Let's Create the Town's Future from the Theater! "Spring Shintomi Art Festival" to Experience Art and Entertainment on May 16
The Koyu Foundation will host the "Spring Shintomi Art Festival" on May 16, 2026, to celebrate the renewal of the Lupinus Mirai Theater. It serves as a kickoff for the MIRISE project aimed at cultivating a 'creative population'.
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The Koyu Regional Development Promotion Organization (Location: Shintomi Town, Koyu District, Miyazaki Prefecture; Representative Director: Keiji Okamoto; hereinafter "Koyu Foundation") will hold a large-scale event, the "Spring Shintomi Art Festival," on Saturday, May 16, 2026. This event commemorates the renewal opening of the Shintomi Town Cultural Center "Lupinus Mirai Theater" and the 10th anniversary of the Shintomi Town Comprehensive Exchange Center "Kirari." It will be co-hosted with the Shintomi Town Lifelong Learning Division, which operates "Kirari."
This event is an independent cultural project of the Shintomi Town Cultural Center, which the Koyu Foundation will manage and operate starting from FY2026. It is fully produced by the "MIRISE" team, a town-building project aimed at nurturing a "creative population" (people who generate value themselves) starting from the theater. In collaboration with the government and local stakeholders, it will be a kickoff event to create a new place for challenges centered around cultural arts.
## ■ Event Overview
[Name] Spring Shintomi Art Festival - Lupinus Mirai Theater Renewal Opening Event
[Date and Time] Saturday, May 16, 2026, 11:00-19:00
[Venues]
Main Venue: Shintomi Town Cultural Center (Lupinus Mirai Theater) / 6367-1 Kamitonda, Shintomi Town, Koyu District, Miyazaki Prefecture
Satellite Venue: Shintomi Town Comprehensive Exchange Center Kirari / 1 Kamitonda, Shintomi Town, Koyu District, Miyazaki Prefecture
[Main Contents] *Contents are subject to change
- Kirari 10th Anniversary Festival (11:00-16:00): Marche (food and sundries), mini-live performances, rakugo performance, storytelling, workshops for parents and children, etc.
- Lupinus Mirai Theater Area (13:00-19:00): Kitchen cars, theater workshops for parents and children, art experiences, etc.
- Shintomi Town Original Play "Kakokaramirai" (17:00-18:30): As the inaugural performance of the Lupinus Mirai Theater, an original play co-acted by professionals and residents will be staged. After the performance, future initiatives of the MIRISE project will be announced and introduced.
## ■ Background: From "Empty Boxes" Centered on Rentals to "Engines" Generating Challenges
Until now, 97.6% of the usage of the Shintomi Town Cultural Center was simply room rentals. Taking the opportunity of becoming the designated manager from FY2026, the Koyu Foundation will redefine the theater as an "engine for the regional economy." Amidst accelerating population decline and over-concentration in Tokyo, increasing the "creative population"—people who create projects and works themselves in the region, going beyond mere relocation or exchange—will be key to enhancing regional sustainability. This art festival is the first major social experiment to embody that vision.
This event is an independent cultural project of the Shintomi Town Cultural Center, which the Koyu Foundation will manage and operate starting from FY2026. It is fully produced by the "MIRISE" team, a town-building project aimed at nurturing a "creative population" (people who generate value themselves) starting from the theater. In collaboration with the government and local stakeholders, it will be a kickoff event to create a new place for challenges centered around cultural arts.
## ■ Event Overview
[Name] Spring Shintomi Art Festival - Lupinus Mirai Theater Renewal Opening Event
[Date and Time] Saturday, May 16, 2026, 11:00-19:00
[Venues]
Main Venue: Shintomi Town Cultural Center (Lupinus Mirai Theater) / 6367-1 Kamitonda, Shintomi Town, Koyu District, Miyazaki Prefecture
Satellite Venue: Shintomi Town Comprehensive Exchange Center Kirari / 1 Kamitonda, Shintomi Town, Koyu District, Miyazaki Prefecture
[Main Contents] *Contents are subject to change
- Kirari 10th Anniversary Festival (11:00-16:00): Marche (food and sundries), mini-live performances, rakugo performance, storytelling, workshops for parents and children, etc.
- Lupinus Mirai Theater Area (13:00-19:00): Kitchen cars, theater workshops for parents and children, art experiences, etc.
- Shintomi Town Original Play "Kakokaramirai" (17:00-18:30): As the inaugural performance of the Lupinus Mirai Theater, an original play co-acted by professionals and residents will be staged. After the performance, future initiatives of the MIRISE project will be announced and introduced.
## ■ Background: From "Empty Boxes" Centered on Rentals to "Engines" Generating Challenges
Until now, 97.6% of the usage of the Shintomi Town Cultural Center was simply room rentals. Taking the opportunity of becoming the designated manager from FY2026, the Koyu Foundation will redefine the theater as an "engine for the regional economy." Amidst accelerating population decline and over-concentration in Tokyo, increasing the "creative population"—people who create projects and works themselves in the region, going beyond mere relocation or exchange—will be key to enhancing regional sustainability. This art festival is the first major social experiment to embody that vision.