How to solve the "problem of placing too much expectation on young people" in regional revitalization? Creating regional jobs starting with identifying challenges

The " Challenge Lab," established by the Japan NPO Center and Dentsu Inc.

It gathers cutting-edge challenges from across Japan through the Japan NPO Center's network and brings together people with different skills and from different industries to think about them. It's a think tank for discovering challenges – something that seemed like it should exist but didn't.

This series identifies "challenges" related to various themes and explores hints for solutions.

This installment focuses on "regions." Using a project in Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture, conducted by regional co-creation venture FoundingBase and the Challenge Lab as a case study, Mr. Takayuki Sakawa of FoundingBase and Challenge Lab members (Japan NPO Center: Ms. Yuko Sanbon, Dentsu Inc.: Mr. Yuhi Suzuki, Mr. Sōtarō Takahashi) discussed methods for identifying regional challenges and revitalizing communities.

Mr. Sakawa and Mr. Suzuki were originally acquaintances from their hometown. After hearing about the Challenge Lab, Mr. Sakawa requested, "I definitely want to try this in Tsuwano Town too!" and that's how the project began.

<Table of Contents>
▼Build Relationships Before Creating Local Jobs
▼What if we view retired seniors as "Masters"?
▼What's the "problem of placing too much expectation on young people" often seen in regional revitalization?
▼Making "problem-solving" much more interesting through creative presentation and communication

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Building Relationships Before Creating Local Jobs

Suzuki: Today we've gathered project members from the Challenge Lab × FoundingBase initiative. You're all actively engaged in solving local challenges. Could you briefly share your current activities and what motivated you to start working in your community?

Mimoto: The Japan NPO Center supports the activities of NPOs nationwide. I originally worked for an environmental NGO, and at international conferences, I often heard people from overseas ask, "Why doesn't Japan change?" I realized that to truly change Japan, it's crucial to work alongside people in local communities. Wanting to face that challenge and learn more, I ended up at the Japan NPO Center.

Takahashi: While working at Dentsu Inc., I established a general incorporated association in Ogatsu Town, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, where I'm conducting community activities centered around art. The catalyst was participating in a workshop focused on regional revitalization projects. The program's goal was to conduct fieldwork in Ogatsu Town, interview residents, and ultimately propose a project. I felt it would be irresponsible to just propose something and not implement it, so I started small with like-minded members.

Saka: I work at FoundingBase, a regional co-creation venture with 13 bases nationwide. Together with local residents, I support primary industries in Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture, and develop educational internship programs. Originally from Tokyo, I became fascinated by the deep community bonds unique to rural areas and the lifestyles of small-scale business owners after participating in a university club activity creating a local free paper. Later, a senior from that club invited me to join a project in Tsuwano Town, the precursor to FoundingBase. As a university student at the time, I took a leave of absence and flew to Shimane, and that's how I ended up here.

Suzuki: Thank you. I imagine all three of you experience the appeal of the region daily, but conversely, do you ever feel the unique challenges specific to rural areas?

Takahashi: Yes, for example, when proposing something, it can be unclear who to approach and in what order, or how much consensus among how many people is needed to move forward. That feels different from typical business activities.

S aka: I understand. Since community ties are strong in local areas, you really need a sense of balance. Things don't always move forward just because they're rational. You have to proceed while considering things like local pride or unwritten rules cultivated over long-standing relationships.

What about viewing retired seniors as "Masters"?

Suzuki: Despite the unique local challenges you mentioned, I believe the success of the Challenge Lab × FoundingBase project in Tsuwano Town is entirely due to your outstanding efforts, Sakawa-san.

[Challenge Lab × FoundingBase Project in Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture]

We gathered local players active in Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture, to collect everyday challenges they encounter in their regular activities. Combining these with insights from the Japan NPO Center, we created "Challenge Cards" by giving the collected challenges catchy names.

Suzuki: How exactly did you communicate the project to the local community?

Sakawa: At the planning stage, local residents naturally don't know what outcomes will emerge. So, we carefully explain the project's significance and content, and coordinate the budgeting process. Beyond that, the crucial part is creating a situation where, when I say, "I will definitely steer this to a positive conclusion," everyone can agree. In that sense, the "trust capital" I've built up through past activities was probably significant.

Takahashi: I see, trust capital. That's really insightful...!

Suzuki: Thanks to Sakawa-san's established trust with the community, the Challenge Lab × FoundingBase project launched. We started by gathering challenges in Tsuwano Town, interviewing about 15 people involved in local activities there about issues they encounter daily. Shall I share a few collected challenges?

Mihon: The one I really resonated with was "the problem of having many masters but not utilizing them." Among Tsuwano Town's elderly residents, there are many people with amazing skills, like former master gardeners or someone famous for making ohagi rice cakes. If opportunities for these "masters" to shine increased, it might help Tsuwano Town blossom with new charm. I felt this challenge isn't unique to Tsuwano Town but common to all regions nationwide with high aging rates.

Suzuki: I hear there's a place called the "Silver Human Resources Center" where seniors are registered. Renaming it the "Master Center" could be an option, right? Just seeing cool portraits of the masters lined up on a website, with a caption like "Leave your gardening to this master," would make me want to consult them.

Sakawa: While regional revitalization is often driven by young people, the overwhelming majority of the town's population is elderly. If those individuals could leverage their skills and talents, the impact they could bring to the town would be enormous.

Suzuki: And the topic that sparked the most excitement that day was the "Tsunano Chestnut Over-Mont Blanc Problem." Since the local specialty Tsunano chestnuts are mostly used in classic recipes like Mont Blanc, we wondered: What if we approached them with a fresh perspective? Couldn't that lead to the birth of an unexpected new specialty?

Saka: I think part of the challenge is that Tsuwano chestnuts were traditionally used in traditional Japanese sweets. This creates a high barrier—it feels like only food professionals can get involved, making it hard for local residents to participate.

Sanbon: On the other hand, I feel like we're seeing more cases lately where younger locals and others who aren't food professionals are getting involved in branding local specialties.

S uzuki: Lowering the barriers seems like a good approach. For example, imagine an event where local residents gather at a restaurant or cafe, brainstorm ideas while eating Mont Blanc desserts, and test-make several recipes. Then, the locals themselves become judges to evaluate whether these could be recognized as local specialties. That sounds interesting, right?

What about the common "too much expectation placed on young people" issue in regional revitalization?

Takahashi: What really struck me was the problem of "forcing people to settle permanently actually drives them away." Settling down is a big decision, and I personally feel the barrier is high for someone to suddenly commit to permanent residence. But since there are plenty of vacant houses and unused properties, I thought it might be good to have places where people could start with "semi-residence" – living there during specific seasons or on a regular basis.

I really feel that having an "address" is crucial for integrating into a community. Last fall, as part of a project, I did a residency and exhibition in Ogachi Town. An artist stayed in a lodge at the campground there for a month. I also went up from Tokyo every weekend to stay at the lodge. Even then, the locals recognized me as "Takahashi-san from the campground," and when I returned, they'd say, "Welcome back."

Sakawa: I think settling down in a place happens as a result of processes like finding your role within the community and nurturing relationships. So, having settlement as the only option from the start might be a high hurdle.

On the other hand, from the perspective of those welcoming newcomers, I feel there's definitely a difference in how you engage with someone who plans to stay long-term versus someone who's just passing through. So, even if it's "semi-residence," if someone commits to living there for a set period every year or engages with the community passionately, I think residents would find it easier to accept them.

Sanbon: Conversely, among local residents, the challenge often cited is the "I want to stay in this town, but I don't know what to do" problem. In Tsuwano Town, one in five high school students leaves for employment, yet only 4% stay locally to work. Many young people have deep affection for the area, but they leave because they don't know what opportunities exist. The lack of an established environment for starting businesses also makes returning difficult.

Sakawa: Tsuwano Town is actively working to make its school education more appealing; 40% of Tsuwano High School students come from outside the prefecture. In recent years, community education and locally rooted workshops have also been actively held, but the challenge is how to build on that momentum. Even if people leave town temporarily for university or jobs, I think it would be great to create opportunities or space for them to come back later.

Takahashi: Ogachi Town is also called a marginal village, with only about 32 students across its elementary and junior high schools. While it's best for people to continue living locally, there are times when leaving is unavoidable. In those cases, I think designing the "way of leaving" is one approach.

Ogachi Elementary and Junior High School invited an external designer to create a fictional company with the students. They decided on a business together and even made a proper logo. Then, even though the company is fictional, it remains in the area forever. I think it's incredibly important for something you created to remain in the town you've left behind.

Suzuki: That's a really interesting perspective. Preserving memories in tangible form helps sustain a tangible connection to the hometown.

Sakawa: I see. It's true; sometimes high school students who participated in local workshops come back during their university summer break to join again. Creating actions or mechanisms for ongoing engagement might be key.

Mihon: From another perspective, I think the frustration of "not knowing what to do" often stems from the pressure of "having to do something." But that's absolutely not the case. Just living your life normally is fine, and even just supporting people doing interesting things in the community is a wonderful way to engage with it. I also feel there's an issue of "too much expectation placed on young people" when it comes to solving local problems ( ), so I think it would be great to communicate that it's okay to live here more casually.

By refining how we present and communicate these ideas, "problem-solving" becomes much more engaging.

Suzuki: As everyone has shared so far, for this project we named Tsuwano Town's challenges and created outputs in the form of "Challenge Cards" to spark local interest. Mr. Sakawa, how do you see the significance of these "Challenge Cards"?

Sakawa: "Challenges" tend to be perceived negatively, and actually solving them is tough, so inevitably, some people can tackle them while others can't. But by visualizing our region's challenges in a positive, interesting way like this, I think it sparks interest in people who haven't been involved before and creates opportunities for new connections that wouldn't have existed otherwise.

Personally, I presented the challenges I usually feel directly at the editorial meeting. The Challenge Lab members gave me feedback, including naming ideas for communication and examples from NPOs nationwide. It was a huge inspiration, making me think, "Ah, so this is how you can present and communicate it."

Suzuki: How do you envision the "Challenge Cards" being used going forward?

Saka: There's now movement to bring the "Challenge Cards" into schools and explore workshops where students brainstorm solutions together. Also, as FoundingBase, we wanted to establish a hub for solving challenges in Tsuwano Town. We renovated a traditional house dating back to the Taisho era and opened "Machi no Office Q+," a facility featuring an office and community lounge.

Sanbon: Looking at the challenge cards together and brainstorming ideas seems like a great way to discover new challenges.

Sakawa: Since this project was conducted remotely, I'd love to eventually gather local residents and students at Machi no Office Q+ for a "real-life challenge lab."

Suzuki: That sounds wonderful. I'd love to visit with the challenge lab members. Thank you so much for today.
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< Challenge Lab >
Established in 2018 through collaboration between Dentsu Inc. and the Japan NPO Center. This lab aims to foster partnerships where NPOs and companies work together as collaborative entities striving to solve social issues, rather than maintaining a "supported/supporting" relationship.

Its concept is "Problem discovery comes before problem solving. Hints lie in the field, not the conference room." It connects with cutting-edge frontlines to address social issues nationwide.

It currently provides services in both consulting and business development.

1. Communication/Branding (Sustainable + Field Perspective)
2. Product/Business Development/Platform Development (e.g., service development centered on Diversity & Inclusion)
3. "Problem Discovery"-Oriented Talent Development Program

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