The Shimohonmachi shopping arcade, also known as Fresh Honmachi, is one of Niigata City's oldest shopping streets, and on 5 July, a Tanabata Festival produced by university students was held here. The event was organised by the Shimohonmachi Shopping Association and Niigata Prefectural University, with the cooperation of Niigata Seiryo University, and was a collaboration between the university and the shopping arcade! The title of the festival was 'Niigata Shimohonmachi Monogatari - Wish upon a moat'.

Students from Niigata Prefectural University and Niigata Seiryo University were everywhere, setting up stalls and making the event exciting. The event started at 16:00. The weather was fine and it was still light outside at the start.

The Shimohonmachi shopping street is characterised by this retro Showa-era sign "Fresh Honmachi" and many street vendors.

お祭ということもあって多くの露天やお店が遅くなってもお店を開けていました。

This is one of the events: graffiti on the street with colourful chalk! Everyone from small children to adults had their own idea of graffiti painted all over the shopping street.

There is also a project where students can draw their own original pictures on tote bags. This was also student-led.

また、「全部で何個だろう？」と思うほど多く吊るされていた提灯。これも学生さんが夜を徹して作ったそう。

暗くなってくると商店街中を柔らかい光で彩っていました。

Some food and goods for this festival are also available. Yaki Onigiri, Yaki Soba and Hamayaki. Also original goods such as glowing eyeballs are sold.

Local shops also open their shops until night for hospitality. I don't often come to the shops in the Shimohonmachi shopping arcade, but when I have opportunities like this I can't help but look in on them. Everyone spoke to me in a friendly manner and it was fun.

いつもの夕方よりずいぶん賑やか！

さて、イベントのサブタイトルにもなっていた「堀に願いを」。「星ではなく堀？」と思った方も多いかもしれませんね。今回の七夕祭りは下本町商店街だけでなく、かつてお堀があった早川堀通りも範囲に含めているのです。早川堀通りは以前に「いよいよ完成！新潟市早川堀通りの水辺空間」という記事で紹介したように、お堀を模した水辺空間が整備されました。

そこに灯籠がたくさん並べられています。これが夜になると・・・

こんな感じでライトアップ！

Incidentally, this lantern has LED bulbs inside. It is not a real fire, but the light randomly gets stronger and weaker, so it was beautiful, flickering like a real fire. There was also a yuzen nagashi at the water's edge. The red and blue yuzen are probably Orihime and Hikoboshi.

下本町商店街から早川堀通りまでは、すこし離れていて数分歩くのですがその道中には影絵アートがいくつも民家やビルの壁に映されていました。これ、七夕のストーリー仕立てになっているのだとか。学生さんらしい素敵な発想！頑張りますね～

そんなこんなで暗くなってきた下本町商店街を提灯の明かりが照らし始めます。

Locals or customers set up chairs and tables in several places, drinking and eating beach food. The atmosphere is peaceful.

いつもは真っ暗になる商店街も、この日ばかりは七夕の天の川に負けないくらい明かりが灯っています。子どもたちは会場で配られた「ドリカムボール」と呼ばれる光るボールや、光る目玉を付けて大はしゃぎ！

At the end of the day, an art photo was taken of a painting with light in the dark.

The Tanabata Festival in Shimohonmachi shopping arcade had various events like this, but the preparations started only a month ago! I am amazed at the students and the shopping association who prepared so much in such a short time. The students and the shopping association were surprised at how much preparation was done in such a short space of time, as they were planning a larger event for September, and this time was more of a pre-event for that.

It is good to see local university students working closely with the local shopping district to set up a community development initiative, and there are high expectations for the September event.

An old-fashioned shopping street lined with old buildings and open-air markets. Why not try a visit to Shimohonmachi?