Students' proposal to make Hirosaki a "holy land of love and marriage"
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is working to promote Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture as a "holy land of love and marriage," with the aim of increasing national recognition and attracting more tourists.
This project aims to commercialize the Hirosaki revitalization plan, "Love Hirosaki, Pride Hirosaki Weddings" (won the Aomori Prefectural Governor's Award at the University Student Tourism Urban Development Contest), put forward by students from the Faculty Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Hirosaki City is home to the number one apple production in Japan, and Hirosaki Castle, known as a famous cherry blossom viewing spot. Apples have the flower language of "chosen love," and Hirosaki Castle has a history of over 400 years. This project will contribute to the revitalization of Hirosaki City through a wedding business that utilizes apples and Hirosaki Castle as new symbols of "love and marriage."
Solving Hirosaki's problems through weddings!
What comes to mind when you hear the name Hirosaki City, located in western Aomori Prefecture? First of all, do you know how to read "Hirosaki"? The answer is "Hirosaki," but those who don't know this often read it as "Hiromae."
Aomori Prefecture is famous for being the number one producer of apples in Japan, and Hirosaki City is the number one producer of apples in the country. It is no exaggeration to say that when you talk about apples in Aomori, you are talking about apples from Hirosaki, but do you know that much?
In addition to apples, Hirosaki is also a tourist destination that attracts many people from all over the country for the cherry blossoms at Hirosaki Castle in spring and the Nebuta Festival in summer. However, the fact that the cherry blossoms and Nebuta can only be enjoyed for a limited number of days does not lead to attracting tourists throughout the year, and Hirosaki City, like other regional cities, faces issues such as a declining birthrate and aging population, and the outflow of young people to urban areas. Since 2014, students from Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences have visited Hirosaki City during summer vacation to propose business plans to solve these issues.
What is "Love Spreads, Hirosaki Weddings Proud of"?
This three-day, two-night fieldwork program uncovers attractive local resources from a student perspective, and involves creating and presenting a business plan incorporating those resources. In 2015, the program was titled "Spreading Love, Proud of Hirosaki Weddings."
The aim of this project is to create new wedding plans and related businesses that utilize apples and Hirosaki Castle, which boasts the highest apple production in Japan and whose flower language is "chosen love," and the "more than 400 years of history" of Hirosaki Castle as symbols of "romance and marriage" and "prosperity of home and family." The project aims to attract tourists by disseminating information to the Tokyo metropolitan area and overseas about weddings that can only be held in Hirosaki City, such as commemorative photos at Hirosaki Castle, planting apple trees, and wedding receptions with apple dishes and traditional crafts as gifts.
2019 Activities Schedule
In fiscal 2019, we will hold a mock wedding ceremony in the form of an event with a high PR effect for commercialization and sales promotion. Based on this mock wedding ceremony, we will carry out PR activities and advertising to get the Hirosaki Wedding business on track.
Activity record
2018年度
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