Koyu Morning Market in Shintomi, Miyazaki, Marks Its 9th Anniversary with a Thanksgiving Festival on May 17

The Koyu Morning Market, held on the third Sunday of every month by the Koyu Community Development Promotion Organization, a general incorporated foundation based in Shintomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture and led by Representative Director Keiji Okamoto, will celebrate its 9th anniversary on May 17, 2026. On the day of the event, about 30 vendors, mainly food and beverage businesses from inside and outside the town, will line the shopping street, and a 9th-anniversary thanksgiving event featuring luxury prizes will also be held. Together with local businesses, the Koyu Foundation will continue working to create liveliness and opportunities for exchange in the town. Background: A monthly event designed to be enjoyable and worth revisiting Koyu Morning Market began in May 2017, the first year of the Koyu Foundation, by taking over an event that had been continued for 10 years by a local restaurant association. It was launched with the desire to create a place in Shintomi where people could gather at least once a month. During the intense summer heat, the event has been adjusted into formats such as the Koyu Evening Market and Koyu Night Market, with continued efforts to make it more enjoyable for both vendors and visitors. Seasonal themes have also been incorporated, including Halloween in October and Valentine’s Day in February, with participants helping shape the market together. The venue is Rupii Mall Nijigaoka Shopping Street, the only shopping street in the town. Although the event is held for just three hours on the third Sunday of each month, it has grown into a popular event that sometimes attracts around 1,000 visitors from inside and outside the town. As an outdoor event, it is canceled in the event of rain, but despite being affected by weather, it has continued without interrupting its once-a-month rhythm. Overview: A grand raffle featuring 148 prizes, including accommodation vouchers and local gourmet items This year’s theme is the 9th Anniversary Thanksgiving Festival. With the cooperation of local businesses and vendors, the event will feature a raffle using tickets distributed with purchases. The prizes, more luxurious than in regular months, include local products such as eel, mangoes, eggs, lychee jelly, and organic carrots; pair accommodation vouchers for local lodging facilities including the private rental inn Sashin; and product exchange tickets or discount coupons usable at participating vendor stalls. A total of 148 prizes will be available. In addition, as a sponsored program by Yamato Transport, which has a comprehensive partnership agreement with Shintomi Town, a children’s job-experience activity is also planned. Event name: Koyu Morning Market: 9th Anniversary Thanksgiving Festival Date and time: Sunday, May 17, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Canceled in case of rain. Venue: Rupii Mall Nijigaoka Shopping Street, Shintomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture. Shared shopping street parking is available. Number of vendors: About 30 The latest information on Koyu Morning Market is shared on Instagram, including rain cancellation notices and vendor details. Future outlook: Beyond a marche, expanding use as a venue for corporate collaboration and demonstration experiments Koyu Morning Market is held monthly and can attract 500 to 1,000 people to a compact area. It has already proven valuable as a venue for training, research presentations, and test sales of new products. The foundation will continue not only to create liveliness through the market, but also to actively pursue collaborative projects with companies. Challenge Vendor Slots to open from June Starting in June 2026, Koyu Morning Market will begin accepting applications for Challenge Vendor Slots to support people who want to try exhibiting at an event. Up to two slots are planned for each event. Challenge Vendor Slots are a system in which the Koyu Foundation prepares the equipment and other items needed for vending, making it easier for first-time vendors to participate in Koyu Morning Market. The program is intended for people who want to test-sell prototypes, sell agricultural products but have no vendor experience, or try a small-scale challenge. By lowering the barrier to participation, the Koyu Foundation aims to discover new businesses and local appeal, while creating opportunities for businesses to refine their products through direct dialogue with visitors. Comment from Ikuya Mototake of the Koyu Foundation Market Design Strategy Group: Thanks to everyone’s support, we are able to hold the anniversary festival again this year. In November 2025, triggered by the friendship exchange city agreement between Shintomi Town and Wanhua District in Taipei, Taiwan, we also held a Taiwan Fair at Koyu Morning Market. Recently, vendor slots have filled up as far as two months ahead, showing strong interest from many people. We hope you will visit the Koyu Morning Market: 9th Anniversary Thanksgiving Festival. We also welcome inquiries from companies and organizations that would like to try something at Koyu Morning Market. About the Koyu Community Development Promotion Organization, or Koyu Foundation The Koyu Foundation is a regional trading company established by Shintomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, in April 2017. It works on initiatives including branding Shintomi Lychee, priced at 1,000 yen per fruit, hometown tax donation programs, and entrepreneur development. In a town of 15,000 people, cumulative hometown tax donations have reached 15 billion yen over the nine years since its establishment. The foundation promotes community development where challenges circulate, with migrants including members of the Local Vitalization Cooperator program integrating into the town and generating new initiatives one after another. Using donations from the hometown tax program, the foundation reinvests a portion back into the region and works to create value by utilizing town resources and idle assets. By connecting the potential of people and the community, it aims to build a system that continuously generates value. Awards and selections: Selected by the Cabinet Secretariat as a good example of regional revitalization in 2018; Shintomi Lychee selected for the 2020 Good Design Award; received the Organization Award at the FY2021 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Furusato-zukuri Grand Prize in 2022. Contact: Koyu Community Development Promotion Organization, phone: 0983-32-1082, contact person: Mototake, email: info@koyu.miyazaki.jp, official website: https://koyu.miyazaki.jp/