Abstract

This paper documents regional revitalization initiatives undertaken by the Mizuno Seminar at Meiji University in Urahoro and Ikeda, Hokkaido, between 2024 and 2026 and examines their achievements and challenges. The analysis draws on activity records, student reflections, publicly available materials issued by local governments and other organizations, and media reports. It covers a cycling program in Urahoro that combined a tour of the town with harvesting local produce and making pizza, two sky-lantern projects at Urahoro Shrine, and a sky-lantern project held in Ikeda in 2026 using operational experience accumulated in Urahoro. Students handled planning, publicity, stakeholder coordination, on-site operations, and questionnaire administration, whereas local partners provided venues, recruited participants, and mobilized local resources and networks. That reflection and improvement in Urahoro subsequently led Ikeda to request assistance in organizing an event constitutes a case in which experience and trust were transferred across communities, beyond the implementation of individual events. The initiatives produced meaningful outcomes by raising local visibility, creating points of contact with communities, building collaborative arrangements, and providing students with practical learning opportunities.

Keywords: regional revitalization, relationship population (kankei jinko), university-community collaboration, participatory events, cycling, sky-lantern events