Tokyo Hyakki Yakou

Since starting up Yokaiya, one of our goals has been to gather 100 Yokai and hold a parade (a Hyakki Yakou). We decided to hold this event to commemorate the fact that we have more than 4,000 followers on Twitter (now X). We were very worried, and we didn't have a large budget to spare, wondering if people would come to such an unprepared event, which is not even a corporate event, but in the end, it turned out to be a big event that gathered 180 Yokai, far exceeding our goal of 100 people. Although it was quite over capacity for our management system, we were able to make it happen thanks to the help of Koenji Wagakki BAR Ryugu, the Koenji Festival Executive Committee, the Koenji Look Shopping Street, and the participating Yokai.

Overtourism is a growing concern these days, with so many tourists from overseas flocking to Japan. Now is the time to spread the word about Japanese yokai culture (or more precisely, the fun of creating yokai) to the world. Thanks to everyone's cooperation, we have already confirmed that the event will be held in 2024. Furthermore, it looks like we will be able to put together a sufficient operating structure (staff and facilities) this year. We look forward to seeing you all again.

Assemble, you monsters!

I would like to introduce the "goodness of the town" of Koenji that I felt during the event. First of all, the main event of Koenji is "Koenji Awa Odori". At Koenji Awa Odori, more than 160 groups of groups, each consisting of more than a few dozen people, parade around while dancing the Awa Odori. The number of visitors is about one million, and the town is literally a different order of magnitude, with the town being completely filled with Awa Odori. Perhaps because such an event is held every year, there were no complaints from the stores, and I felt that it was a very generous town. On the contrary, I think there is still room to grow by increasing the number of monsters and making it more exciting. I always try to be careful not to cause a nuisance to the town, but the people of the town have given me the stamp of approval that it's okay to do it more flashily. Koenji is a town with many second-hand clothing stores and general stores, as well as many underground shops, so there is no shortage of places to stroll around. One representative example is Koenji Japanese Musical Instruments Bar Ryugujo, which was the catalyst for holding the Tokyo Hyakki Yako in Koenji. Ryugujo is run by Hirozumi Waka, a Japanese drummer who played the role of Shigeru Mizuki in his childhood, and has helped us with all of our planning and mental aspects of Yokaiya. Ryugujo has supported us from the early days of Yokaiya to where we are today. Ryugujo has connected us to the Koenji Look Shopping Street, where the event is being held, and we believe we have built an extremely good relationship of cooperation. We hope you will come and visit this wonderful city of Koenji! We look forward to welcoming you to both Look Shopping Street and Ryugujo.