A Lineage of Heresy Growing in Tsuruoka – 25th Anniversary of the Institute for Advanced Biosciences | Kazuharu Arakawa, Director of the Institute for Advanced Biosciences
The cherry blossoms at SFC have already fallen, and the scent of the wind has begun to carry a hint of early summer rather than spring. Meanwhile, the ski resort at Mt. Gassan, a sacred peak of the Dewa Sanzan mountains, finally opened just the other day on April 10th. It is a rare spring and summer ski resort in Japan where you can enjoy natural snow from an altitude of 1,600 meters until early July. You might wonder why it is opening so late, but it is precisely because there is so much snow that the season only begins now, when the roads finally open and people can reach it.
Did you know that at the foot of Mt. Gassan, in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, there is a Keio University campus—the Tsuruoka Town Campus of Keio (TTCK) and the Institute for Advanced Biosciences?
Tsuruoka City, with a population of about 110,000, is a town known for the religious culture of the Dewa Sanzan and its food supported by the rich bounty of the Shonai Plain. On the other hand, it faces the harsh reality common to regional cities—population decline and aging—and has been listed as a "municipality at risk of disappearance." Therefore, the goal was to create vitality for the next era by nurturing new intellectual industries from scratch in the region. Thus, the invitation of Keio University was realized, and in 2001, the Institute for Advanced Biosciences was established in collaboration with Yamagata Prefecture and Tsuruoka City. Centered on the data-driven systems biology that has been a strength of SFC and unique metabolome analysis technology, numerous bio-ventures have been born to date. This has created jobs for about 1% of Tsuruoka City's working population and generates an annual economic ripple effect of over 4 billion yen. These regional revitalization efforts centered on the university have come to be called the "Miracle of Tsuruoka" in various media and government public relations.
TTCK is also another base of learning for SFC students. By utilizing the Biocamp program, students can stay at the TTCK dormitory for free for one year while taking bio-experiment training courses ranging from the basics to the cutting edge. It is possible to earn full credits (20 credits) each semester, and including graduate students, about 50 SFC students are active here at any given time. It can truly be called a satellite campus of SFC.
TTCK has also reached its 25th anniversary this academic year. From the perspective of someone who has been inside the whole time, it feels like a quarter-century has passed in the blink of an eye. However, when I think of the subsequent success of the students who have graduated from here and the growth of the unique ventures born in Tsuruoka, I cannot help but feel the weight of those 25 years. Even so, people are often surprised when I tell them there is a Keio campus in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture. That is precisely why I feel we must continue to work hard. We create new industries starting from cutting-edge research and connect those results to the future of the region. This mission cannot be achieved without the interdisciplinary approach characteristic of SFC. Furthermore, it is a practice of "jitsugaku (science)" that turns the future into reality without drawing a line between research and social implementation.
I personally believe that one of the essences of Yukichi Fukuzawa lies in that frontier spirit that opened Japan to the modern world during the Meiji Restoration. Just as SFC was Keio's "experimental campus," I want TTCK to be a frontier that opens up the path even further. As an experimental ground for SFC, I want it to be the place that most strongly inherits the "lineage of heresy." And I hope to share that sensation with all of you.
Precisely because it is a regional city, we can face stakeholders directly and make decisions quickly. The results given to society are also easy to see. For the future of Japan, the vitality of the regions is indispensable. Even Tokyo is supported by the regions for its food, electricity, and labor. If SFC can work as one to realize regional success stories, the possibilities for a rich future for Japan might become even clearer. I hope that as many people as possible will utilize TTCK as a place for experimentation.
In the Tsuruoka Science Park, there is the Hotel Suiden Terrasse, which features natural hot springs flowing directly from the source. There are also official Keio goods: the sake "Chitoku" and the wine "Itan," created with local breweries using metabolome analysis. For your next seminar retreat, come to Tsuruoka along with spring/summer skiing at Mt. Gassan—how about starting by discussing the future in this land? Of course, if you invite me, I would be happy to participate in the discussion :)