Akimichi Hibi Goes to, Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka City "Yamagata Design"

This is a project where a Dentsu Inc. communication planner active on the front lines reports on "currently intriguing locations or spots" that caught their attention.

(From left) Daisuke Yamanaka (Yamagata Design), Akimichi Hibi

Community development led by the private sector.

The resolve of a venture aiming for "complete integration with the region"

Tsurugaoka Science Park: A cluster of cutting-edge biotechnology research facilities and bio-venture companies located within vast rice paddies.

Spanning approximately 21.5 hectares, it hosts multiple research facilities and venture companies, including Keio University's Institute for Advanced Biosciences (world-renowned for cutting-edge technology detecting health conditions and diseases from minute samples of saliva, blood, or stool) and Spiber (a textile venture that has raised over ¥20 billion using new materials made from "artificial spider silk"). Conceived in 1999 by then-Mayor Yoichi Tomizuka as a measure to counter Tsuruoka City's population decline and attract young people. Development accelerated following the attraction of Keio's Advanced Life Science Institute in 2001. It is now globally recognized as a successful case study in regional revitalization.

Tsuruoka Science Park: A hub for cutting-edge research facilities and companies

Yamagata Design, which planner Mr. Hibi visits this time, is an urban development company established in 2014 with the goal of creating "a town that connects to the next generation" in the Yamagata/Shonai area. Under President Daisuke Yamanaka, it opened the hotel "Suiden Terrace" and the children's play facility "Kids Dome Sora" (both designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban) within Tsuruoka Science Park in 2018.

Hotel "Suiden Terrace"

Kids Dome Soraī Children's Play Facility

How is President Yamanaka, who had no prior connection to Tsuruoka City, executing "community building"? The secrets to future business creation may lie within the process of "community building," which is presumed to be more challenging than creating a business. Mr. Hibi was particularly interested in the following two points:

❶ What is President Yamanaka's mentality for overcoming various challenges?
❷ How is he engaging local residents and fostering co-creation?

Interview with President Daisuke Yamanaka

【Q1】

Please tell us about your background and motivation for launching a company in Shonai aimed at revitalizing the town.

First, I came to Shonai from Tokyo because I was inspired by the concept of Tsuruoka Science Park and thought, "This is a place where I can start from scratch and take on a challenge." I founded Yamagata Design because, coincidentally, Tsuruoka Science Park at the time was facing the challenge that "development couldn't accelerate further under purely administrative leadership," and they consulted me, someone with prior experience in town development. It really was a "coincidence," but I felt it was fate.

Yamagata Design is a company focused on solving Shonai's challenges and creating "a town passed on to the next generation." We have absolutely no plans for going public or global expansion. Naturally, investors typically avoid backing a venture company with such seemingly limited scale. That's why our current investors are exclusively companies and individuals with ties to the local area. But we're fine with that. Our ultimate goal is to have all 270,000 residents of Shonai become shareholders, achieving complete integration with Shonai and becoming a "private administration" that complements the existing government.

To earn the trust of local residents, we have a specific rule: "When joining the company, you must transfer your residence registration to Shonai." While remote work is possible today, our sincerity is being watched by the local community.

We started with just 100,000 yen in capital, but over the past four years, we've received 2.3 billion yen in investments. To meet everyone's expectations, we intend to do whatever is necessary for Shonai.

Relocating one's residence registration is a declaration of serious commitment. Furthermore, Mr. Yamanaka views "design = problem solving," which has reaffirmed the potential and extensibility of design. (Hibi)

 

【Q2】

To tackle the town's various challenges, we're starting from scratch as complete amateurs... Isn't that incredibly difficult?

It's true that we're inefficient from a management perspective because we haven't scaled a single business model horizontally. However, since money isn't our goal, we simply feel we "must do it" to achieve our vision. That said, there's no single right answer for any business. By thinking things through thoroughly without being bound by precedent, we can make it work, and sometimes we can even create something that defies conventional wisdom.

For example, Suiden Terrace is positioned as a "community hotel" – neither a resort nor a business hotel – and its distinct value proposition, setting it apart from existing hotels, has garnered global attention. We wanted to create a hotel that would be used not only by businesspeople and researchers but also by local residents, fostering interaction. Architect Shigeru Ban, who resonated with this concept, took on the design. This led to the realization of features like restaurants and shops with strong local character, and a lounge where guests can relax while reading books and art collections displayed with views of the rice paddies.

While it's common to think places like the Kids Dome Sora should be free, we've planned a membership system to ensure sustainable operation.

When you push forward with a strong sense of mission to accomplish something, you can draw others in. We're now embarking on a new agricultural venture, developing a farm we've named "Irodori Farm." Next, we must tackle forestry, fisheries—the tasks are endless. We intend to approach them with that same sense of mission.

The most essential element for building businesses and communities is a "sense of mission." Perhaps it is the "great amateurs" who will solve the problems that have become commonplace in our world. (Hibi)

 

IRODORI FARM

We are developing a farm that aims for "year-round self-sufficiency" in collaboration with the local community, while exploring various innovations, such as evolving the shape of greenhouses that were previously considered "common sense." The harvested vegetables are also served at the "Suiden Terrace" restaurant.

Finally... (by Hibi)

When I asked President Yamanaka about his mindset, he stated he "believes it to be so." Whether anxious or not, he "believes it to be his mission" and must do it. This "power to believe it is his mission" is his core, and I was deeply moved by this resolve. He also noted, "Even if you say the right thing, no one moves." That's precisely why he deliberately projects an air of vulnerability. He also emphasized the importance of being close to the local community (attending local sports days, banquets, etc.), revealing the unseen efforts behind the scenes. Here, I believe, lies not only a new form of regional revitalization but also the "form of resolve" necessary to build a business.