●Opening Ceremony
The harvest festival began with the mascots of Namegata City, "Namerii Mikoto" and "Yakiemon" (the baked sweet potato fairy), along with "Anton." As it was a sweet potato harvest, everyone warmed up with radio calisthenics.
●Sweet Potato Digging
Participants headed to the planted area with cardboard boxes to put their harvested sweet potatoes in. As they dug into the soil, large sweet potatoes appeared, surprising everyone with their size. Drone footage was also captured from above.
●Farm Treasure Hunt
After the sweet potato digging, the participants moved to another location and began a treasure hunt. Capsules buried in the soil contained prizes such as a pair of tickets to the Kawasaki F match. Even those who didn't win a big prize received vegetables from Namegata.
●Autumn Sweet Potato Sweets Festival
After washing their muddy hands, participants enjoyed sweets made from the sweet potatoes harvested at Namegata Farmers Village. Staff members also taught them how to store and cook sweet potatoes, and the participants, who had harvested a large amount of sweet potatoes, listened attentively.
●Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament, Grand Prize Drawing
Finally, a rock-paper-scissors tournament was held with the participants, and products and local specialties sold at Namegata Farmers Village were given as prizes. In the grand prize drawing, Antlers desk calendars and authentic uniforms with RISO were won and presented by the manager and coaches.
Click here for photos of the seedling planting event