Hamamatsu to Become a Creative Hub for University Students: The "WA-Creative Tour 2026" Practicing Happy Relationships Between Region and Future

The Waguri Council, along with key regional companies acting as the study tour secretariat—including Shizuoka Shimbun & Shizuoka Broadcasting, Suzuki, Enshu Railway, Somic Management Holdings, and Shunkado—will officially launch the "WA-Creative Tour," a practical educational program based on industry-academia-government collaboration, starting in fiscal 2026.

Building on two years of previous study tours, this program is a practical fieldwork initiative targeting university students in the Tokyo and Kansai metropolitan areas, focusing on the "manufacturing industry" and "food culture" of the Enshu-Hamamatsu region. Through company visits, agricultural experiences, and workshops, the program provides opportunities to practically address regional issues, aiming to revitalize the regional community and nurture next-generation talent.

In fiscal 2026, the program will collaborate with multiple universities including Ritsumeikan, Rissho, Hosei, Aoyama Gakuin, and Rikkyo, with a total annual enrollment of approximately 70 students. Teams will be organized by themes such as "Food," "Information Content," "Mobility," "Music," and "Learning." Through dialogues and feedback from management and young employees of participating companies, they will ultimately present solutions to regional issues. The 2026 program kicks off with a lecture at Ritsumeikan University on May 22. The period until August will be an input phase to deepen understanding of the history, culture, and industry of the Enshu area, followed by fieldwork in the region in September. Afterward, students will engage in project design and output creation from October toward a pitch contest scheduled for January.

Furthermore, this initiative goes beyond mere company visits. It is characterized by enabling students to concretely imagine working and living in the region, offering a new perspective on career choice: not just "which company to join," but "which region to work in." For companies, it is positioned as an initiative to connect with future talent and reduce recruitment mismatches.

From this year, the collaboration with universities has been further strengthened, and the program is being implemented as an accredited educational course.