Tackling Population Decline and Young People’s Loss of Interest in Festivals Nihonmatsu’s Lantern Festival Features 23 Local Youth in a Pictorial Guide

The Takeda Neighborhood Association (Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture), which participates in the “Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival”—a Fukushima Prefecture-designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property—against the backdrop of a shortage of participants due to population decline and young people losing interest in the festival, has published a free booklet titled “Takeda Wakaren Picture Book 2026” as an effort to attract new participants and supporters.

The booklet focuses on the “people”—the young people who support the festival—and introduces them. Additionally, on the web, they have released the “Web Version of ‘Wakaren RPG,’” which uses AI to depict the 23 members of the youth group as characters in an RPG game.

Booklet Cover

■In five years, we may not be able to hold the festival as we have in the past

The Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival, with a history spanning over 360 years, is one of Fukushima Prefecture’s most representative festivals.

However, in the Takeda district, against a backdrop of population decline and young people losing interest in the festival, the actual number of young people supporting the festival has fallen from about 35 around 2016 to an estimated 25 by 2026, making the shortage of participants a serious issue.

If this decline continues, it may become difficult to hold the festival as usual in five years due to a shortage of participants. Driven by this sense of crisis, we created the “Takeda Wakaren Guidebook 2026” as a new initiative to increase festival participation.

■ Launching Two Versions: A Printed Booklet and the Web-Based “Wakaren RPG”

The Takeda Wakaren Guidebook focuses on 23 members of the “Wakaren” (Young Participants), primarily in their 20s and 30s, who take part in the festival.

The printed booklet introduces each person’s role and personality in an easy-to-understand encyclopedia format.

The web version, “Wakaren RPG,” utilizes AI to introduce the 23 members by incorporating elements from the world of RPG games, such as “Level,” “Special Skills,” “Stats,” “Appearance Stages,” and “Partner Items.”

Print Edition: Member Profiles

■ Web Version “Wakaren RPG” – Member Profiles

The web version of “Wakaren RPG” further expands Takeda’s world—which couldn’t be fully captured in print—online. It introduces the 23 members of Wakaren as an RPG-style character encyclopedia.

Web Version of “Wakaren RPG” – Member Profiles

Web Version of “Wakaren RPG” – Neighborhood Association President and Administrative Chief Profiles

Web Version of “Wakaren RPG” – Introduction to the Mayor of Nihonmatsu

■Our Goal: “A Festival People Want to Join”

Through the information shared in this guide, we aim to transform the festival from one “for strangers” into one “for people who know about it”—and ultimately into a festival where people think, “I’d like to participate too.” Our goal is to create an environment that lowers the psychological barrier to participation.

■The Project Was Inspired by Feedback from Neighborhood Residents

The impetus for creating the guidebook came from feedback like this from neighborhood residents:

“We want to support the festival and the young people participating, but we don’t know who’s there or what they’re doing. We’d really like to shout, ‘Go, [Name]!’ but we can’t.”

So, we decided to create this guidebook to make the “people” supporting the festival more visible.

If people can recognize the faces in the guidebook, it becomes easier for them to strike up a conversation and offer encouragement. We hope that this cumulative effect will bridge the gap between people and the festival, leading to new participants.

■ A Second-Year Middle School Student Serves as Deputy Editor-in-Chief; the Mayor of Nihonmatsu Also Appears

Members of the local community were involved in the planning, reporting, and editing of the guidebook, and Ryuto Hashimoto, a second-year middle school student, participated as deputy editor-in-chief.

In addition, Nihonmatsu Mayor Keiichi Miho made an appearance as “Miporin” to share his thoughts on the future of the festival and a message for the younger generation.

Scenes from the interview with the junior high school deputy editor-in-chief and the mayor

The printed booklet is referred to as the “Booklet Edition,” while the “Web Edition of ‘Wakaren RPG’—Takeda Wakaren Encyclopedia 2026,” which utilizes AI, is available online on platforms such as Instagram.

Full-page release of the print and web versions of “Wakaren RPG”

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17951996724264172/

QR Code for Instagram: @takeda_wakarenkai_1664

Instagram: @takeda_wakarenkai_1664

https://www.instagram.com/takeda_wakarenkai_1664/

All Pages of the Print and Web Versions of “Wakaren RPG” Now Available

"Takeda Wakaren Encyclopedia 2026" Overview

Title: Takeda Wakaren Encyclopedia 2026

Published by: Takeda Neighborhood Association / Takeda Wakarenkai

Specifications: A5 size, 24 pages, full color, saddle-stitched

Print Run: 2,000 copies

Price: Free

Main Contents: Introduction to Wakaren members, recruitment information, introduction to neighborhood association members,

　　　　 　 Message from the Mayor of Nihonmatsu, information on sponsors, etc.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takeda_wakarenkai_1664/

■About the Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival

This autumn festival, designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Fukushima Prefecture, has been passed down for over 360 years in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. Seven "taikodai" floats—one from each of the seven neighborhoods, each adorned with approximately 300 lanterns—parade through the castle town accompanied by spirited chants and festival music.The highlight of the festival is the “Evening Festival” on the first day, when all seven floats gather and thousands of lanterns illuminate the nighttime streets.

In 2026, the Lantern Festival will be held on October 3, 4, and 5.

Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival