Sagamihara City: Crowdfunding-style Furusato Nozei Underway to Support the 30th Anniversary Koshu Kaido Ohara-juku Honjin Festival!

## Crowdfunding-style Furusato Nozei and Sagamihara City's Initiatives

Unlike traditional Furusato Nozei, where you choose a donation recipient based on the local government or return gifts, crowdfunding-style Furusato Nozei allows you to choose where to donate based on how the donation will be used. Anyone, whether a city resident or not, can participate if they support the project. Furthermore, tax deductions and the one-stop special exception for Furusato Nozei can be received regardless of whether you live inside or outside the city.

To revitalize the Furusato Nozei program and make the city's initiatives known to more people, Sagamihara City is continuously implementing projects utilizing "Government Crowdfunding®"*, a mechanism for soliciting Furusato Nozei through crowdfunding. Currently, a new project is underway to support the "30th Anniversary Koshu Kaido Ohara-juku Honjin Festival," scheduled to be held this November.

*"Government Crowdfunding®" is a registered trademark of Trust Bank, Ltd.

## Project Recruitment

"Let's Connect the History of Ohara-juku Honjin to the Future! The 30th Anniversary Koshu Kaido Ohara-juku Honjin Festival"

- Target Amount: 1 million yen
- Recruitment Period: Until Sunday, July 12, Reiwa 8 (2026)
- Application Method: Access via the project page on "Furusato Choice"
- https://www.furusato-tax.jp/gcf/5258

## Project Details

The Ohara-juku Honjin Festival is held annually on November 3rd by a resident-led executive committee. Its purpose is to pass on the only existing honjin in the prefecture to future generations, to re-recognize the honjin and its era through the festival, and to revitalize the region. As this year marks the 30th anniversary, we plan to celebrate this milestone grandly with events such as a daimyo procession in collaboration with Matsuda Town and a fireworks display, aiming for an event that celebrates its longevity. We kindly ask for your warm support for the holding of this Ohara-juku Honjin Festival.

## Notes

- This project does not offer return gifts.
- Both city residents and non-residents can apply, but it is limited to individuals.
- If the target amount is exceeded, the surplus donations will also be used for the target project.
- Even if the target amount is not reached, donations received will not be refunded and will be used for the target project.
- If the Ohara-juku Honjin Festival is unavoidably cancelled, the donations will be used for regional promotion projects in the Sagamiko area.
- To receive donation tax deductions, a final tax return or a one-stop special exception application is required.

## What is the Ohara-juku Honjin Festival?

The "Ohara-juku Honjin Festival" is a historic festival held annually on Culture Day, November 3rd, around the Koshu Kaido (National Route 20) centered on the Ohara-juku Honjin, the only remaining honjin in Kanagawa Prefecture. It aims to connect valuable historical resources to regional revitalization and pass on the historical culture of the Edo period to future generations. This year marks its 30th anniversary.

On the day of the festival, the old townscape of the Koshu Kaido is recreated along the roadside. The festival is bustling with events such as a daimyo procession, outdoor tea ceremony in the honjin garden, honjin taiko drums and traditional music, a daimyo tea ceremony, a matchlock gun demonstration by the Kawagoe Clan's rifle corps, and street performances.

In the daimyo procession, following the calls of "Shita~ni~!" "Shita~ni~!" from the procession's vanguard "Tomozamurai," a retinue including magistrates, servants, lords, princesses, and ladies-in-waiting slowly and majestically parades through Koshu Kaido Ohara-juku, just like a scene from the Edo period's sankin-kotai (alternate attendance system). The highlight, the "Yakko no Mai" (servant's dance), is a spectacular sight as they skillfully throw and catch long spears.

*Honjin: An inn where daimyo stayed during sankin-kotai.

(Scenes from past events)

(Ohara-juku Honjin)