Hajime Kensetsu Corporation Hosts Wooden House Construction Site Visit for High School Students

Hajime Kensetsu Corporation, a core company of the Iida Group Holdings, held a "Wooden House Construction Site Visit" for 31 second-year students in the Architectural Systems Science department of Tochigi Prefectural Oyama North Sakura High School on July 9, 2026 (Thursday).

Purpose of the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the number of workers in the construction industry in 2025 is 4.78 million, which is approximately 30% less than the peak of 6.85 million in 1997. Additionally, the mass retirement of the baby boomer generation and the implementation of the upper limit regulation on overtime work in April 2024 (the 2024 issue in the construction industry) have made productivity improvement and talent acquisition major challenges for the industry as a whole.

Furthermore, the high school graduate recruitment market remains a seller's market, with the job offer ratio for 2024 graduates being approximately 4.10 times for high school graduates and approximately 31.90 times for industrial high school graduates, compared to approximately 1.66 times for university graduates.

Against this backdrop, Hajime Kensetsu aims to deepen students' understanding of the construction and housing industries by having high school students who are learning architecture experience a wooden house construction site. The company held this site visit with this purpose in mind.

*1 Reference: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism "Reference Materials (Trends in the Number of Construction Workers and Their Share of All Industries)" (Page 4)

https://www.mlit.go.jp/tochi_fudousan_kensetsugyo/const/content/001994097.pdf

*2 Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Upper Limit Regulation on Overtime Work for Construction Workers, Drivers, Doctors, etc. (Businesses and Work with Deferred Application of the Old Upper Limit Regulation on Overtime Work)"

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/koyou_roudou/roudoukijun/gyosyu/topics/01.html

Group photo of the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

Contents of the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

After a welcome speech by Fujikawa, an executive officer of Hajime Kensetsu, explanations were given on heat stroke countermeasures at construction sites and an overview of the houses to be visited that day.

Afterward, the high school students visited a detached house under construction and a flat detached house under construction.

At the construction site under construction, students learned about the foundation work that supports the house. At the flat detached house under construction, explanations were given on the layout, wood and metal materials used in the house, roof framing, shear walls, wiring and piping work, and substructure construction, among other processes involved in completing a wooden house. Additionally, the use of the construction management app "ANDPAD (Ando Pad)" was introduced to deepen understanding of how construction sites are managed and how work is changing due to construction DX.

Furthermore, a carpenter working as a regular employee at Hajime Kensetsu demonstrated the safe use of power tools, after which representative students experienced nailing and cutting wood with a handsaw. Explanations were also given on the differences between subcontracted carpenters and company carpenters, their job contents, the current way carpenters work, and how to read job listings, to deepen understanding of the diverse careers and paths available in the construction industry.

Comments from students who participated in the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

Comments were received from participating high school students, such as:

"I was interested in the job of designing buildings, but through this site visit, I also found the job of a carpenter appealing. Hearing about the work using power tools and the stories of those working at the site made me strongly want to work as a carpenter in the future."

"While we learn about architecture through textbooks and classes at school, seeing an actual construction site allowed me to concretely imagine the flow of work and the process of completing a building. Being able to directly hear from those working at the site was a very valuable experience."

"I was originally unsure about my career path, but after visiting the site and interacting with the carpenters, I set a goal to become a carpenter in the future. I am really glad I participated in this experience event."

Scenes from the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

Scenes from the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

Scenes from the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

Overview of the "Wooden House Construction Site Visit"

Date: July 9, 2026 (Thursday)

Venue: Hajime Kensetsu's wooden house construction site (Ara-machi, Moka City, Tochigi Prefecture)

Contents: Opening remarks, introduction of heat stroke countermeasures, site visit of a flat wooden house under construction, demonstration of tools by carpenters and nailing experience by high school students, introduction of construction management using the "ANDPAD" app, explanation of the contents and working style of carpenters, explanation of how to read job listings, presentation of commemorative gifts, and commemorative photo session

Participants: 31 second-year students in the Architectural Systems Science department of Tochigi Prefectural Oyama North Sakura High School, Fujikawa Motoshige, Executive Officer, East Japan Construction Management Headquarters, Hajime Kensetsu Corporation, and other skilled workers (carpenters) from Hajime Kensetsu Corporation

Company Profile of Hajime Kensetsu

Company Name: Hajime Kensetsu Corporation

Representative Director: Tadami Horiguchi

Headquarters: 2-25-5 Fujikyu Building East 5, Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0022

Established: February 13, 1967

Capital: 3,298 million yen

Business Content: Detached houses for sale

https://www.hajime-kensetsu.co.jp/for-living/ready-built/

Apartments for sale

https://www.hajime-kensetsu.co.jp/for-living/apartment/

Custom-built houses

https://www.hajime-kensetsu.co.jp/for-living/custom-built/

Renovation and renovation

https://www.hajime-kensetsu.co.jp/for-living/renovation/

Asset solutions (investment-use detached rental housing and effective use of land)

https://www.hajime-kensetsu.co.jp/become-an-owner/investment/

Lease-back plus

https://www.hajime-kensetsu.co.jp/become-an-owner/lease-back-plus/