I participated in Beppu Bamboo Festival 2025, held over two days on November 29 (Saturday) and 30 (Sunday), 2025, in the central district of Beppu City, Japan.
Beppu Bamboo Festival is a city-wide event dedicated to showcasing the region’s rich bamboo culture, including Beppu bamboo crafts.
Streets, shopping arcades, and public spaces throughout the city became venues for a wide range of programs, such as exhibitions, live demonstrations, talks, and hands-on workshops—inviting visitors to experience bamboo culture as part of everyday urban life.
I joined the festival as Bamboo Hell and took part in a panel discussion with Etsuko Tazawa, representative of Ethical Bamboo.
From the perspectives of practitioners working directly with bamboo, we exchanged thoughts on environmental issues surrounding bamboo, its potential as a material, and how bamboo may be used and reimagined in the future.
Date: November 29 (Sat.) & 30 (Sun.), 2025
Location: Central Beppu City, Oita, Japan
Event: Beppu Bamboo Festival 2025
Panel Discussion: Etsuko Tazawa (Ethical Bamboo)
Official Information: Beppu Bamboo Festival (Archived) — Beppu Tourism Official Website