Minakami Mirai Marche 2026, held in the Minakami Hot Spring District of Minakami, attracted approximately 3,300 visitors, including approximately 2,200 from outside the town, with approximately 70 businesses participating across 11 venues as part of a new approach to town development that makes use of abandoned buildings.
Minakami Mirai Marche 2026 was held on 19 and 20 September 2026 in the Minakami Hot Spring District of Minakami, Gunma Prefecture. A total of 11 venues were set up across an approximately 1.5 km area from Minakami Station to Michi-no-Eki Mizukiokan, with 70 stores, businesses, artists and creators participating. There were approximately 3,300 visitors, of whom approximately 2,200 came from outside the town. A visitor survey found that 48.7% were attending for the first time.
This year's concept was “space,” with the event aiming to regenerate places that are not normally used as spaces for play and activity and create a walkable market experience across the town. Abandoned buildings and spaces, including Walk On Water, the front entrance of the former Ichiyotei and the former Higaki Dormitory, were used as venues, each with its own history and story.
At the former Ichiyotei, a base for the regeneration of abandoned buildings, reduction and restoration work is progressing, with full-scale construction expected to begin this winter. A workshop for visitors involved collecting fragments of the building and storing them for use as materials in the restored building. The initiative was positioned as an effort to preserve what should be passed on while addressing what is gradually being lost.
Minakami Mirai Marche began in 2022, and this was its 5th edition. It was organized by the Minakami Mirai Marche Executive Committee and co-hosted by Minakami Town, Gunma Bank, Open House Group and the University of Tokyo Graduate School Urban Design Laboratory, with several other organizations participating as cooperating partners.