Local Revitalization Planning in Maebashi

As part of the Aoyama Gakuin University Research Institute’s “Future Regional Revitalization” project—specifically the research on “Local Revitalization through Folk Crafts”—Professor Kenshi Miyazoe of Aoyama Business School: ABS and volunteer members of his laboratory conducted field research in Maebashi (February 2026) and presented their findings to local businesses in Maebashi (March).

Participating Members
Keiko Oda (enrolled in the Evening Course in 2012), Taku Handa (enrolled in the Evening Course in 2024), Yuki Matsudo (enrolled in the Daytime Course in 2025), Ippei Miyagi (enrolled in the Daytime Course in 2026)

During our field survey in Maebashi, we spent the first day exploring the city center with the assistance of faculty and students from a local university. On the second day, we traveled to the foothills of Mount Akagi and Gunma Sōja in the suburbs, where we conducted interviews with creators at various pottery and woodworking studios.

We visited locations identified through prior research to verify their initiatives, but thanks to the ABS working adult students’ proactive efforts to identify new sites on the spot and their interview skills, we made many new discoveries at locations not originally on the itinerary, resulting in a very fruitful field survey.

Based on the field survey, we proposed plans to Maebashi-based companies regarding the unique nature of folk art in Maebashi and how it can contribute to regional revitalization. We also reported our findings to the relevant departments at Maebashi City Hall responsible for regional revitalization and received positive feedback. We look forward to seeing Maebashi’s regional revitalization continue to grow, centered on the theme of folk art.