Festival ReinventionFestival Reinvention

COVID took the food stalls, so the festival ran on games instead. Revenue tripled.コロナで模擬店が消え、祭りはゲームで回るようになった。収益は 3 倍以上。

Challenge課題

Before COVID the festival ran mostly on food sales — parent volunteers from the food industry supplied the stalls, and games were an afterthought: three small booths with minimal decoration. Two years of remote-only school stopped the festival entirely, and when it returned, food, meat and after-school operation were all off the table. The old revenue model was gone.コロナ前の祭りは、食の売上でほぼ回っていた。食品業界の保護者がボランティアで屋台を担い、ゲームはおまけの、飾りも少ない 3 つの小さな屋台にすぎなかった。2 年間のオンライン授業で祭りは完全に止まり、戻ってきたときには食も肉も、放課後の運営も使えなくなっていた。それまでの収益モデルは消えていた。

Solution解決

As volunteer chair I set one strategic goal: move the revenue engine from food to games. I researched Japanese ennichi festival games and set design criteria — learnable by watching, 1–2 minute rounds, playable from kindergarten through high school — then grew the lineup from 3 inherited booths to 11+ original games over three years, alongside a festival identity built on the character 祭 and the school's motto 知行合一, and a volunteer system coordinating 110+ people.ボランティアの実行委員長として、収益の柱を食からゲームへ移すという 1 つの目標を立てた。日本の縁日ゲームを調べ、見て分かる・1〜2 分で終わる・幼稚園児から高校生まで遊べる、という設計基準を決めた。3 年かけて、3 つだった屋台を 11 種類以上のオリジナルゲームへ育て、「祭」の文字と校訓「知行合一」を軸にした祭りの世界観も一から作った。110 人超のボランティア体制も並行して整えた。

Impactインパクト

As chair I shifted our school festival revenue from food booths to learnable, short carnival games.学園祭で収益の柱を飲食から、観て覚えられる短いゲームに切り替えた。

What I handled担当フェーズ

  • Researchリサーチ
  • Business / Strategyビジネス/戦略
  • Conceptコンセプト
  • UX / UIUX/UI
  • Design Systemデザインシステム
  • Prototypeプロトタイプ
  • Build実装
  • Launch / Growthローンチ/グロース

Food was gone. Games had to carry the festival. 食が消えた。祭りを支えるのはゲームになった

Games had been an afterthought — three small booths with minimal decoration. To make them the fundraising engine, I studied Japanese ennichi (縁日) games and pulled out why they work: they are fun to watch even as a spectator, the rules can be learned by watching, a round takes one to two minutes so the line keeps moving, and they work for everyone from kindergarten to high school. Those four points became the brief for every game. それまでゲームは脇役で、飾りも少ない小さな屋台が 3 つあるだけだった。ゲームを資金集めの中心に据えるため、日本の縁日のゲームを調べ、なぜ成立しているのかを分析した。見ているだけで面白い。ルールは眺めていれば分かる。1 回が 1〜2 分で終わるので列が進む。園児から高校生まで遊べる。この 4 つを、すべてのゲームの設計基準にした。

3×+

Game revenue, 2022 → 2024ゲーム収益(2022→2024)

3 → 11

Games, inherited → designed and builtゲーム数(引き継ぎ→新規設計)

110+

Volunteers coordinatedまとめたボランティア

5/5

Participant satisfaction参加者満足度

One mark: 祭, inside the school's motto 知行合一 「祭」の一字を、校訓「知行合一」で囲む

The identity starts from the character 祭 (festival), drawn from the same geometric strokes as the festival pattern, set inside a circle made from the four characters of the school's guiding philosophy 知行合一 — the unity of knowledge and action — read as a ring of harmony (和). The mark comes in full colour, black, single-colour versions for each brand colour, and horizontal and vertical lockups with the festival name. アイデンティティの出発点は「祭」の一字。秋祭りのパターンと同じ幾何学的な線から組み立て、校訓「知行合一」の 4 文字でできた円で囲んだ。円は「和」のイメージでもある。マークはフルカラー、黒、ブランドカラーごとの単色版、そして祭りの名前と組んだ横組み・縦組みのロックアップまでそろえた。

Mark construction: the character 祭 assembled from the festival's geometric pattern, plus a circle made from the four characters 知行合一 The Akimatsuri mark in full colour: 祭 in red, green and purple strokes inside the 知行合一 circle, on black The Akimatsuri mark in black Simple mark in red Simple mark in green Simple mark in purple Simple mark in black Horizontal lockup: the mark beside the festival name 補習校 秋祭り Vertical lockup in colour, the mark above the festival name Vertical lockup in black
Construction; full colour and black; single-colour marks in red, green, purple and black; horizontal and vertical lockups. マークの構成、フルカラーと黒、赤・緑・紫・黒の単色版、横組みと縦組みのロックアップ。

A pattern system in four colours 4 色でつくるパターンシステム

Red, green, purple and black, cut into checks, stripes and diagonals — a modern take on festival bunting that reads from across a gym. The pattern runs in a coarse version for banners and a fine version for small pieces, and it carries the mark wherever there is room: banners, the entrance, and tall nobori flags. 赤・緑・紫・黒を、市松、ストライプ、斜めの帯に切り分けた。祭りの幕を今の形に置き換え、体育館の端からでも目に入るようにした。バナー用の大きな柄と小物用の細かい柄があり、余白があればマークを載せる。バナー、入口、背の高いのぼりまで同じ柄で通した。

Tall nobori flag: the mark at the top, the festival name in large vertical characters, on the full pattern Coarse pattern with the mark in a white circle on black Coarse pattern variant with the mark on red, green and purple stripes Horizontal lockup reversed out of the festival pattern Fine pattern with the mark and the festival name Fine pattern variant with the mark and the festival name Fine pattern variant on a green and red field The full fine pattern strip: checks, stripes and diagonals in red, green, purple and black
The nobori flag; coarse and fine patterns with the mark; the full pattern strip. のぼり、マーク入りの大柄と小柄、柄の一覧。

Every booth, planned as one street すべての屋台を、ひとつの通りとして設計する

The venue was laid out booth by booth before anything was printed: an entrance gate wrapped in the pattern, then a row of game tents, each with its own noren banner in its own colour and lettering, so a child can find "the pink one" or "the fish one" without reading. Flags for the shop, the treasure exchange and the information desks share one quieter style, so the games stay loud and the services stay calm. 印刷の前に、会場を屋台ひとつずつ組み立てた。入口はパターンで包んだゲートにし、その先にゲームのテントを並べる。暖簾は屋台ごとに色も文字も変え、字が読めない子でも「ピンクのところ」「魚のところ」で見つけられるようにした。商店、お宝交換所、案内ののぼりは落ち着いた共通のスタイルにそろえ、ゲームはにぎやかに、案内は静かに、と役割を分けた。

Entrance gate design: a banner and two pillars wrapped in the festival pattern, with the mark, beside human silhouettes for scale Venue elevation: every game tent with its noren — Superball Sukui, Yurayura Coin, Suisui Hikōki, Korinto Game, Flying Chicken, Guruguru Target, Tsuri Master, Katanuki — then the shop, the treasure exchange, the ramune contest and four information flags The built entrance on the day: the patterned banner with the mark hung between two patterned pillars, paper lanterns overhead and a crowd below
Entrance gate and the full booth elevation with every noren in place; below, the entrance as built. 入口のゲートと、暖簾をすべて掛けた屋台の立面図。下は当日の入口。

Eleven games, each with its own sign 11 のゲームに、それぞれの看板

Three inherited booths grew into eleven original games over three festivals. Students were invited to propose game ideas too; we co-designed and tested them with adult volunteers before building. Each game got a name and a hand-lettered noren in the style of a Showa-era festival stall, and the busiest ones also got a tall nobori for the line outside. Each game below is shown with its own sign. 引き継いだ 3 つの屋台は、3 回の祭りで 11 のオリジナルゲームになった。生徒からもゲームの案を募り、大人のボランティアと一緒に形にして、遊べるか確かめてからつくった。どのゲームにも名前をつけ、昭和の屋台のような手書き風の暖簾をつくった。列ができるゲームには、縦長ののぼりも立てた。以下、ゲームごとにその看板と一緒に紹介する。

Flying Chicken: redesigned twice before it worked フライングチキン:形を 2 度変えて、ようやく成立した

It started as a shooting gallery (射的) — but firearms of any kind were prohibited in American schools, cork guns included. Year one, slingshots didn't work well for younger children. By year two it had become stretchy rubber chickens launched from the fingertips at a shelf of targets, and it turned into one of the most popular games. It builds finger strength, target choice and the feel for how a throw will fly. All faces on this page are AI-replaced or blurred for privacy. もとはコルク銃の射的として考えた。しかしアメリカの学校では、コルク銃も含めてあらゆる銃器が禁止されていた。1 年目はパチンコ式にしたが、小さな子どもには扱いづらかった。2 年目、指先で伸びるゴム製のニワトリを的の棚に飛ばす形に作り変え、一番人気のゲームの一つになった。指の力、どの的を狙うかの判断、飛び方を読む力が身につく。このページの写真の顔は、プライバシーのため AI で置き換えるかぼかしている。

Noren: Flying Chicken (フライングチキン), a flaming chicken beside the name on yellow The Flying Chicken tent under its yellow noren, children lined up at the shelf of targets Rows of cut-out targets on a yellow shelf inside the Flying Chicken tent, with the points board on the left The Flying Chicken booth: a yellow noren over a shelf of cut-out targets, inside red-and-white festival bunting

Korinto Game: Showa-era pinball, built in wood コリントゲーム:昭和の手動ピンボールを木でつくる

A hand-built wooden pinball table from the Showa era. I laid out the nail field in Illustrator and the build crew built the boards from it. Players launch the ball and add up the pockets it lands in — learning to control force, read space and do the arithmetic. 昭和の手動ピンボールを、木で手づくりした。釘の配置は Illustrator で設計し、それをもとに制作チームが盤をつくった。玉を打ち出し、入った穴の点数を足していく。力の加減、空間の感覚、そして計算の力が育つ。

Noren: Korinto Game (コリントゲーム) in black letters with pins, on red The Korinto Game volunteers in festival happi, lined up under the red noren Close-up of the wooden Korinto board: a field of nails and numbered pockets A single child standing on the floor, back to the camera, playing Korinto while an adult volunteer watches beside them Players leaning over the red-framed Korinto boards while a volunteer explains the scoring

Guruguru Target: aim at something that spins ぐるぐるターゲット:回る的を狙う

Velcro-covered ping-pong balls thrown at a large spinning disc painted as a giant eye. It trains hand-eye coordination and timing, and the precision and concentration it takes to hit a moving target. Below: a live clip from the festival, and the making-of. マジックテープを貼ったピンポン球を、大きな目玉の形に塗った回転する円盤に投げる。手と目の連携、タイミング、動く的に当てる正確さと集中力が鍛えられる。下は祭り当日の映像と、制作の様子。

Noren: Guruguru Target (ぐるぐるターゲット) on red Volunteers and families posing in front of the two eye-shaped targets, with the red Guruguru Target nobori on the left A player throwing at the spinning eye target while a volunteer in branded happi watches Children throwing balls at two spinning eye-shaped target discs in front of red-and-white bunting
Vertical nobori banner for Guruguru Target
The making-of, and the nobori for the line. 制作の様子と、列に立てたのぼり。

Yurayura Coin: drop it into a swaying dish ゆらゆらコイン:揺れる皿にコインを落とす

Coins dropped into a water-filled tank with small dishes sitting on the bottom. The coin sways as it sinks, so players have to read its path, hold their concentration on a moving target, and choose which dish is worth the most. 水を張った水槽の底に小皿を沈め、上からコインを落とす。コインは揺れながら沈むので、どう落ちるかを読む空間の感覚、揺れる的を狙う集中力、そして点数を最大にするにはどの皿を狙うかという判断が要る。

Noren: Yurayura Coin (ゆらゆらコイン) in wavy letters on magenta Yurayura Coin: the original magenta noren on a reconstructed crossbar, adult volunteers in happi and children playing at the glass tanks Looking through the water of the tank: a coin sinking toward the dishes, with the points chart behind A hand dropping a coin into a glass tank of water with small dishes on the bottom

Superball Sukui: a paper net that tears when wet スーパーボールすくい:濡れると破れる紙の網で

Super balls floating in paddling pools, scooped with a poi — a paper net that tears once it gets too wet. It rewards fine motor control, predicting how the balls drift, and the patience not to rush. ビニールプールに浮かべたスーパーボールを、濡れすぎると破れる紙の「ポイ」ですくう。手先の細かい動き、ボールの流れを読む判断、そして焦らない我慢強さが試される。

Noren: Superball Sukui (スーパーボールすくい) in rainbow letters on navy The Superball Sukui volunteers posing under the navy noren beside the paddling pool A child lifting a bowl over a pool full of colourful super balls Overhead view of children around a paddling pool full of colourful super balls, scooping with paper nets and bowls

Tsuri Master: fish made of paper 釣りマスター:紙でつくった魚を釣る

Rods with a hook catch fish and octopuses folded from patterned paper and foil, each with a loop of a different size — the smaller the loop, the harder the catch. It takes dexterity, a choice of which fish to go for, and focus against the clock. 柄入りの紙やアルミ箔で折った魚やタコを、釣り竿で釣り上げる。魚ごとに輪の大きさが違い、輪が小さいほど難しい。手先の器用さ、どれを狙うかの判断、そして制限時間の中での集中力が要る。

Noren: Tsuri Master (釣りマスター) in chalk letters with fish drawings on dark green Two players reaching over a blue pool of paper fish with long rods A volunteer in a red happi and a boy fishing from paddling pools of paper fish Children fishing from a paddling pool of paper fish with small rods Close-up of the paper and foil fish, each with a coloured loop, lying in a blue pool

Katanuki: carve the shape out without breaking it かたぬき:割らずに形を抜く

The traditional candy-carving game. With a needle, players scrape an animal or object out of a pressed sugar tablet. A card at the table shows the reward at a glance: an easy shape done, a hard shape done, or broken. It demands precision, patience and a steady hand. 昔ながらの型抜き。針を使って、砂糖の板から動物や道具の形をそっと削り出す。テーブルの札には「かんたん成功」「むずかしい成功」「失敗」でもらえるものが一目で分かるように描いた。正確さ、根気、手を震わせない落ち着きが求められる。

Noren: Katanuki (かたぬき) with candy-mould shapes on pink Players bent over the katanuki table, carving tablets with needles on a cloth of retro Showa posters Vertical pink nobori banner for Katanuki A child carving a pink katanuki tablet with a needle beside the reward card for easy success, hard success and failure Ten pink katanuki tablets with embossed shapes: a kite, a bottle, a rabbit, an umbrella, a flower, a gourd and more

Suisui Hikōki: fly a paper plane through the ring スイスイひこーき:紙飛行機で輪をくぐらせる

Players fold an origami plane and fly it through hoops to score. The sky-blue tent is covered in clouds, so the target reads as the sky the plane is flying through. 折り紙の飛行機を飛ばし、輪をくぐらせると得点になる。空色のテントには雲を散らし、飛行機がくぐる「空」そのものを的にした。

Noren: Suisui Hikōki (スイスイひこーき) with clouds on sky blue

Ball Tsunawatari: steer a ball along two strings ボールつなわたり:2 本の紐でボールを運ぶ

The player holds two strings pulled taut, making a rail. A light coloured ball rides on it, and tilting the strings rolls the ball toward or away from you along a row of five cups on the table. Pick your cup, then pull the strings apart at just the right moment and the ball drops in. ピンと張った紐 2 本をしっかり持ち、レールをつくる。そのレールに軽いカラーボールをのせ、紐の傾きを変えて、手前や奥へボールを転がしていく。机には 5 つのコップが並んでいて、狙いのコップの上でタイミングよく紐をぱっと横に広げると、ボールが中に落ちる。

Wordmark: Ball Tsunawatari (ボールつなわたり)

Ramune speed-drinking: first to empty the bottle wins ラムネ早のみ大会:いちばん早く飲み干した子の勝ち

The rules are as simple as it gets: the child who downs a bottle of ramune soda fastest wins. A long-time festival favourite that has always been hugely popular. ルールはとにかくシンプル。ソーダのラムネを一気に飲み干し、いちばん早かった子どもが勝ち。昔からの大人気ゲームだ。

Noren: Ramune speed-drinking contest (ラムネ早のみ大会) with a ramune bottle and bubbles on blue

A card that turns every booth into one system すべての屋台を、1 つの仕組みに束ねるカード

Games are paid for with game tickets. The "treasure exchange card" ties every booth together: kids collect stars at each game, then bring the card to the treasure exchange (お宝交換所) and trade points for prizes — turning a scattered set of booths into one thing worth completing. Next to it, the school shop (えるあい商店) got its own sign in the same family. ゲームはゲームチケットで遊ぶ。「お宝こうかんカード」が、すべての屋台を 1 つにつなぐ。各ゲームで星を集め、カードを「お宝交換所」に持っていくと、ポイントを景品と交換できる。ばらばらの屋台が、最後までやり遂げたくなる 1 つの体験になる。隣の「えるあい商店」にも、同じ系統の看板をつくった。

Treasure exchange card for the 2024 festival: a grid of blue stars to fill in, one per game played Noren: お宝交換所 (treasure exchange) in yellow on black with treasure illustrations Sign: ゲームチケット / Game Tickets, in green Noren: えるあい商店, the school shop, in white on navy
The treasure exchange on the day: prizes laid out on numbered tables under the black-and-yellow noren Children and parents browsing merchandise at えるあい商店 under its original navy noren, with adult volunteers in branded happi
The treasure exchange and the school shop on the day. 当日のお宝交換所と、えるあい商店。

Signage, down to the restroom door 案内表示は、トイレの扉まで

Beyond the games, the festival got a full signage and wayfinding system in the same visual language: reception, food pickup, enrolment information and venue setup. The restroom signs became their own small series — pictogram figures in the festival colours, each with a piece of toilet trivia to read while you wait — and one more asks kids to walk, not run: "walking brings better luck at the games." ゲームだけでなく、受付、フード引換所、入学・転入の案内、会場設営まで、会場全体の案内表示を同じルールで設計した。トイレのサインは小さなシリーズにした。祭りの色で描いたピクトグラムの人に、待っている間に読めるトイレの豆知識を添えた。もう 1 枚は「走るより歩くと、ゲーム運があがる。」と、走らないよう呼びかける。

Sign: 受付 / Reception, in purple with a pictogram of a desk Sign: フード引換所 / Food Pickup, in red with cutlery Sign: 入学・転入 INFO, enrolment and transfer information, in blue Sign: 会場設営 / Venue Setup, in white on black with a tent pictogram
Restroom sign: how much of a lifetime do we spend in the toilet? Restroom sign: does water swirl the other way in the southern hemisphere? (the Coriolis effect) Restroom sign: the history of toilet paper Restroom sign: all the Japanese words for toilet Restroom sign: stones used as toilet paper Restroom sign: what did people use before toilet paper? Restroom sign: AI toilets that check your health Restroom sign: ancient Roman toilets as places to talk Restroom sign: why is it called a toilet? (from the French toilette) Restroom sign: how many times a year do we go to the toilet? Sign: 走るより歩くとゲーム運があがる — walking, not running, brings better luck at the games
Information flags; ten restroom trivia signs; and the walk-don't-run sign. 案内ののぼり、10 枚のトイレ豆知識サイン、そして「走らないで」のサイン。
Role役割
Festival Chairperson & Creative Director (volunteer)
Year年
2022–2024
Clientクライアント
New York Japanese Saturday School — Akimatsuri

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