Well then, in creating events with that purpose in mind, the question becomes what would be the starting point, the raw ingredient. Every area has unique assets; the most appropriate one should be chosen as a theme. Once chosen, the theme should be analyzed from various outlooks, and this should enable one to see things that were not immediately obvious .
○Participant (Nakanishi： Okage Yokocho)
Our facility opened in July 1993. It's a private enterprise, which holds events like the Manekineko Festival, summer festivals, and drum festivals. We feel that there is a need for people who can plan those festivals and harnonize the controversy, or perhaps even go out of their way to elicit opposing views and use them to lead the whole into a good direction.
｡?irono
In the three years prior to completing the outdoor musical, I held work meetings with community representatives. Initially all that came up were complaints or unrealistic plans, and we weren't able to go into practical discussions. But as we continued to meet, the members began to realize that without themselves, nothing was going to happen. So the meetings gave birth to a lot of small-scale mayors, each with clear ideas of what their roles and responsibilities were.
The three years of meetings, far from being a waste of time, were actually invaluable. We had a great time in those three years just talking about what to do . I'm saying it takes about that long to get a gambit going that will energize everyone, lay the groundwork for it to happen.
I'd like to ask you a question in return. I appreciate the efforts Okage Yokocho members are making, but what about your involvement with people outside Ise City? From the residents' point of view, doesn't the Yokocho seem rather like an isolated zone, with no connection to themselves? And wouldn't that lead to a certain coolness on their part? And couldn't that be used to advantage, to initiate involvement with the residents?
｡?articipant (continued)
Okage Yokocho is in its sixth year, and we feel that this is our year for a fresh start. We held countless meetings before we started up our operations. Our basic way of thinking is to "employ the three elements ： buildings, products and people, to give our customers an inspiring experience to take home." This way of thinking is aimed at customers coming from outside our prefecture . However, the reality is, we get a lot of locals. That's okay, because while they're there the locals can feel like tourists, and enjoy a sort of escape from the everyday. But we haven't yet reached the point where it's being used as a stage by our citizens .
