{"id":509,"date":"2025-09-08T17:19:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T17:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/?post_type=event&p=509"},"modified":"2025-09-09T03:33:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T03:33:39","slug":"2025-8-30","status":"publish","type":"event","link":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/en\/event\/2025-8-30\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Participation in the 4th NETSUGEN Summer Festival @ Gunma Prefectural Office"},"content":{"rendered":"

On August 30, 2025, the NETSUGEN Summer Festival was held at the Gunma Prefectural Office.<\/p>\n

This event was organized by monthly members of NETSUGEN, a public-private co-creation space, and featured food stalls, product sales, hands-on booths, and workshops\u2014a lineup that families could enjoy together.<\/p>\n

As an alliance partner of NETSUGEN, Kusatsu Onsen Coworking also participated, setting up a booth at the venue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event theme was \u201cConnections That Don\u2019t End There.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the aim of building relationships that last\u2014both among exhibitors and with visitors\u2014
\nwe\u2019d like to share a look back at the event and the wonderful exchanges that took place.<\/p>\n

Sharing the Refreshing Spirit of Kusatsu Onsen<\/h2>\n

At the Kusatsu Onsen Coworking booth, we hosted a wind chime painting experience.<\/p>\n

In summer, wind chimes are displayed all over Kusatsu Town.
\nWe wanted more people to enjoy their soothing sound and learn about Kusatsu, so we planned this activity.<\/p>\n

We had previously held the same event for Kusatsu residents,<\/a>
\nwhich proved successful in sparking conversations and letting participants share the joy of creating.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Still, with so many attractive booths around, we worried whether anyone would stop by ours\u2026
\nbut right after the event began, we heard excited voices saying, \u201cI want to paint a wind chime!\u201d<\/p>\n

Families with children, couples, and many others soon gathered,
\nand before long our booth was packed\u2014much more lively than we had imagined!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Next to children freely painting with bold strokes, their mothers carefully planned out designs.
\nSome fathers worked together with their kids on a single wind chime,
\nwhile others\u2014like one young woman who stopped by alone\u2014crafted her piece with the precision of an artisan.<\/p>\n

It was wonderful to see so many different styles of engagement.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n(The yellow wind chimes turned out to be a hit! Lots of participants painted their own versions of the sample sunflower design \ud83c\udf3b)<\/p>\n

The Beloved Gunma-chan Makes an Appearance!<\/h2>\n

Our booth was lively throughout the day,
\nbut at one point an especially large crowd gathered.<\/p>\n

That was when Gunma-chan, the beloved mascot of Gunma Prefecture, came to visit each booth.
\nSurrounded by fans and photographers, Gunma-chan looked just like an idol on tour!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When the group noticed our Gunma-chan-themed wind chime, they stopped and sparked a lively discussion.
\nAt that moment, even participants paused their painting to watch Gunma-chan\u2019s every move.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Come visit Kusatsu at least once!<\/h2>\n

While the children were absorbed in painting,
\nwe had many chances to chat with their parents and guardians.<\/p>\n

As we asked questions like:
\n\u201cWhere are you visiting from today?\u201d
\n\u201cHave you ever been to Kusatsu Onsen?\u201d<\/p>\n

people kindly shared their stories with us.<\/p>\n

Some said:
\n\u201cKusatsu sounds cool\u2014maybe we\u2019ll visit next summer.\u201d
\n\u201cI actually lived in Kusatsu a few years ago!\u201d
\n\u201cWe own a vacation home there and go often\u2014Kusatsu is wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others asked questions like:
\n\u201cI\u2019d love to take my kids\u2014are there private family baths?\u201d
\n\u201cWait, there are free hot springs?! I didn\u2019t know that.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the climate like in Kusatsu? Is it comfortable to live there?\u201d<\/p>\n

These conversations gave us many hints on what people want to know about Kusatsu,
\nand were a great learning experience for us.<\/p>\n

It made us realize, \u201cAh, so that\u2019s what people are curious about!\u201d
\nWe even came up with new ideas for future events\u2014something we\u2019re very grateful for.<\/p>\n

More than just a connection.<\/h2>\n

The summer festival ran from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
\nand welcomed a total of about 2,500 visitors, making it a truly grand event.<\/p>\n

We were delighted to have such a wonderful opportunity to share both Kusatsu Town and Kusatsu Onsen Coworking with so many people.<\/p>\n

We hope that these encounters will inspire more people to discover the charm of Kusatsu and eventually visit in person.<\/p>\n

We also treasure the new connections we made with fellow exhibitors,
\nand look forward to collaborating on more enjoyable projects together.<\/p>\n

Reaching beyond Kusatsu and connecting with so many inspiring people across Gunma
\nwas a true asset for Kusatsu Onsen Coworking.<\/p>\n

A heartfelt thank you to everyone at NETSUGEN, and to all who joined us that day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","event_status":[7],"event_cat":[15],"class_list":["post-509","event","type-event","status-publish","hentry","event_status-report","event_cat-workshop","en-US"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/event"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"event_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_status?post=509"},{"taxonomy":"event_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kusatsu.space\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_cat?post=509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}