Kasaoka City is a port town located in the southwestern part of Okayama Prefecture.
As of the end of March 2021, the population is approximately 47,000.
It has become urgent to stop the gradual population decline, which is a challenge for local cities.
The department that is directly tackling this issue is the Kasaoka City Settlement Promotion Center.
The Kasaoka City Settlement Promotion Center has been using Instagram, which started posting in October 2019, Kasaoka Sketch, and a promotional site on Facebook that opened in October 2020, KASAOKA SKETCH, to share beautiful landscapes and delicious food from Kasaoka along with the official photo ambassadors of Kasaoka City.
Subsequently, on March 16, 2021 (Tuesday), the Kasaoka City charm dissemination site "KASAOKA SKETCH" was launched under the slogan "Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture. Depicting and delivering the 'now' of the town."
As a promotional project KASAOKA SKETCH, they continue to promote the charm of Kasaoka, focusing on Instagram and the KASAOKA SKETCH site.
On March 25, 2021 (Thursday), the first issue of the free magazine Kasaoka Sketch was published as a new project of KASAOKA SKETCH.
The Kasaoka Sketch that was launched was filled with the desire of the staff at the Settlement Promotion Center to let Kasaoka citizens know about the charm of Kasaoka.
As of April 1, 2025, the Settlement Promotion Center of the Policy Department will be abolished, and its operations will be transferred to related departments.
・Immigration and settlement operations and Community Revitalization Cooperator operations will be transferred to the Urban Development Division's Urban Development Section.
・Vacant house and vacant land bank operations will be transferred to the Urban Planning Division's Vacant House Measures Section.
The information provided is based on the article published in May 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is KASAOKA SKETCH?
At the Kasaoka City Settlement Promotion Center, one of the initial activities to promote Kasaoka was the launch of Instagram, which aimed to refresh the image of Kasaoka.
They are widely developing projects for promotion, such as the official website and the free magazine Kasaoka Sketch.
The collective name for these promotional activities is KASAOKA SKETCH.
Information dissemination on the internet is done through Instagram, while the free magazine Kasaoka Sketch plays a role in widely conveying information in print.
The web version of the official site, Kasaoka Sketch, is an image that stores information.
The Kasaoka City Settlement Promotion Center promotes the charm of Kasaoka while managing the three projects of KASAOKA SKETCH.
About the Kasaoka City Settlement Promotion Center
What kind of activities does the Settlement Promotion Center, which is in charge of KASAOKA SKETCH, engage in?
I had a question about how the Settlement Promotion Center and KASAOKA SKETCH are connected, but I found the answer by learning about the operations of the Kasaoka City Settlement Promotion Center.
Operations of the Settlement Promotion Center
The operations of the Settlement Promotion Center are as follows.
- Operations related to promoting immigration and settlement in Kasaoka City
- Operations related to the vacant house bank system
- Operations related to marriage promotion
- Operations related to the Bokke Town Meeting
- Operations related to Community Revitalization Cooperators
Since the establishment of the Settlement Promotion Center in 2009, they have been engaged in operations related to grants for promoting immigration and settlement.
However, while the grant-based settlement promotion measures had some effect, they did not become a decisive factor in stopping the population decline in Kasaoka City.
Therefore, the Settlement Promotion Center took on the responsibility of PR activities for Kasaoka City while operating the vacant house bank system, as it was necessary to convey the charm of Kasaoka City more to both inside and outside.
To increase the number of people immigrating and settling, it is essential to promote the charm of Kasaoka City externally.
Not only do they aim to promote externally, but they also believe it is necessary to engage in activities that allow people living in Kasaoka City to rediscover the charm of Kasaoka and become influencers who promote Kasaoka's charm themselves, and they are working on this project.
Additionally, the Settlement Promotion Center supports Kasaoka City marriage events and the "Bokke Town Meeting," where young people aged 18 to 40 work on making "Kasaoka a more livable town," as well as operations related to Community Revitalization Cooperators who practice community revitalization activities after moving from urban areas to Kasaoka.
All of these operations aim to convey the charm of Kasaoka to both inside and outside Kasaoka City, increasing the number of people interested in Kasaoka City and leading to settlement and immigration.
KASAOKA SKETCH, which discovers the charms of Kasaoka that even Kasaoka citizens are unaware of and promotes the good aspects of Kasaoka, is a project that can only be done by the Settlement Promotion Center.
Free Paper Kasaoka Sketch 01 is a feature on Kasaoka's bread
As the third installment of the KASAOKA SKETCH project, the free magazine Kasaoka Sketch 01 (the first issue), published in March 2021, features Kasaoka's bread.
With the catchy phrase "Panpakapan! Kasaoka's bread," the cover of Kasaoka Sketch features the cute logo of Nakamura Bakery with a loaf of bread.
The title is a handwritten logo that designer Nagatomo Hiroyuki revised repeatedly until he was satisfied with it.
When you turn the cover of Kasaoka Sketch, you will find an article about Pan & Cafe Assiette.
Kasaoka has many delicious bakeries that are loved by the locals.
Not only Kasaoka citizens but also people from outside the city are encouraged to come to Kasaoka to buy bread, so the memorable first issue became a feature on bread shops.
Kasaoka Sketch 01 contains the following content.
- Searching for delicious bread made in Kasaoka
- Let's go out with bread!
- Our town, a proud item
- Living in this town
- Dear Kasaoka Ramen
- Kasaoka's snacks
- The local food
Following the bread feature at the beginning, "Our town, a proud item" features handmade cookies from Comet Seika.
In "Living in this town," the activities of Takata Harvest's Takada Hiroko are introduced.
Additionally, "Dear Kasaoka Ramen" features Chuka Soba Sakamoto, and "Kasaoka's snacks" highlights Taguchi Shoten's fu-man.
In "The local food," they feature fried chicken from Chuka Ryori Hassen!
The first issue starts with bread and is filled with delicious things from Kasaoka across 10 pages.
Distribution locations of Kasaoka Sketch
Where can you get Kasaoka Sketch?
You can find it at the following locations in Kasaoka City.
- Nakamura Bakery
- Hidamari Pan Kobo
- Patisserie Subafar
- Poppy Cafe
- Comet Seika
- Apple Bakery & Cafe
- Pan & Cafe Assiette
- Chuka Soba Sakamoto
- Taguchi Shoten
- Hiyama Meat Shop
- Kasaoka Municipal Horseshoe Crab Museum
- Kasaoka City Library
- Kasaoka City Settlement Promotion Center
In Kurashiki City and Okayama City, some stores of Muji have also been placing them, and the distribution locations for Kasaoka Sketch are expected to increase further.
Future publication plans for Kasaoka Sketch
Kasaoka Sketch is planned to be published three times a year, with a quarterly magazine format.
Following the first issue's feature on bread, it will be exciting to see what the second and third issues will focus on.
In this way, the Settlement Promotion Center promotes the charm of Kasaoka City through Instagram, the website, and the free magazine.
While disseminating information online, why did they create Kasaoka Sketch in the form of a printed free magazine?
I interviewed the head of the Kasaoka City Policy Department Settlement Promotion Center, Kobayashi Kenichiro, and the chief officer, Katayama Shiori.
Kasaoka Sketch Information
| Name | Kasaoka Sketch |
|---|---|
| Location | Published by: Kasaoka City Hall, 1-1 Chuo-cho, Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture, Settlement Promotion Center |
| Homepage | Kasaoka Sketch |
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