KITAICHI Anniversary Festival” in Kita Suzurandai, Kobe: “A Place for More Smiles

　The “KITAICHI” event will be held on April 26 at the Gate Plaza in front of Kita Suzurandai Station (2 Koueidai, Kita-ku, Kobe). The organizer of the event is the town development company “Kitasuzurandai.

People enjoying a booth at past KITAICHI events (photo courtesy of Kitasuzu Land).

　KITAICHI was launched in April 2024 by the company to bring daily life to the Kita-Suzurandai area, where plazas and parks have been created and new residents have come to live after the town was redeveloped. It aims to provide daily entertainment for residents and to be utilized by those who want to take on challenges. The content of each stall is different, including merchandise sales, fairs, workshops, food and drink, and more. This year’s event will be the 20th, and since it will mark the first anniversary, it will be held as an anniversary festival.

　On the day of the event, there will be 10 stalls selling goods such as accessories and small cloth goods, workshops, and restaurants offering cupcakes, scones, baked sweets, takoyaki (octopus dumplings), etc. A rock-paper-scissors contest and a word-of-mouth contest will be held. There will also be a rock-paper-scissors tournament, and a special event in which visitors will be able to receive a gift by collecting a password. There will also be a booth in collaboration with Mother Moon Cafe in front of the gate plaza and a booth where visitors can purchase local vegetables. Ms. Misuzu Iwahashi, who has participated in the event several times, commented, “I have always been able to participate in the event in a relaxed, homey atmosphere. There are many children, and it is lively and fun.

　Kazuhiro Fujii, representative of “Kitasuzu Land,” said, “This event is a reminder of our past efforts to create a lively atmosphere at the Gate Plaza,” and added, “With the support of the local community, we hope to make it a place filled with even more smiles.

　The event will be held from 11:00 to 16:00. Rain or strong winds will cancel the event.