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A Challenge from Regional Newspapers to Halt the Decline in Newspaper Readership! The "Fun Newspaper Museum," where you can learn about newspapers in an enjoyable way, is hugely popular.
The "Fun Newspaper Museum," a printing factory tour facility opened by the Niigata Nippo newspaper company at its Kurosaki headquarters (Nishi Ward, Niigata City), is proving popular. Despite operating on a fully reservation-based system, visitor numbers surpassed the initial target of 1,500 within one month of opening on September 24th. Alongside elementary school upper-grade social studies field trips, senior citizens are also visiting in succession, and future reservations are reportedly progressing smoothly.
Niigata Nippo planned this facility as a base to convey the "value of newspapers," targeting elementary school students as "future readers" to counter declining newspaper subscriptions amid the rise of digital media. The Omoshiro Shinbunkan was established within the existing newspaper printing plant to actively create opportunities for children to become familiar with newspapers from an early age, aligning with the Ministry of Education's curriculum guidelines.
The facility is organized into four floors, each named after a color used in newspaper printing: Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and Black. It also features sections with trick art and projection mapping. The tour takes about one hour. Visitors follow a single-path route designed to let them encounter and experience various aspects of newspaper production.
The entrance greets visitors with a space that feels like stepping inside a newspaper. The first floor, Cyan, themed "Secrets of Newspaper Production," explains key points on how newspapers reach homes via panels and displays actual reporter notes written at news scenes. The following Yellow floor, "Secrets of the Niigata Nippo," showcases the newspaper's diverse activities beyond production, such as exhibitions and campaigns. The "Thrilling! Newspaper Theater" uses interactive projection mapping to make learning about newspaper secrets fun. The magenta "Secrets of Printing" floor receives the produced page data and introduces the process of turning it into a finished newspaper. Alongside panels, it features a giant moving mural, a life-size model of a roll of paper, and a model of an automated guided vehicle (AGV). Trick art is incorporated into the hallway, surprising visitors. The final stop, the "Printing Factory Tour & Experience Corner," showcases a real printing site with state-of-the-art high-speed rotary presses. Visitors can experience the authentic sounds and smells unique to the real thing. The hands-on corner allows visitors to enjoy learning through actual printing experiences.
Mr. Fumitaka Nakagawa, Manager of the Kurosaki Office at the Niigata Nippo Newspaper Company, stated, "We welcomed over 1,500 visitors within the first month of opening, exceeding our target, and we feel encouraged. This is a facility where everyone, both adults and children, can come and enjoy themselves, learning about newspapers in a fun way and feeling closer to them. We would be delighted if this tour inspires families to rediscover the value of newspapers at home and enjoy print culture." As part of our company's business strategy, we aim to make this a hub for 'education utilizing newspapers' and 'conveying print culture' – something only a local paper close to its community can achieve."
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