Tokyo Tech Students Take the Lead: Second Ookayama Community Project Successfully Completed
The Oooshirumachi Project, a student-led initiative involving various events and exhibitions for the local community, lit up the Ookayama North Exit Shopping Area for the second year running from October 23 to 29.
This project was born from a Tokyo Tech student group’s desire to interact with local citizens, spread knowledge about the Ookayama area, and help develop a deeper affinity for the neighborhood. This year’s theme was “harmony.” Once again, the student group spent roughly six months preparing for the weeklong event, building the interior of the rented venue by hand and creating a truly unique space and experience for members of the community.
The “harmony” space, this year’s main venue for the Ooshirumachi Project
The Oooshirumachi Project included the following exhibitions and events.
Rediscover Ookayama exhibitions
- Panel exhibition of articles about Ookayama published on the Note information sharing website
- 3D model of hilly Ookayama area in which local residents could attach flags to indicate their favorite restaurants and pubs
- Photo contest — Photos of different ways to enjoy bread bought at one of Ookayama’s many bakeries
- Photos exhibiting the past and present of Tokyo Tech and Ookayama area
- Exhibit of Ookayama playing cards, photos of children creating cards, and other text and picture cards collected throughout the project
Panels introducing unique characteristics of Ookayama area
Photo contest: Variety of delicious bread and pastries available around Ookayama
Visitors learning about history of Ookayama
Exchange events for all generations
- Ookayama Campus tour, restaurant and other town tours on foot aimed at international students
- Research presentations by Tokyo Tech students, on-site lectures by Tokyo Tech professors
- Competition using Ookayama-themed playing cards created by various community members
- On-site childcare event together with organization active in Ookayama area
- Mystery-solving town tour created by Tokyo Tech student club C-lock-row
- Pottery class by shopkeepers in Ookayama North Exit Shopping Area
Members of public on guided tour of Tokyo Tech’s hidden gems and generally inaccessible areas
Ookayama-themed playing card competition
Childcare event in collaboration with local organization
Pamphlets for mystery-solving town tour created by Tokyo Tech student club
Pottery experience involving community members
Litter cleanup event together with local residents
Through some wonderful collaboration between Tokyo Tech students, faculty, staff, and members of the public, this year’s Ooshirumachi Project was once again a great success, attracting over 500 visitors throughout the week. The organizers are already looking forward to planning next year’s event.
Comments from Oooshirumachi Project member
Tatsuya Ogura
1st-year master’s student, Architecture and Building Engineering
I specialize in Urban Design and Built Environment, and I have been participating in the Oooshirumachi Project since last year. I am impressed by the ripple effect that our activities have had, and it is great to hear from people that they remember us from the previous year!
This year, our activities included a photo exhibit of Tokyo Tech and Ookayama, a mystery-solving town tour created with other student clubs, and an Ookayama-related card game created with younger children and members of the public.
The scaled-up event and increased number of participants meant that our preparations involved plenty of work, but the result was a great sense of fulfillment. I feel that creating pitstops where anyone could stop by and interact was of great value to the community.
What is the Oooshirumachi Project?
The Oooshirumachi Project is an initiative currently led by six bachelor’s and master’s program students in the Department of Architecture and Building Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The project began because the students themselves, who attend Tokyo Tech on its Ookayama Campus, wanted to know more about the surrounding area and share what they like about Ookayama with the local community and other Tokyo Tech students. A significant part of the project involves writing articles about the appealing features of Ookayama on the Note information sharing website
(Japanese), which is open for all to read.
The Oooshirumachi Project is part of Tokyo Tech’s Student Success Support Project and is supported by the Tokyo Institute of Technology Fund and the School of Environment and Society’s Office of Changemaker Grants.