It was mid-November, and the sound of the season was beginning to fill the air. The Sasabata Fest, a major event in the Sasazuka-Hatagaya area, was held before the weather turned colder and the season became busier.

Various booths were gathered in large numbers at Sasazuka Junior High School again this year!

The food and beverage booths included yakisoba noodles by the well-known Sasanaka Oyaji no Kai, curry always served at the children's cafeteria "Sasahata-san-ie," pork miso soup, frankfurters, minestrone soup, and many other items from various groups in the Sasahata area. Most of the food was under 300 yen! 500 yen was enough to fill you up. Of course, there was also cotton candy, a big hit with children. A bag of popcorn was offered to each child free of charge.

Of course, there were the festival's typical fluffy toys, super ball scooping, fishing, etc., but what was even more substantial were the workshop booths.

Using the inside of the gymnasium, visitors could easily make a stuffed dog out of a towel, or create an original clear file using pressed flowers, all free of charge.

The workshops are of a very high quality, with content that even a 4-year-old can make on his or her own, but adults also get absorbed in the process. The workshops were all organized by local community welfare volunteers. I didn't know that community welfare volunteers could do this kind of thing!

And on the stage set up in the middle of the schoolyard, dance classes and cheerleading teams active in the Sasazuka and Hatagaya areas gave a series of presentations.

In addition to the children's presentations, seniors also enjoyed a laughter yoga program to help prevent frailty, as well as a performance of Showa-era hits by the Sasanaka Oyaji Band.

The day was warm and sunny. Bored children ran around in the schoolyard, while the elderly sat on chairs in front of the stage and basked in the sun.

It was a very friendly and warm event where people living in the Sasazuka and Hatagaya areas spent time together, meeting and greeting one another.