● Opening Ceremony
The harvest festival began with the mascots of Namegata City, "Nameri Micot" and "Yakiemon," the fairy of baked sweet potatoes, as well as "Shikao," participating. The participants were divided into the Shikao team and the Anton team, and the event began.
● Rice Harvesting
After receiving instructions from the staff, participants headed to the rice paddies with sickles. A drone filmed from above before the rice harvesting started. Mr. Honda also enthusiastically participated, continuously cutting rice until his basket was full. He looked surprised by the weight when carrying it away.
The rice planting festival in May produced beautiful rice field art depicting "Yakiemon" and "Shikao."
● Grass Sumo
Grass sumo wrestling was held using the harvested rice. Participants competed for the right to challenge Mr. Honda. Four child winners and one adult winner faced off against Mr. Honda. While Mr. Honda lost all matches to the children, he challenged the adult with full force, saying, "I can't lose to an adult!", and won splendidly. The Antlers spirit of commitment to victory was evident even in this event.
After the grass sumo, they traveled by amphibious bus. Mr. Honda was also on board!
● Sweet Potato Digging
Participants carried cardboard boxes for the harvested sweet potatoes and headed to the planting area. Just as they were about to dig into the soil for the potatoes, an announcement from the staff declared, "A special guest will appear!" Zico TD made a surprise appearance on a tractor! He greeted everyone with "Kon'nichiwa~!" in Japanese and said, "I'm happy to be back at Antlers after 16 years. I hope to achieve many victories and titles and bring much joy. I'm happy to interact with all of you." Participants were thrilled and took photos. Zico began digging for sweet potatoes himself, refusing gloves offered to him with a "Daijobu!" (No problem!) and digging with his bare hands. He successfully dug up a large sweet potato and smiled with joy. As he left, he repeatedly turned back and waved, saying "Sayonara~!", reluctant to say goodbye.
● Row Dribble Tournament
A dribbling competition was held between the rows of sweet potato plants. The Shikao team, who immediately lined up to compete, and the Anton team, who held a thorough strategy meeting, faced off.
● Grand Raffle
Finally, a grand raffle was held for participants, with products and local specialties sold at Namegata Farmers Village as prizes. The grand raffle included a ball and pennant signed by Zico TD, as well as signed merchandise from players Uchida, Endo, and Nishi. Special video messages were sent to participants from the three players who could not attend on the day.
A participant who won a ball signed by Zico TD in the row dribble tournament expressed his joy, saying, "I often participate in Antlers events, and I often win wonderful prizes like this, so I highly recommend you all participate in the future!"
