It has become commonplace to see terms like “regional revitalization” and “community revitalization” in the media.
I moved to Kurashiki as a Community Revitalization Cooperator, but with the end of my three-year term in sight, I’m wondering what to do in Kurashiki afterward.
Starting a business comes to mind, but business and management honestly seem intimidating, and I haven’t had many opportunities to get involved in that world.
Then one day, I heard about an event called the Takahashi River Basin Crossing “Open Innovation Forum,” where you can get ideas for creating new businesses in the Takahashi River Basin.
Curious about what kind of event it would be, I went straight to interview the person in charge.
The information provided was current when this article was published in February 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Takahashi River Basin Crossing “Open Innovation Forum”
The Takahashi River Basin Crossing “Open Innovation Forum/Networking Event” is an event being held on Sunday, February 25, 2024.
The Takahashi River Basin Crossing “Open Innovation Forum/Networking Event” is hosted by Kurashiki City.
Through the Takahashi River Basin Crossing, the city is working to build a sustainable regional economy, including by creating new businesses through stronger collaboration among businesses in the 10 municipalities of the Takahashi River Basin area. Its main activities are as follows:
- “Ideathons,” workshops where businesses discuss solutions to regional challenges
- “Networking forums,” where participants share ideas about management and business
- “Project support” to help turn business ideas generated through ideathons and networking forums into actual businesses
This event is a “networking forum.”
The Takahashi River Basin Crossing “Open Innovation Forum” began in 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the future uncertain, I think everyone was worried about what their businesses would look like going forward.
For this reason, the event was planned to deepen understanding of “open innovation,” one way for local businesses to survive.
Open innovation is an approach in which organizations bring together external technologies and knowledge to solve their own challenges and create new value.
Rather than doing everything in-house, businesses adopt good ideas from others and use them to transform their companies and drive innovation. To foster this kind of collaboration in the Takahashi River Basin, the event invites prominent Japanese experts once a year; 2024 marks its third time being held.
Keynote Speech and Talk Session
The forum combines a keynote speech and a talk session, with speakers who are active on the front lines of business.
For the keynote speech, Mitachi Takashi, a board member of the Ohara Museum of Art, is scheduled to speak on the theme “An Era of Coexistence and the Role of Regional Leaders.”
In the talk session, you can hear from five business leaders on the theme “People of the Wind (ventures and startups) × People of the Soil (businesses and resources): Creating a New Climate for Regional Industry.”
“People of the wind” and “people of the soil” are key terms in discussions of regional revitalization.
“People of the wind” refers to those who have newly joined a community or bring new ideas to it; here, it means venture businesses and startups.
“People of the soil” refers to businesses rooted in the community and still active there, as well as resources that the community has had from the outset.
There is also the term “people of the water,” referring to those who support the work of “people of the soil” or offer advice and ideas.
The business leaders speaking in the talk session will share their views from a range of perspectives as “people of the wind,” “people of the soil,” and “people of the water.” It will be exciting to hear what ideas they have for addressing regional challenges.
For details about the program and schedule, check the official website.
The forum will be held at Kurashiki City Geibunkan Hall.
Admission is free, and capacity is 300 people.
Advance registration is required; you can register using this Google Form.
Networking Event
After the forum, a networking event will be held for those who wish to attend.
The venue will be Cuore Kurashiki, where you can mingle with other participants over a meal.
The participation fee is 3,000 yen, and capacity is 70 people.
It will be a gathering of people interested in regional challenges, so it’s recommended for anyone who wants to deepen their connections.
Advance registration is also required for this event; please register using the same Google Form as for the forum.
Interview with the Person in Charge
To find out what kind of event this would be, I spoke with Yabuki Akitaka of the Commerce and Industry Division at Kurashiki City Office.
Could you tell us about the response to the previous event?
Yabuki (honorific omitted)
Last time, about 280 people attended the forum, and around 100 attended the networking event.
There was a very wide range of ages, from young business owners considering launching startups to veteran business owners. I think many participants wanted to transform their companies or take on new business challenges.
We also had students hoping to start businesses, as well as people from support organizations such as financial institutions and chambers of commerce.
I was pleased to see many comments in the post-event survey expressing strong interest in regional revitalization and collaboration among businesses.
What are your hopes for this event?
Yabuki (honorific omitted)
In a society with a declining population, we want to make the Takahashi River Basin economy sustainable. To that end, we hope to increase the number of passionate businesses rooted in the community and committed to driving the regional economy, such as successor-led ventures and zebra companies—businesses that balance profit with social impact.
I hope that participants will connect with a variety of business leaders, find management ideas through those interactions, and take a first step toward creating new businesses.
The guests speaking in the talk session are all business professionals active on the front lines.
I think you’ll be able to hear what kinds of initiatives are needed, and what it takes, to create new businesses rooted in the community in the future.
The networking event won’t be a formal gathering like a business card exchange; it will have a relaxed atmosphere, so I hope people will feel comfortable joining us.
Since it brings together people interested in regional challenges, connections across industries may lead to unexpected business opportunities.
We hope participants will discuss the regional challenges being raised, build relationships through those exchanges, find ideas, and gain the encouragement to move forward with new businesses.
Who would you recommend it to?
Yabuki
Many business owners have attended in the past, but anyone interested in regional revitalization is welcome to join us.
For example, at a previous forum, someone suggested that to spark innovation in a community, it may also be necessary to change the mindset of students, who will help shape its future. We’d be glad to see students and people from educational institutions attend as well.
Students may be budding entrepreneurs, after all. I think this is a chance to learn how businesses that focus on community contributions and the SDGs approach business.
I’d also recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how other companies think. I think you can learn how to approach collaboration with companies other than your own.
This is the third year of the event, which aims to strengthen collaboration among businesses. Are there any examples of this?
Yabuki
There are two examples that look likely to take shape in the future.
The first is collaboration between the fire department and local businesses.
Disposing of firefighting uniforms incurs industrial waste disposal costs, but around four companies have offered to upcycle them.
We hope to showcase the results at this forum.
The second is halal accommodations for Muslim tourists.
A Community Revitalization Cooperator with culinary expertise and a travel agency are working together to plan a tour.
It seems the two connected through an ideathon, and built a relationship from there.
After three years, we’re finally seeing some small but promising developments.
We hope to continue fostering collaboration across the region.
Do you have a message for our readers?
Yabuki
Going forward, I hope to see more local businesses grow by working together across communities and among businesses.
These days, many companies grow and move to the big cities, so I feel strongly that we want to increase the number of businesses rooted in the region.
To do that, I think we need to adapt not only to changes in the region, but also to changes in Japan and around the world.
However, there are times when it’s difficult to overcome challenges on your own, so I believe we need opportunities to make good use of outside knowledge and perspectives. That’s what led to this event as well.
We’d be glad if people in the region used it as a hub for connecting with one another.
I think this event will be full of ideas for regional revitalization, so if you’re interested in the area where you live, please feel free to join us.
From the Writer
I used to think that business and management were topics that had little to do with anyone who wasn’t a business owner.
However, through this interview, I was reminded that regional revitalization is closely connected to business and management, and felt that this event would be easy for someone like me, who is interested in regional revitalization, to attend.
Even when people are discussing the same regional challenge, sharing opinions from different perspectives may lead to new ideas and connections with others.
I’d recommend this event not only to people interested in business and management, but also to anyone who wants to hear other people’s views on regional revitalization or learn what kinds of businesses operate in the basin area.
Takahashi River Basin Crossing “Open Innovation Forum/Networking Event” Information
| Name | Takahashi River Basin Crossing “Open Innovation Forum/Networking Event” |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, February 25, 2024 ■ Forum 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ■ Networking event 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | Kurashiki City Geibunkan Hall |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Networking event only: 3,000 yen |
| Website | Takahashi River Basin CROSSING Forum |
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