From February 22nd to 25th, for four days, we had the opportunity to sell our products at the SAMURAI Festival by borrowing a booth from Sengoku Damashii.
Three out of the four days were met with rain and cold, making for a challenging situation.
It was so cold that the time spent at the booth was probably equal to the time spent warming up with sake.
Nevertheless, the event was filled with unique booths and exciting activities for all four days.
There's an "Iaponia" booth, which I highly recommend, where you can sit and enjoy sake selected by Uesugi Takahisa, a descendant of Uesugi Kenshin. If you plan to go next year, please stop by. The sake is truly delicious. I also met descendants of the Sanada, Kuroda, and Chosokabe families.
While resting at that booth, I met a woman who was the first to purchase Otani Yoshitsugu's smartphone case. To my surprise, she treated me, the designer, to a cup of hot sake. What a truly magnificent woman she is!
On the final day, the Sekigahara-gumi, whom I also support, appeared on stage. It was their first time performing in Tokyo, and they delighted fans with their witty banter and powerful performance.
Another memorable scene was when MC Akeshi Miori (a descendant of the Akechi family) got the audience excited with her "Sparkling Samurai" performance.
Regarding sales, despite selling display model items, meaning one design per size and at a higher price than other T-shirts, many people eagerly listened and made purchases. One Italian woman even bought four shirts as gifts for her friends.
As a designer, I rarely get the chance to interact directly with customers.
Experiencing the現場 (actual sales floor) made me reflect a lot on sales funnels, display methods, and leaflet design.
Normally, I am the one receiving requests, but this experience helped me understand the perspective of the requestor, and my understanding of sales strategies became even clearer.
Overall, there were many foreign visitors, and it was an event that strongly highlighted the potential of samurai typography and samurai culture.
Even with the bad weather, there were so many visitors and the event was so lively that I have a feeling it would have been an incredible event if the weather had been clear. I'm looking forward to next year!
