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Tottori festival leaves performers unpaid and vendors seeking answers

Kurayoshi's mayor calls for accountability after a food event advertised for 50,000 visitors reportedly drew only about 1,000.

Channel: ANNnewsCH ·

JapanStory of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

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5万人想定“鳥取グルメ祭”に実際は来場客1000人？　大赤字の出店者らから怒りの声も【もっと知りたい！】【グッド！モーニング】(2026年11月11日)

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:20Festival publicity projected 50,000 visitors and ¥1 billion in economic benefits.
1:12Venue photographs show sparse attendance; people involved estimate that about 1,000 visitors came.
1:55A chicken vendor reports only a handful of customers and a loss exceeding ¥330,000.
2:29The vendor says electricity arrived shortly before opening; performer Midori Tomoya then describes his unpaid fee.
3:20Mayor Ikki Hirota calls for explanations to participants and a sincere response from organizers.
4:04The broadcaster receives no response from organizers; further vendor complaints concern missing tents and refrigeration.

A performer says his fee remains unpaid, vendors describe missing equipment, and Kurayoshi's mayor is demanding an explanation after a poorly attended food festival in western Japan.

Japan's TV Asahi news channel, ANNnewsCH, reports that the two-day event, "LOCAL FOOD FIGHT in TOTTORI," advertised an expected 50,000 visitors and substantial economic benefits. Multiple people involved told the broadcaster that attendance was closer to 1,000. Photographs show stalls scattered across a largely empty grassy venue.

Performer Midori Tomoya says he has been unable to reach the organizers since the event and has not received his performance fee. He describes the experience as insulting and says this is the first time he has faced nonpayment.

The problems extended beyond the empty spaces between stalls. A fried-chicken vendor says electricity was unavailable on arrival and was connected only a little over an hour before the opening. With chicken stored in refrigeration equipment, the uncertainty left the owner worried about keeping it cold.

The same vendor had prepared more than 1,600 portions but says only a handful of customers came to the stall, leaving a loss exceeding ¥330,000. The owner also describes missing tents and refrigerators, and says some vendors who traveled long distances had ingredients thaw. A lack of explanation is central to their anger.

Before the festival, organizers visited Kurayoshi Mayor Ikki Hirota and used photographs of that meeting to publicize the event. Hirota says he initially welcomed the private initiative but is deeply disappointed by the outcome. He calls on the organizers to explain themselves to those involved and respond sincerely, without further damaging the city's reputation.

The broadcaster sought a response from the organizing company. At the time of its November 11 report, none had been received.

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