The Brief

Is there a person or thing that you just get hooked on?
Located not far from Sapporo City in Hokkaido, Naganuma is one of Hokkaido's leading agricultural areas, producing a wide variety of agricultural products. The area is also blessed with nature, hot springs, lovely cafes, delicious Genghis Khan and ice cream, and other tourist resources. Nagana Town has many wonderful things to offer, but I feel that there are more hidden charms, or that more charms can be created.
Have you ever heard of Naganuma? Have you ever visited the town? What do we, Naganuma, need to do to become your preferred community?
We are aiming for a future in which the "exchange population" (people who visit the region for leisure and tourism) will further develop into the "related population" (people from outside the region who will become leaders in regional development), who will be involved in a variety of ways with the region, and finally, a permanent population that will be attracted to Naganuma and live in the town. In order to achieve this goal, we would like to create something in Naganuma that is overwhelmingly attractive to people. This could be anything from something that attracts people instantaneously to something that they can sustainably identify with by drawing up a grand design for the town. What kind of charms should Naganuma Town use as a weapon to attract fans? And how should we communicate this to increase the number of people who support us? There must be something that comes to your mind and something that you feel is necessary. In order to become a town that you will want to live in in the future I would like to work with you, the people who will create the future of Naganuma, to think about what Naganuma should be and do to make it a town that people will want to live in in the future.

Category

【Better life & Wellbeing】
＊Please use it to search for themes on DEMOLA Global HP.

The Background

Naganuma is one of Hokkaido's leading agricultural areas, celebrating 135 years since its settlement in 1887. The town is located only 30 minutes from New Chitose Airport and 50 minutes from Sapporo City, and yet it is a town with a lush green countryside. The town's core industry is agriculture, and as the "birthplace of Sorachi rice cultivation," various varieties of rice are grown in the town, and Naganuma is one of the largest producers of soybeans in Hokkaido. In addition to fresh vegetables, local specialties such as Jingisukan and doburoku (nigori sake) are also popular. In particular, there are several brands of jingisukan in the town, and you can compare and contrast jingisukan from "Kanehiro," "Naganuma jingisukan," and "Maoi Roas”. There are also hot springs, ski resorts, and campgrounds, and visitors can also enjoy touring farm restaurants and old-fashioned cafes. The area is also certified as a "green tourism special zone" where 4,000 people come to experience agriculture each year, and as a "doburoku special zone" where sake can be made at farmhouses. The "Yuyake Market" held from May to September (which also won the runner-up prize in the National Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry's 21st Century Chamber of Commerce and Industry Grand Prix) attracts many stalls and attracts not only local residents but also visitors from Sapporo and its suburbs.In recent years, the Maizuru flood control facility, which was built on the site of a former swamp and marshland, has been visited by the red-crowned crane, a special natural treasure, and the town is being developed with the red-crowned crane as its symbol. Currently, the construction of a road connecting Chitose, Naganuma, Ebetsu, Tobetsu, and Otaru is underway, as well as the construction of a ball park in the neighborhood. The road "connects" to the town to "connect" to benefit the people of the town. We continue to create an attractive town where people want to stop by and live.

The Challenge

It has been a few years since the term "regional development" was first used in earnest in 2014. The term "regional development" is literally translated as "revitalizing a region," or in other words, "revitalizing a region by creating or implementing new things that did not exist in that region before. Many local governments are still searching for ways to do this and are continuing to take on various challenges.
Do you know how local governments secure the money to fund their activities? The largest part of the revenue that local governments collect for themselves is "local taxes" (municipal inhabitant tax, fixed asset tax, and city planning tax), which refers to taxes paid directly from residents and businesses. Since they are paid according to the income and assets of each, they are greatly affected in response to economic downturns and declining population. Much of Naganuma's revenue (income) comes from taxes paid by our residents. The role of Naganuma Town in receiving your taxes is to build a foundation for "everyone to live like a human being" and to aim for further development for "everyone to be prosperous". We need to continue our activities so that everyone involved in Naganuma will be able to live life to the fullest in their own way. However, the population of Naganuma is 10,336 (as of the end of December 2021), and is expected to fall below 10,000 by 2030. If things continue as they are, the very existence of the town itself will be in jeopardy.
In order to escape from this crisis, we need to create an eco-system where everyone can feel happiness by building a foundation for an affluent life, increasing income from the value created by such an affluent life, and using a part of the income to further enrich everyone's life. One of the measures we need to take is to increase the number of people who are involved with Naganuma. What kind of attractions does Naganuma need to create in order to increase the number of people who are involved with the town and to make Naganuma the No. 1 region that people want to support? Let's work together to create strengths that fit Naganuma Town based on the town's characteristics, geographical conditions, and global trends and needs.

APPLY