative photo. They look great together!
Brilliant
Next up is the dance vocal unit "Brilliant" from Okayama Prefecture!
They are a group of four current second-year high school girls.
The song and dance performed with the hope that "everyone will feel more energized" was powerful!
One of the members is from Mabi, and they seemed very happy to perform in Mabi.
They waved towels during their performance, and their energetic and bright voices resonated throughout Mabi.
Kibi no Makibi Taiko Performance
The final performance was by the Kibi no Makibi Taiko group.
Due to the heavy rain disaster in July 2018, their drum storage area was flooded, causing significant damage to their drums, sticks, and costumes, but they were able to perform thanks to support from across the country.
The members, dressed in matching T-shirts printed with "Let's do our best, Mabi," resonated with powerful drum sounds.
The rhythm of the drums felt like a strong push for recovery.
Conclusion
As of August 2019, about 700 households, or half of the households in the Ayata area of Mabi, are still living away from Mabi.
Although recovery is still ongoing, local children performed, and organizations from the Mabi area set up stalls, bringing smiles and joy to those who now live away from Mabi.
This event was energizing, fueled by the strength of Mabi's residents who want to "overcome the disaster and revitalize the community."
A year has passed since the heavy rain disaster in July 2018, and reports on the current situation in Mabi have decreased.
However, this festival reaffirmed the desire to continue conveying the state of Mabi, which is taking steps toward recovery, one step at a time.
Bamboo & Interaction Festival Data
| Name | Bamboo & Interaction Festival |
|---|---|
| Date | August 24, 2019 |
| Location | Kibinomakibi Station Square |
