Vice-Governor Murakami of Tokushima Prefecture participated in the 'Pre-Machi Asobi' kick-off meeting, expressing the prefecture's stance that it wants to hold Machi Asobi
A kick-off meeting was held to discuss what Machi★Asobi, the largest subculture event in Western Japan, is, which is currently on a temporary hiatus, and what the future holds for Machi★Asobi. The event was attended by Tokushima Prefecture Vice-Governor Murakami Koji, Machi★Asobi organizer Okeda Daisuke, and other attendees, who discussed how the 'misunderstanding' had been resolved by improving areas of communication, and how the prefecture still wants to hold Machi★Asobi.
Machi★Asobi Kickoff Meeting
Pre-Machi★Asobi (Kick-off Meeting & Returned? Industry Talk) - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY915L5wgrk
The event was held in the large conference room of Tokugin Tomoni Plaza on the 9th floor of the Amico Building in front of Tokushima Station.
Pictured from the left are host Nippon Broadcasting System announcer Yoshida Hisanori, Machi Asobi organizer Okeda Daisuke , lawyer, Aniplex producer Takahashi Yuma , Tokushima Prefecture vice governor Murakami Koji , and NPO Bizan University representative Hasegawa Shinji. Hasegawa is involved with CHU CHU CHURROS CAFE , a restaurant that has participated in Machi Asobi's gourmet hunts many times, and is also the captain of the Gourd Island Cruise, which is used at the Under the Bridge Museum.
The conference room had a capacity of 150 people, but it was nearly full. Most of the people there had participated in Machi★Asobi before, and there were quite a few tough guys who had been participating since the first event.
First, titled 'Scenes from Machi★Asobi,' the event looked back on past Machi★Asobi events with photos and videos, and delved deeper into what kind of event Machi★Asobi is. Vice Governor Murakami only just came to Tokushima in 2024, but he brought with him a collection of past flyers.
In the middle of the event, the Vice Governor was asked to give an in-depth discussion on why Machi★Asobi has not been held in the first place, in the form of a Q&A session. You can watch the relevant part below.
Pre-Machi★Asobi (Kick-off Meeting & Returned? Industry Talk) - YouTube
When Yoshida asked, 'It's not like the government asked you to stop, right?' Vice Governor Murakami replied, 'That's not the case.' In the budget, there was discussion about whether they should widely allocate money to other events, but they were unable to have a deep discussion with those involved in Machi Asobi, and as a result of the lack of communication and growing distrust, they came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to hold the event in the spring and fall of 2024.
On the other hand, it was decided that this was not acceptable, so they began taking steps to somehow restore the relationship, and discussions began on resuming the event. It has been decided that Premachi★Asobi will be held in the fall of 2024 as a preparatory issue, with the event scheduled to be held in the spring of 2025.
When Yoshida asked again, 'Does the prefecture also have a stance on wanting to hold (Machi★Asobi)?' Vice Governor Murakami responded, 'Of course.'
As a supplementary explanation, organizer Okeda explained that as a result of Machi★Asobi having been held for 15 years, it had become routine and some communication problems had arisen. Then, as the budget was re-arranged, small discrepancies grew into bigger ones, and as a result, it ended up being a case of 'smoke without fire.'
Okeda explained that unlike previous events, Pre-Machi★Asobi will now be a prefecture-subsidized project, hosted by the private nonprofit organization Machi★Asobi, with two-thirds of the costs funded by subsidies and one-third raised by the event's own funds.
In the second half of the event, participants mentioned things they would like to see at future Machi★Asobi events, such as a 'charity auction,' 'Machi★Asobi RUN King,' and 'personal sponsors.'
The 'Charity Auction' has been held since Machi★Asobi vol.7 in the fall of 2011 with the aim of supporting the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and a ceremony to present a mobile library to Minamisanriku Town was held at the opening ceremony of Machi★Asobi vol.18 in the spring of 2017. After that, with the idea of 'wrapping it while we're at it,' the mobile library was given a gift wrap of about 30 items.
'Wrapping Mobile Library' decorated with works such as Fate, Aina, Macross, Ore Imo, etc. unveiled - GIGAZINE
'Machi★Asobi RUN King' is a competition that started as ' Machi★Asobi RUN ' at Machi★Asobi vol.14 as an event where participants run on a 4km course set up in Tokushima city. For the fourth time at Machi★Asobi vol.20, it was reborn as an irregular triathlon that incorporates activities such as 'running across a mat set up over the river.'
'Machi Asobi RUN King' is a super irregular triathlon where participants run on a mat floating on the river and answer quizzes set by Akio Otsuka and Eriko Nakamura - GIGAZINE
'Personal Sponsor' is a project that started with Machi★Asobi vol.8. There were three price ranges, roughly 3000 yen, 10,000 yen, and 30,000 yen, and when you applied, you could choose one live video of your work at the Machi★Asobi venue, or you could receive an admission ticket to an 'Industry Insider Talk Event,' which was strictly forbidden to disclose and had a high competition rate for numbered tickets.
In addition, while autograph sessions and drawing events by manga artists used to be held in Poppo-gai, a shopping street near Tokushima Station, the venue has tended to shrink since COVID-19, and there has been a demand to use the town more widely again.
As an example, in Machi★Asobi vol.4, seven popular artists who all had serials in 'Fellows!' - Irie Aki, Otake Masao, Kikuchi Ruchi, Takahashi Natsuko, Arai Michiyo, Miyata Koji, and Mori Kaoru - collaborated on a mural, and it was possible to view the entire process from up close.
Tokushima Prefectural Assemblyman
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