2026 New Year “Yoi-Don!” Event Recap

Hello, everyone!
From January 10th to 12th, we were delighted to be invited by KAB Housing Exhibition Smile Park to host a special three-day collaboration event.The festive program was beautifully designed around New Year traditions, with an exciting title to match: “2026 New Year Yoi-Don!” (Japanese for “Ready, Set, Go!”).
I had been eagerly counting down the days since late last year, looking forward to ringing in the new year together with our community!

Although the three days were bitterly cold, so many wonderful families came out to join us, filling the venue with smiles bright enough to chase away the winter chill. Let me share a few highlights from this heartwarming event!

First up was the adorable “First Roll-Over” and “First Crawl” races, where babies cried, looked puzzled, or even crawled in the wrong direction — all part of the charm!
Not just moms and dads, but siblings, grandparents, and the whole family came along to cheer on the little ones. The warm voices of family encouragement filled the venue, wrapping everyone in a beautiful atmosphere of joy and tenderness.

The SHAGOOL Sports School also led “First Run” and “First Jump” activities, where energetic kids enthusiastically tackled fun movement challenges.
The kids learned movement tips from the instructors and tried out specialized equipment, throwing themselves into the activities with so much energy that the cold became a distant memory.
With gold medals proudly hanging around their necks, the children beamed with pride and a triumphant “I did it!” expression on their faces.

What a fantastic three days to kick off 2026!

We also offered hands-on workshops featuring portrait drawings, handprint keepsakes, and mini holders — all free for the first 20 families!
Visitors shared so many delighted comments like “What a wonderful keepsake!”, “I love it!”, and “I’m going to display this at home right away!”A beautiful selection of stylish and adorable handmade items was also showcased, with new pieces rotating each day.

From wooden toys and accessories to children’s clothing,
we hope everyone enjoyed browsing this charming variety of treasures.

On day two, the music unit Otoya treated us to a wonderful traditional Japanese taiko drum performance.
The first performance had to be cut short due to heavy snowfall, which left us a little worried — but the second performance was blessed with beautiful clear skies!
The powerful, resonant sound of the taiko drums echoed throughout the venue, adding even more energy and excitement to the festive atmosphere.

Throughout all three days, strong winds blew and snow even fell at times — yet the venue was filled with the warm smiles of families and the kindhearted hospitality of the KAB Smile Park staff, who attentively welcomed every guest. It became a truly heartwarming experience that made us forget all about the cold.

A Heartfelt Thank You

A huge thank you to everyone who came to visit, to all the wonderful people who helped make this event possible, and especially to KAB Housing Exhibition Smile Park for inviting us to be a part of it. We are deeply grateful!

KAB Smile Park hosts family-friendly events every month, so be sure to check them out!
Website: https://smilepark.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kab_smilepark/

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