Rescheduled] Minatogawa Park Handcraft Market on the 4th Saturday of every month Repairing the exterior walls of Minatogawa Park in collaboration with the Awakawa Bamboo Project Repairs by residents and use of bamboo from abandoned bamboo grove

The "Minatogawa Park Handcraft Market" will begin on Saturday, February 28, 2026, in cooperation with the "Awakawa Bamboo Project" to repair the outer walls of the park in cooperation with local residents.

The project will begin at Minatogawa Park in Hyogo Ward, Kobe City, to repair the exterior walls, which have been continuously damaged, by local residents.

The "Minatogawa Park Handcraft Market," a handmade market that has been held on the fourth Saturday of every month for 14 years, is collaborating with the Awakawa Bamboo Project, which is working to maintain the bamboo grove in the Awakawa area of Kobe's Kita Ward. Bamboo cut down in abandoned bamboo groves will be used to repair the outer walls of the park in the form of participatory workshops.

Awakawa Bamboo Project

About 1/3 of the wooden exterior walls of the park have been damaged by children hitting the walls with a ball. Internal items have been repeatedly taken out and garbage thrown in. Even after repairs were made, the boards continued to be broken again, making it an issue to be addressed.

In this project, visitors experienced cutting, chamfering, sanding, and attaching the bamboo to the exterior walls. The work takes about 5 to 10 minutes, and both children and adults can participate.

The previous event was cancelled due to bad weather, but the organizers decided to hold the event again, saying, "We don't want it to end like this; we want to create a way for the community to protect the park.

The park is not to be blamed for the damage, but rather to provide an opportunity for the community to think about how it can be used with care. The goal is to complete the exterior wall while continuing to implement the project as an effort to connect the "mountain issue" of the abandoned bamboo grove and the "town issue" of the damaged park.

Broken wall

Outline of the project

Initial date: February 28, 2026 (Saturday)

　　　　　　*Scheduled to be held on the fourth Saturday of every month thereafter.

Venue: Minatogawa Park (Hyogo Ward, Kobe City)

Participation fee: Free of charge

Time: 11:00-12:00, 13:00-14:00

　　　　　　The work will take about 5 to 10 minutes.

　　　　　　Please come at any of the times of your choice.

　　　　　　(Same-day reservations are also accepted.)

Experience : Cutting bamboo

　　　　　　Chamfering and rubbing

　　　　　　Attaching bamboo to exterior walls, etc.

Ages ：Anyone is welcome.

　　　　　　Small children should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

　　　　　　Please wear clothes that can get dirty.

　　　　　　Please wear clothes that can get dirty. If you have your own gloves, please bring them with you (we have them available for loan).

*Pictures of children cutting bamboo and the exterior walls before and after repairs can be taken.

Workshop Image

Introduction of cooperating organizations

The Awakawa Bamboo Project is a project based in the Awakawa area of Kita-ku, Kobe City, that works to improve the environment by solving the problems of neglected bamboo groves and utilizing bamboo resources. The project continues its recycling-oriented efforts to utilize the bamboo generated from bamboo logging to protect the landscape and ecosystem of the satoyama, instead of treating it as "waste" for daily life and community activities. Through community events and workshops, we have been creating hands-on experiences and spaces for people to create with bamboo, and have placed importance on creating opportunities for people to become familiar with and learn about environmental issues in a hands-on way.

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ougobamboo/

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

Location ： 790-1 Awakawa, Awakawa-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Japan Shared Space Musuhi

Bamboo grove in Awakawa

＜About this collaboration

In this project, bamboo harvested in the Awakawa area will be used as repair material for the exterior walls of Minatogawa Park.

The main feature of this project is that it aims to solve both problems by connecting the "problem created in the mountains (abandoned bamboo groves)" and the "problem created in the town (damage to the park)" through the recycling of local resources.

In addition, the repair work itself is positioned as a "place of learning" by taking advantage of the know-how of workshops with children and local residents that the Awakawa Bamboo Project has cultivated over the years.

＜Expected Benefits

Promotion of understanding of the problem of neglected bamboo forests

Creation of an environmentally friendly park that makes the most of local resources

・ Proactive experience for children and local residents in public spaces.

Through these efforts, we aim to build a relationship in which the entire community looks after and nurtures the park, rather than merely repairing it.

<Future Development

This project is not a one-off event, but will be held monthly to gradually complete the outer wall. The goal is to instill in the community a sense of "not destroying the park" and "protecting it ourselves. After completion, the project will continue to reflect the ideas of local residents and make changes to the new design.

Organizers

About "Minatogawa Park Handmade Market "The "Minatogawa Park Handmade Market" is a handmade market held regularly on the fourth Saturday of each month at Minatogawa Park in Hyogo Ward, Kobe City. About 100 booths gather each month to sell crafts, handmade food, kitchen cars, and other items, attracting many visitors from inside and outside the community.

The event also features a music stage and children's activities, and is intended to provide a place where local residents and their families can gather and interact with each other in a casual atmosphere. This event started in 2012 as an "activity to protect and nurture the park" with the aim of revitalizing the local community. It has taken root in the community through ongoing events and has grown into an initiative that is now in its 14th year.

Website: https://minatogawa-mart.net/

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

Venue of the Minatogawa Park Handcraft Market

<Associated Community Activities

The Minatogawa Park Handicraft Market is not only a market, but also an activity for deeper involvement with the local community.

Onajikamanomeshi

This is an effort to create intergenerational exchange by bringing together local residents to eat together and to think about what is good for the community and give it shape.

Onajika Manomeshi

...the "Nakaniwa" in Minatogawa Parktown.

Once a week, vacant tenants in a commercial building are used to open a space that can be freely used by local residents and people engaged in various activities. It is operated as a place where new connections and activities are born.

Minatogawa Park Town's "Nakaniwa

Minatogawa Kitchen

Operates a shared kitchen where different cafes can be enjoyed on a daily basis. Currently accepting applications for stalls.

Minatogawa Kitchen

2/28 Event to be held on the same day

KOBE DPRO. 3x3" is coming! Experience basketball at Minatogawa Park!

KOBE DPRO. 3×3 is a professional 3×3 basketball team based in Hyogo Ward.

This time, a special court will be set up at the site of the Minatogawa Park Handiwork Market, where they will interact with junior high school students who attend the club and free up the court.

The event is designed to familiarize children from young children to upper elementary school students with basketball and provide fun for beginners as well.

KOBE DPRO 3X3 Image

Players are playing at the venue in Kyushu on the day of the event.

Watch the games live on TV! Let's cheer them on together!

Please enjoy this special day with everyone at the venue.

<Schedule

11:00～12:00 Court release, registration for kids 3x3 experience

Kids can try their hand at playing with the ball (no registration required).

Registration for "Kids 3x3 Experience" will start at 12:00.

12:00-13:30 Kids 3×3 Experience

For 4th to 6th graders

Junior high school students belonging to a club team will practice and coach with us.

(14:00-14:30 Live performance by the firefighting band)

14:45-16:00 3×3 practice, game and clean-up

The kids will play a game together with the participants of the 3×3 Kids Experience.

We will clean up the court. We are looking for volunteers to help clean up!

<Outline of the event

Date: February 28, 2026 (Saturday) 11:00-16:00

Venue: Minatogawa Park

Cost: Free of charge for participation and viewing

In case of rain or snow, the event will be cancelled.

＜What is 3×3 Basketball?

3×3 basketball is a sport for which the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has established official rules, and since 2007 it has been an "official sport" that has been expanding all over the world.

Main differences from 5-player basketball

Half court

21-goal knockout system

One point for a normal goal, two points for shooting from beyond the arc

＜What is KOBE DPRO?

DPRO started in February 2022 as a comprehensive regional sports club, aiming to be "a community that provides the true enjoyment of sports by competing and having fun together". A comprehensive regional sports club is a concept of a sports community where people of all ages can experience a variety of sports at their own level.

KOBE DPRO.EXE hopes to contribute to the further development of Kobe's sports culture as a top professional team of a comprehensive regional sports club.

https://www.kobedpro-basketball.com/

Organized by Root Inc.

No.2 "Understanding! Introduction to "KOBEKATSU" - What is the regional transfer of club activities? ～～

KOBE KATSU, which will start next school year, is a new system that allows junior high school students in Kobe City to participate in a variety of activities, including sports and cultural arts activities, after school and on holidays beyond the boundaries of their school district.

Introduction to "Kobekatsu

With the start of the system coming up in September of next school year,

What is it all about?

How can I get information about it?

What is the actual operation of the system?

What are the contents of the system, how should I know the information, and how will it actually work?

At this meeting, we will bring these voices directly to the Board of Education, and provide a forum where the purpose and content of the system will be explained in an easy-to-understand manner, and questions can be asked.

On the day of the meeting, we will also invite club members who are participating in Kobekatsu to speak directly to the audience about their activities, their thoughts on children, and their ideas on how to create a club.

Our goal is not only to explain the system, but also to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about what kind of adults are actually involved and what kind of thoughts they have, so that they can think about Kobekatsu with more ease.

<Organizations speaking at the event

Kobe Diplo

Children's Festa Symphonic Band

<Outline of the event

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Time: 18:00-19:00

place : Hyogo Ward Office 2F "Minatogawa Hall

Participation fee: Free of charge

<How to attend

Advance reservations are required. Please register using the form below.

https://minatogawakobekatsu.peatix.com/

Deadline: 2/25 by 10:00