Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

Eye-Catching and Instagrammable! DIY Fan Ideas for Sports Day

Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!
lighterutatane
A person from the melodic hardcore boom generation who loves music, photography, and eating. I’ve been going to live houses for over 20 years. I’m at the age where summer festivals are starting to feel tough physically. I sometimes try shooting live photos and videos for MVs. I’m not great at English, so I often listen to straightforward Japanese rock that hits directly, but if someone recommends something, I’ll listen to anything—Western or Japanese—broadly and casually. I like cooking while listening to music; it’s a nice way to relieve stress.

Uchiwa fans have become a staple item at events like sports days, athletic festivals, and cultural festivals in recent years.

They originally took off as cheering and fan goods for idols, and these days you can get almost all the materials at 100-yen shops, making them easy to DIY!

In this article, we’re sharing handmade uchiwa ideas that are perfect for sports day cheering.

From standard designs to more elaborate ones, we’ve got lots of examples—so chat with your friends or classmates and create standout, photo-worthy cute uchiwa!

Eye-Catching and Insta-Worthy! Handmade Uchiwa Fan Ideas for Sports Day (11–20)

Stone-decorated uchiwa (hand fan)

#DecoratedUchiwa #StoneDeco #StoneUchiwa #CustomUchiwa #OshiMerch #BrandDeco #FabricUchiwa #UchiwaDeco #FanServiceUchiwa #HandmadeUchiwa #DIYMerch #ConcertGoods

Stone-decorated uchiwa (hand fan)

Satisfying to make, too! Here are some ideas for stone-decorated uchiwa fans.

It’s a unique idea where you cover a fan for your favorite artist or idol with rhinestones.

You can easily find rhinestone stickers at 100-yen shops, so try picking out different sizes and colors.

The key when making a stone-decor uchiwa is to start by sticking on the larger rhinestone stickers first, then fill the gaps with smaller ones.

Give it a try!

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Skeleton Uchiwa Made with Line Art

I tried making an HSJ ⋈ skeleton uchiwa (fan).

Skeleton Uchiwa Made with Line Art

Make one with photos of your fave or friends! Here are some ideas for a skeleton uchiwa made with line art.

Line art refers to illustrations drawn using only lines.

This time, let’s make a fan using just the facial silhouette and the outfit in line art, without drawing any facial features.

You’ll need a glue gun, a fan, scissors, ribbon, letter stickers, lace, and a hard case.

Try adjusting the colors and designs of the lace and ribbon to match the vibe you want.

Give these stylish line-art skeleton uchiwa ideas a try!

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neon uchiwa (neon handheld fan)

@hinomaroom
Tons of people are saying they got fan service with neon uchiwa! We’ve never seen a fan-service uchiwa stand out this much ✨✨ We’ll make super eye-catching neon uchiwa! We’re looking forward to your orders ☺️#NeonUchiwa #fan service uchiwa Cheering uchiwa (fan)#NeonIllustrator Neon art #NaniwaDanshi Johnny's #snowman #Fan Service #Johnny's WEST #sixtones #kingandprince #Johnny’s Jr.Johnny's idol otaku
♬ Two (Shota Watanabe/Ren Meguro) – Snow Man

We’re introducing neon cheering fans that are easy to see even from a distance.

Prepare a sturdy black fan as the base and get started.

Once you’ve decided on a design, draw the letters and illustrations while keeping the overall balance in mind.

Spray over it, then trace the letters again from the top to finish.

You’ll have a neon fan that shines like neon and is easy to see from anywhere.

It’s a fun cheering item to make, so it’s great to create them together as a team while strengthening communication.

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Photo-based uchiwa

Unite the whole class with handmade fans featuring photos! Paste each person’s headshot and finish them with a unified color scheme and design to strengthen your bond even more.

Using your own photos is great, but we also recommend everyone carrying fans with your homeroom teacher’s face on them! The teacher might feel shy, but the impactful design is sure to draw attention from other classes.

Rather than just using them for cheering, why not use the fans as a tool to bring the class’s hearts together as one?

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name uchiwa (a handheld fan customized with a person’s name, commonly used by fans at Japanese idol concerts)

Why not coordinate the style with your friends and make matching name fans? You can create an original logo with an app! Make a background by attaching construction paper or similar to the fan, then stick the logo on top.

After that, decorate the edges with sparkly pipe cleaners and stickers, and you’re done.

While it used to be common to make name fans for idols, these days it’s normal to include your own name.

Just making one yourself and carrying it around is enough to boost your excitement, right?

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anime character uchiwa (hand fan)

If you turn your favorite character into a uchiwa fan, it’s sure to boost the excitement at your sports day or athletic festival! Just print out the character, stick it onto a fan, and decorate it with chenille stems and stickers—before you know it, your character fan is complete.

You can unify the character across the class, or adapt the character’s famous lines for cheering at the festival—there are all sorts of variations to try.

Go bold with a flashy design and energize the cheering section!

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[Eye-Catching and Instagrammable!] Handmade Uchiwa Fan Ideas for Sports Day (21–30)

Uchiwa pom-pom

An eye-catching item! Let me introduce the idea of a uchiwa pom-pom.

It’s a fresh new item that combines elements of a handheld fan (uchiwa) and a pom-pom.

This time, let’s make a uchiwa pom-pom using suzuran tape and a fan.

You’ll need a fan, colored construction paper, double-sided tape or glue, scissors, and suzuran tape.

Attach thinly shredded strips of suzuran tape to the top of the fan, then adhere colored paper cut to the shape of the fan on top.

You can use just one color of suzuran tape, but combining colors will give it a brighter look.

Try choosing colors to match the mood of the event or competition.

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