March 29, 2022
Keio University
The Roadside Station "Yanbaru Pineapple Hill Aha" (hereinafter "the facility"), which the Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) (located in Kohoku-ku, Yokohama; Dean: Masahiko Inakage) has supported the development of as a hub for solving regional issues through industry-academia-government collaboration, will open on March 30, 2022.
This facility is a support center for the sixth industrialization of local industries, established through preparations with cooperating companies from inside and outside the village, following a mutual cooperation agreement signed last July between Kunigami Village, Okinawa Prefecture (Mayor: Yasushi Chibana), the Kunigami Village Society of Commerce and Industry (Chairman: Shimon Kinjo), and KMD to create local industries and increase their added value.
Located in the Yanbaru area of northern Okinawa, which is also a registered World Natural Heritage site, the facility features a swing with a view of the hills and the sea, a coworking space surrounded by greenery, a wood workshop, a food workshop, and more. It enables collaborative activities between local residents, the government, and companies from both inside and outside the village as a venue for solving regional issues. It also has shower rooms and a laundry room, and is expected to be used not only for resort stays but also as a base for field activities in northern Okinawa, such as bird watching, surfing, training, and workations.
For the operation of this facility, OAKZ Inc. (headquartered in Tokyo), a company founded by researcher Takashi Oe from the "Chiiki Mirai Project" (Regional Future Project) launched by the laboratory of KMD Professor Hiroyuki Kishi, has been selected as the designated administrator through a proper selection process.
Please see below for the full press release.