The Shintomi Spring Arts Festival is set to take place on May 16, 2026, in Shintomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture. The event marks the renovation opening of Shintomi Town Cultural Hall "Lupinus Mirai Theater" and the 10th anniversary of the Shintomi Town Community Exchange Center "Kirari," and is co-hosted with the Shintomi Town Lifelong Learning Division, which operates Kirari.
The festival serves as the inaugural self-produced cultural program of Shintomi Town Cultural Hall, now managed by the Koyu Regional Development Promotion Foundation. It is fully produced by the MIRISE team — a town-building project that uses the theater as a hub for nurturing community members who actively create and generate local value.
Event Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Shintomi Spring Arts Festival — Lupinus Mirai Theater Renovation Opening Event |
| Date | Saturday, May 16, 2026 |
| Time | 11:00 AM–7:00 PM |
| Main Venue | Shintomi Town Cultural Hall (Lupinus Mirai Theater), 6367-1 Kamitomita, Shintomi Town, Koyu District, Miyazaki Prefecture |
| Satellite Venue | Shintomi Town Community Exchange Center Kirari, 1 Kamitomita, Shintomi Town, Koyu District, Miyazaki Prefecture |
Program Highlights
Kirari 10th Anniversary Festival (11:00 AM–4:00 PM)
At the satellite venue Kirari, the day begins with a market featuring food and craft stalls, mini live music performances, rakugo storytelling, picture-book readings, and parent-child workshops.
Lupinus Mirai Theater Area (1:00 PM–7:00 PM)
At the main venue, the afternoon features food trucks, a theater workshop for families, and hands-on art experiences for all ages.
Original Play KakoKara Mirai (5:00 PM–6:30 PM)
The renovation opening is celebrated with the inaugural performance of KakoKara Mirai, a fully original play created by a professional director alongside Shintomi Town residents. Drawing on the town's landscape and history — including Tomita Beach and the Nitta Hara burial mounds — the cast features actors originally from Shintomi Town as well as the theater's own director.
Admission is ¥500. Tickets and full performance details are available at https://kakokaramirai.peatix.com/
Following the performance, the MIRISE project team will present plans for future activities, including collaborative models with regional revitalization volunteers and partner businesses.
Reimagining the Community Theater
Shintomi Town Cultural Hall had previously operated with 97.6% of its use consisting of venue rental. Under new management from fiscal year 2026, the theater is being repositioned as an "engine of the local economy." The MIRISE project's aim is to produce 1,000 creative community members per year through 30 projects and 100 activities annually, with a three-year goal of having approximately one-fifth of Shintomi Town's population involved in some form of creative activity.
The Shintomi Spring Arts Festival serves as the kickoff experiment for this vision — a day where residents of all ages can experience being not just an audience, but creators in their own town.
