Summer School on 'How to Create Places Where People Gather' Opens in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Tokyo; Application Deadline June 29

Shigoto Hito Inc. (CEO: Kenta Nakamura), which operates the job search website "Nihon Shigoto Hyakkaten," will hold a series of lectures titled "Shigoto Zemi: Nihon Shigoto Hyakkaten Summer School" starting Thursday, July 23, 2026. The course, themed "How to Create Places Where People Gather," will be held in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Tokyo, and online, offering a systematic study of the philosophy behind place-making and how to nurture communities.

Shigoto Zemi "Shigoto Zemi" is a seminar-style school where professionals from various fields act as teachers, sharing their knowledge, experience, and achievements through hands-on practice. Past seminars have included "Living by Writing," "Creating a Town with Cheerful Adults," and "Eating Seminar: What is Eating?" featuring various guest speakers.

Guest Lecturers Fostering 'Places' in Diverse Fields This seminar will feature practitioners at the forefront of unique community formation and place-making as guest lecturers. Participants will learn real-world insights based on practical experience from instructors who have cultivated "places where people gather" through different approaches, such as creating local hubs, building communities through brands, and designing spaces that organically connect people.

- Mio Aono - Yoshinori Kogusuri (G.U.style Inc.) Considers real estate, construction, and management as a single organic entity. As an embodiment of this, they run "Nomigawa Sweets," a town sweet shop created by everyone in Ikegami, Ota-ku, Tokyo. They will also open "IKEGAMI Minamiguchi," a limited-time space utilizing vacant land with Tokyu Corporation, at the end of 2025. They are constantly exploring ways to make each person's "want to do, like, and specialty" a reality through "creating together." Aono was also a student in the second term of "How to Create Places Where People Gather" in 2025 and is now challenging new manufacturing methods that utilize materials for building.

- Hideki Toyoshima (gm projects) Born in Osaka in 1971. Graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute and Chelsea College of Art and Design. Since 1998, as a member of "graf," he has been involved in design and manufacturing related to all aspects of life. Since 2009, he has been active as a member of "gm projects." His diverse and flexible expressive activities, from creating works to spatial composition, curation, workshops, and event planning, have attracted attention. He is currently the director of "Yamatomichi HLC," a community-building project for the ultralight hiking brand "Yamatomichi." He is involved in many projects that proceed while forming communities and creating places, such as "HAPPY HIKERS" with friends in Kyushu. He lives a dual-location life with his wife in Hokkaido and Kyushu.

- Kazukiyo Kawabuchi, Jinjitsu Yamamoto (Machi no Jinji Kikakushitsu) A hands-on planning and support team that connects the "people," "work," and "learning" necessary for a region. They work on recruitment initiatives that consider people's lives, and create systems for people to grow, challenge themselves, and share learning in collaboration with local businesses, municipalities, and educational institutions. They support regional development through project creation, system design, planning support, and community formation from a "human resources" perspective on regional sustainability.

- Yugo Shirasaki (Ricoh BlackRams Tokyo, Club Visionary Officer) After working for two Recruit Group companies, he served as an executive and university secretary-general at Business Breakthrough. He provides leadership development and team-building content not only to companies but also to sports teams and athletes. At the professional rugby team Ricoh BlackRams Tokyo, he oversees business operations and focuses on social activities that leverage the power of sports.

Management & Navigators Satoshi Nakano, Hatsuka Takahashi In charge of planning, operating, and editing for 'places' at Shigoto Hito Inc. They manage "Little Tokyo" in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Tokyo, and plan events and create places for local and internal communities.

Why Consider 'How to Create Places Where People Gather' Now? In our modern era, where anyone can easily connect with others through social media and diverse lifestyles, the value of face-to-face relationships and passionate communities is being re-evaluated. However, when trying to create a space, it's not uncommon to face challenges like "people don't show up," "events are one-offs," and "participant enthusiasm doesn't last." What systems and philosophies exist in places that naturally involve people and become self-sustaining, going beyond mere "customer acquisition"? This seminar, now in its third iteration, will carefully unravel the essence of "place-making" and "community building" through the perspectives of front-line practitioners. Instead of simply imitating methods, it will serve as an opportunity to re-examine your own approach to place-making in your activities and projects by confronting the fundamental question of "why is this place necessary?"

Learning Through a Cycle of Lectures and Practice The 8-session program will delve into the essence of "places where people gather" from multiple angles, alternating between lectures and experiences.

- Lectures: Learn about the concept design of place-making and the behind-the-scenes of fostering enthusiasm from guest practitioners who have built their own unique communities. - Practice/Workshops: Using two real locations as case studies—"Little Tokyo" in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa and "IKEGAMI Minamiguchi" at Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line—participants will engage in practical work to concretely think about "what kind of place planning is possible" based on the specific characteristics and challenges of the location. - Cycle: By cycling between learning and practice and exchanging objective feedback with fellow students from different backgrounds, you will learn your own perspective on "place-making."

Event Overview Dates: Thursday, July 23, 2026 - Thursday, September 10, 2026 (Total 9 sessions) Location: In-person at Little Tokyo (4F, 1-7-14 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo), Online via Google Meets Capacity: 30 in-person, 30 online Fees: A: In-person Early Bird: 49,500 JPY (incl. tax) -> 44,000 JPY (incl. tax) until 6/22 B: In-person Student: 22,000 JPY (incl. tax) C: Online Course: 27,500 JPY (incl. tax) D: Online Course Student: 11,000 JPY (incl. tax) Application Deadline: Monday, June 29, 2026 Details & Application Page: https://shigoto100.com/shigoto-seminar-communitybuilding03