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The story
The “Local Food Fight in Tottori” gourmet event, held in Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture on November 7-8, fell drastically short of its target of 50,000 visitors, drawing only an estimated 500-1,000 — and promptly blew up on social media. As criticism piled up over inadequate sound equipment, an unprepared stage, and poor staff handling, special guest voice actress Rika Matsumoto won praise for powering through a live vocal performance despite a barely functioning microphone. On 5ch, the discussion ranged from the sober observation that “50,000 people was never realistic given Kurayoshi’s population” to comparisons with a past event in the same area that reportedly drew over 90,000.
ZAK II 2026.11/11 12:27
The gourmet event “Local Food Fight in Tottori,” held in Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture on November 7-8, has become a major social media firestorm over its failure to draw crowds and its slipshod management. Against a target of 50,000 visitors, turnout was reportedly only around 500 to 1,000, leaving the venue “practically empty.” Critics point out that inadequate tents, electricity, and water hookups put vendors at serious risk of taking a heavy financial loss. In sharp contrast, one figure is coming out of this with her reputation enhanced: special guest singer and voice actress Rika Matsumoto.
The event’s concept pitted food vendors from across Japan against each other in an East-vs-West sales battle, heavily promoted by organizers as the “Sekigahara of the Reiwa era” (a nod to Japan’s famous 1600 battle that split the country into eastern and western forces). Matsumoto, best known as the voice of Ash Ketchum (Satoshi) in the original Pokémon anime, was scheduled to give a live vocal performance and talk show on the 7th — but the scene on the ground was apparently beyond anything she could have imagined. According to posts from attendees and people involved, there was “no proper sound equipment, no in-ear monitors, and the staff were a mess.” With no real stage to speak of, she reportedly had to sing standing on the ground, and the microphone kept cutting out.
Source: zakzak.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
The Pokémon GO event in Tottori drew 90,000.
Did they seriously think 50,000 people would show up to a place like that?
And even if they had, where exactly were they planning to put them all?
The organizers must have lost their minds a little.
Apparently when they did the Tottori Hamburger Festa 10 years ago, about 40,000 people came.
It only looks like a disaster because they threw out a stupid number like 50,000 and booked vendors on that basis — if they'd barely advertised and still got 500+ people, that's arguably a decent success. If they'd told vendors upfront "expect around 500 from Tottori and the neighboring prefectures," there probably wouldn't have been any complaints.
Then again, who'd have thought last year's yakitori fest telling a whopping lie about 90,000 visitors over two days would end up coming back to bite people like this — you never know who's going to get hooked by that kind of number.
Found the video
The mic volume was so quiet they had her hold two at once — ends up looking like a "double mic-job" (5ch's crude joke, implying something close to a lewd gesture)
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2118959152374644736/vid/avc1/720×1280/FaxgHRsKVwxf-fcq.mp4
This is seriously disrespectful to the artist.
That's rough.
There's footage from another angle too
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2118965491826126848/vid/avc1/720×1280/_Irz7ORmOJM3i19X.mp4
She's a true pro — this is only going to make more people want to book her.
According to the posts, on top of being underprepared there was also sabotage and anti-fans working against them beforehand.
^
If that's true, just report it to the police already.
Singing with a smile and that much power even in a situation like this — that's impressive.
She's gesturing "the mic's broken, take it" and isn't the staff member trying to shake her hand instead?
Even in the other-angle footage, Matsumoto is signaling to turn the volume up, and the staff is just grooving along to the song.
Organizers: "I'm a victim too!"
No stage at all — this situation is just brutal.
Isn't this literally the side of the road at a park entrance?
Most of the time, it just closes back down.
They talk big about winning on flavor alone,
and sure, once in a while it pays off,
but the bank doesn't care either way,
and the people who set it all in motion treat it like someone else's problem.
ttps://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/1147952
They did a smaller-scale one in Shimane, and it drew about this much.
Gathering 50,000 people in Tottori was a stretch to begin with.
Different organizer, but the previous year's yakitori event drew 95,000 people over two days.
The "Yakitorinpic" pulled in 100,000 people this year in Muroran City.
That's probably just the number of skewers sold being reported as a headcount.
There's no way people from outside the city or prefecture are trekking out to a remote spot with no parking.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
The event was promoted beforehand as the “Sekigahara of the Reiwa era,” built around an East-vs-West sales battle format. But Kurayoshi’s population is only around 45,000, and thread commenters pointed out that the target of 50,000 visitors was unrealistic from the start. At the same time, Tottori Prefecture has seen other gourmet events draw over 40,000 people, and a yakitori event under a different organizer reportedly pulled in over 90,000 — suggesting an industry habit of throwing around attendance figures without making clear whether they’re actual counts or rough estimates. The main driver of the backlash wasn’t the low turnout itself so much as the failure to put basic operational infrastructure — sound equipment, a proper stage — in place. Amid all that, footage of Rika Matsumoto pushing through a full live vocal performance despite a malfunctioning microphone spread online, drawing praise that stood in sharp contrast to the criticism aimed at the organizers. Unverified claims about the organizing group’s background also circulated, but since they lack confirmation, this article does not cover them.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku+) thread “Tottori Food Fest Flop: ‘Why Did It Fail?’ — Ironically, Voice Actress Rika Matsumoto Gets All the Praise Amid the Backlash.”
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