An online reading held at an art festival in Yakage, Okayama Prefecture. (Nami Hamada)
In January this year, the small, scenic town of Yakage, Okayama Prefecture, was decked out with modern art pieces at its historic buildings and along its streets.
Special nighttime programs ran for nearly two weeks for an art festival titled “Workation Resort Bitchu Yakage” in the rural community, once the home of a post station along the Sanyo Road in the Edo Period (1603-1867).
The hope was that it would lure in visitors to the town for overnight stays. But this art festival, held during the pandemic, was not at all like a normal local event or tourism campaign.