Balancing Operational Burden Reduction and Fund Securing. "Official Parking DX" for Fireworks and Festivals Expands to 24 Locations Nationwide

akippa Inc. (CEO: Genki Kanaya), which operates the smart parking service "akippa," has been promoting the "paid, pre-booked" operation of official parking lots for fireworks festivals and traditional festivals nationwide since 2023. This initiative is expanding to 24 locations annually in fiscal year 2025, a 12-fold increase in two years.

This initiative is being introduced as a "new parking management model" that contributes to resolving parking shortages by utilizing idle land in surrounding areas, alleviating traffic congestion by dispersing arrival times, supplementing operating costs, and reducing the workload of organizers.

Furthermore, in recognition of its contribution to solving these regional issues, akippa received the "Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award" at the "5th Japan Service Awards." (※)

akippa is a platform where anyone can easily participate in events, with local residents "lending" their spaces and visitors "booking" them. We are committed to realizing sustainable regional revitalization, aiming for parking, a familiar infrastructure, to become a place for creating "relationship populations" that connect regions both internally and externally, fostering pride and attachment to the community (civic pride).

※ akippa receives "Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award" at Japan Service Awards https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000571.000016205.html

Social Issues Surrounding Fireworks Festivals and Traditional Festivals In recent years, the following issues have become apparent at fireworks festivals and traditional festivals nationwide:

- Continuous rise in security and labor costs - Insufficient operating funds due to rising prices - Early morning waiting for free parking and congestion on surrounding roads - Traffic jams due to concentrated arrival times

These issues are expected to continue beyond 2026, making it difficult to sustain festival operations with traditional "first-come, first-served, free" parking.

A New Official Parking Model: Paid and Pre-booked The official parking lots operated by akippa adopt a "paid, pre-booked" system instead of the traditional "free, first-come, first-served" approach. The introduction of this model is expected to bring about the following main effects:

- Securing operating funds: A portion of parking fees is allocated to operating funds. - Reducing traffic congestion and illegal parking: The reservation system disperses and optimizes arrival times, reducing surrounding traffic jams and illegal parking. - Resolving parking shortages: Securing parking spaces by effectively utilizing idle land in surrounding areas. - Reducing organizer burden: Comprehensive support from introduction design to on-site operation. - Suppressing environmental impact through existing asset utilization: Minimizing environmental impact by utilizing existing idle land instead of new construction. - Protecting the surrounding environment by reducing congestion: Contributing to the reduction of exhaust gas by decreasing the number of vehicles circling to find parking.

Maintaining High Satisfaction for 3 Consecutive Years: Case Study of the Suwako Festival Lake Fireworks Display At the "Suwako Festival Lake Fireworks Display" held in Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture, a "paid, pre-booked" system utilizing official and private parking lots has been introduced since 2023.

In a survey of parking users, approximately 90% responded "Yes" to the question "Would you like to use the pre-booked system again in the future?" for three consecutive years.

Furthermore, the response "Would not like to use" was 0% in both 2024 and 2025, indicating that this model is not merely a trial but has become deeply established in the region and among visitors through continuous improvements.

["Would like to use pre-booked system again" response trend] - 2023: 89.7% - 2024: 93.4% - 2025: 92.8%

Expanding Official Parking Operations Nationwide akippa is expanding the paid, pre-booked operation of official parking lots for fireworks festivals and traditional festivals nationwide. These initiatives are being increasingly adopted year by year, and operational achievements are steadily growing.

[Official parking operation results for fireworks festivals and traditional festivals] - 2023: 2 events - 2024: 15 events - 2025: 24 events

Organizer comments (excerpt) - The need for cash transactions on-site was eliminated, significantly reducing operational risks on the day. - We were able to manage reserved parking and monitor entry status without increasing on-site operational man-hours. - By introducing fees, we were able to cover the costs associated with parking operations.

User comments (excerpt) - It was great to be able to go slowly without having to drive around looking for parking. - The certainty of being able to park is a huge advantage. - It used to be difficult to secure parking, so I had given up on going to the venue in recent years, but with the reservation system, I was able to go, which was great. - I'm grateful that I could watch for free until last year, given the continuous rise in material costs due to inflation. My child also said the fireworks were big and beautiful and had a great time.

Fostering Civic Pride Through Parking The model provided by akippa is not limited to improving access; it is also a co-creation platform where local residents can easily participate in event management as "parking owners." Even for those who find it difficult to join existing communities, the simple action of "lending an empty space" directly contributes to solving regional issues, fostering civic pride.

Furthermore, the system of sharing existing assets enables sustainable event management with reduced environmental impact. Moreover, by making parking a new point of contact that connects regions both internally and externally, it becomes possible to create "relationship populations" that don't end with a one-time visit, and to establish a new regional revitalization model that promotes the circulation of the local economy, harmonizing "environment, society, and economy."

akippa will continue to contribute to the realization of a future where fireworks festivals and traditional festivals can be held continuously, through the operation of official parking lots.

In fiscal year 2026 and beyond, we will continue to collaborate with events in various regions, updating operations to be better for all visitors, regions, and businesses, supporting many people's real "desire to meet," and helping to connect local traditional events to the next generation.

What is akippa? https://www.akippa.com/ A parking sharing service. Uncontracted spaces in monthly parking lots, private garages, vacant lots, commercial facilities, etc., can be easily rented out as hourly parking via smartphone, and drivers can use them by pre-booking and pre-paying via web or app. Listing spaces and member registration are free. We secure over 55,000 bookable parking spaces nationwide at all times (average active listings as of December 2025), used for various purposes such as sports viewing, events, commuting, returning home, and travel. We have collaborated with over 50 local governments and sports clubs to solve problems such as traffic congestion and parking shortages. Sharing parking also contributes to SDGs by utilizing idle assets and reducing exhaust gas. The current cumulative number of members is 5.1 million (as of end of December 2025, excluding lenders).

akippa Inc. Headquarters: Naniwa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka (Tokyo Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) Representative: Genki Kanaya, Representative Director, CEO Established: February 2, 2009 Capital: 2 billion yen (including capital reserve) Business: Operation of the parking reservation app "akippa" HP: https://akippa.co.jp/

[Contact for this press release] akippa Inc. Public Relations (Contact: Morimura) Tokyo Office: KANDA SQUARE WeWork, 2-2-1 Kanda Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0054 Osaka Office: Namba Parks Tower 14F, 2-10-70 Nambanaka, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka 556-0011 Tel: 03-6450-6090 Email: pr@akippa.co.jp URL: https://akippa.co.jp