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News2026/04/18

“Yumeshi Festival” — SOIL Nagatoyumoto 1st Anniversary Event Recap

On March 28–29, 2026,
we held “Yumeshisai,” an event celebrating the first anniversary of SOIL Nagatoyumoto.

The theme was “the perfect after-bath experience, with everything you’d want after a soak.”
Enjoying the lingering warmth of a bath at Onto alongside food, music, and strolling through the town—
it became a two-day experience that unfolded across the entire onsen town.

After-bath moments unfolding across the onsen town

Together with the cherry blossoms at their peak, venues were scattered throughout the everyday landscape—across the plaza in front of Onto, its resting area, and the bridge just outside SOIL Nagatoyumoto.
By making only subtle interventions to the town, we created small pockets of space where each visitor could spend time freely, in their own way.

Around 40 vendors gathered from not only Yamaguchi, but also Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and Tokyo.
Coffee, curry, craft beer, bodywork, pizza, citrus stands, books, ceramics—
a diverse mix of “things you’d want after a bath” came together, forming small hubs throughout the onsen town.

After bathing, visitors wandered along the river, stopping by places that caught their eye, then moving on again.
Within this gentle circulation, people naturally blended together, and a way of spending time unique to this town began to emerge.

At the plaza in front of Onto, a DJ booth was set up, with music flowing throughout the day, loosely connecting the space.
For the evening closing, Japanese music artists Makoichi and Wataru Sawabe performed.
At night, the setting shifted to the town’s snack bar “POPPA,” where a collective from Kitakyushu carried the music forward, letting the afterglow linger.

Many local residents and ryokan owners also joined, naturally mixing with younger visitors who had come to the town.
What stood out was how few people were on their phones—
each person simply spending time, in their own way.

It felt like something in between tourism and everyday life—
a kind of time that quietly drifted through the town.

Through Yumeshisai, we hoped to bring about a subtle shift in how the town is experienced.
When the way a place is used changes, so too do the movements and relationships within it.
We believe that these small accumulations can gradually shape a new everyday for the onsen town.

As one visitor remarked, “Nagatoyumoto feels almost like a hidden utopia.”
It was a comment that somehow felt just right for those two days.

If you haven’t visited yet, we hope you’ll come and experience it for yourself.