Koyo Group, a diversified tourism business, launches "Accompanied Inquiry Support Project" for high school and university students with social education specialists from April 2026, transforming "?" of inquiry into "!" of enjoying Yamagata.

Koyo Group (Koyo Holdings Co., Ltd., Executive Vice President: Taichi Sato), which operates diversified tourism and town development businesses including six accommodation facilities (including glamping) in Yamagata Prefecture, Tohoku's first Ofuro Café brand "Ofuro Café Yusa," and the specialty pudding shop "Yamagata Pudding," launched "Machi no Tankyu Lab by Koyo Group" in April 2026, a project specializing in supporting inquiry-based learning for high school and university students.

In this project, employees with the title of "Social Education Specialist" and specialized knowledge will develop inquiry-based learning support based in the Shonai area. They will accompany educational settings from "PROJECT PORT TRY&" (operated by G.K. dano), a hub that supports the challenges of young people in Sakata City. This initiative evolves the previous "point" support, such as individual cooperation for inquiry-based learning, project development in collaboration with high schools and universities, and participation in the My Project Award Yamagata Summit, into "surface" collaboration utilizing the diverse resources of the entire group. By opening up the entire Yamagata field to the next generation, the group aims to co-create the future of the region and its youth as a "company that nurtures people."

■ Transforming the "?" of inquiry into the "!" of enjoying Yamagata

Since its establishment, Koyo Group has made nurturing people through "omotenashi" (hospitality) the core of its management. Believing that fostering the next generation is essential for the sustainable development of the local community, we are launching "Machi no Tankyu Lab by Koyo Group," a project specializing in supporting inquiry-based learning for high school and university students.
This project is not merely a social contribution activity but symbolizes our strong commitment to human resource development in the region by appointing specialists and deploying them in educational settings.

■ Accompanied support by "Machi no Tankyu Lab by Koyo Group"

This project will be led by our employee with the title of "Social Education Specialist," who specialized in youth work and inquiry-based learning support at Tohoku University of Art and Design's Community Design Department and has been involved in inquiry sites nationwide.

As an adult in a "diagonal relationship" – neither vertical like teachers or parents, nor horizontal like friends – they will professionally support young people in internalizing their "questions" through brainstorming and approaching external resources.

【Main collaboration styles and scale】

・School dispatch type: Accompaniment within schools, such as guest lecturers for inquiry classes and setting up individual consultation booths after school. In the first year, collaboration with three high schools in the Shonai region is planned, and requests from other high schools and universities are accepted at any time.

・Hub utilization type: Consultation services at a satellite office within "PROJECT PORT TRY&" in Sakata City (operated by G.K. dano). This provides a relaxed environment for dialogue as a third place outside of school.

PROJECT PORT TRY& Interior view

・Support for university students: Advice from a practical perspective on graduation theses and research topics, individual consultations for the social implementation of projects, supporting the lifelong process of "inquiry."

・Field provision: Practical training, observation, and exchange utilizing all Koyo Group facilities, covering accommodation, dining, and sweets.

■ Project features

・Opening up the entire Koyo Group as a "field for inquiry"

We provide the diverse business sites operated by the group, including ryokans, glamping, and specialty sweets shops, as "living textbooks." This creates opportunities to experience the forefront of the tourism business, the mechanisms of regional design, and the perspective of a "local zebra company" aiming for sustainable management. Furthermore, through interaction with diverse professionals working on-site, we support career education directly relevant to the real world.

Japanese Inn Koyo (Kaminoyama City) Atsumi Onsen Bankokuya (Tsuruoka City)

Yamagata Glam (Murayama City) Yamagata Pudding (Kaminoyama City, Yamagata City)

・Systematic support structure from "points" to "surface"

We have systematized our past achievements, such as individual cooperation for inquiry-based learning, product development and sales in collaboration with high schools, and support for the "National High School My Project Award Yamagata Summit." By having social education specialists permanently stationed, we have built a sustainable "surface" support system that complements school education.

・Fostering a sense of ownership with an eye on "beyond inquiry"

We aim to ensure that inquiry does not end with entrance exams, providing a perspective that balances solving social issues with economic activities. We aim to nurture the next generation of "stakeholders" who can view their local community as their "own business" and take action themselves.

■ Message from the project manager

Koyo Holdings Co., Ltd. / Social Education Specialist, Aisa Saito

During my middle and high school years, through five years of activity in the Yuza Town Youth Council, I encountered the charm of my hometown and adults who enjoyed the region, learning the joy of engaging with society. To deepen that original experience, I studied town development and education at university, and during my enrollment, I was involved in inquiry sites nationwide.

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