【Kyogoku Town, Hokkaido】28 Participants from 9 Municipalities Attend Exchange Meeting for Regional Revitalization Cooperation Teams and Those Interested in Regional Revitalization

Under the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team DAO Solution developed by Aruyaumu Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sapporo City, Representative Director: Hiroaki Hatanaka), which promotes regional revitalization through NFTs, Yamachu-san, the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team DAO Manager of Kyogoku Town, Hokkaido, held the first "Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team Exchange Meeting in Kyogoku" on Friday, April 24, 2026. The event targeted regional revitalization cooperation teams, regional revitalization entrepreneurs, and those interested in these activities.

28 people (including 2 preschoolers) from 9 municipalities in Hokkaido, including Kyogoku Town, Yoichi Town, Akaigawa Village, Hokuryu Town, Mori Town, Fukushima Town, Furubira Town, Kutchan Town, and Kimobetsu Town, gathered at "Michi-no-eki Meisui no Sato Kyogoku Meisui Plaza," the venue. Voices such as "Not enough time" and "Please hold it regularly" were heard one after another. This article reports on the background of the event, the day's proceedings, participants' feedback, and future prospects, based on a questionnaire response from the organizer, Yamachu-san.

**The impetus for the event ─ Seeking "simple horizontal connections"**

Many of the exchange meetings and training sessions held for regional revitalization cooperation teams so far have focused on themes such as "startup support" and "sharing success stories." Yamachu-san said that he had always felt a sense of discomfort while participating in them.

"Many of the cooperation team exchange events I attended were about 'startup support' or 'success story presentations,' which didn't really cater to the vulnerable, or for those who had no intention of starting a business, or for those in their first year of tenure who were being told about things far in the future. I wanted a simple exchange meeting that sought simplified horizontal connections," said Yamachu-san.

"People who might start working as cooperation teams," "people interested in the field of regional revitalization," "people who just want to talk to members from other regions" ─ in reality, there should be many such people, but there are surprisingly few places where they can gather on an equal footing. The starting point for Yamachu-san's planning of this exchange meeting was this sense of challenge.

**The day's proceedings ─ 28 participants from 9 municipalities gather at Kyogoku Town's Meisui Plaza**

The venue was "Michi-no-eki Meisui no Sato Kyogoku Meisui Plaza" (45-1 Kawanishi, Kyogoku Town, Abuta District), a representative roadside station in Kyogoku Town. It is located in Fukidashi Park, where the "Yotei no Fukidashi Yusui" (spring water), selected as one of the 100 famous waters by the Environment Agency, gushes forth.

The 28 participants (including 2 preschoolers) came from the following 9 municipalities in Hokkaido:

**<Participating Municipalities>**

Kyogoku Town

Yoichi Town

Akaigawa Village

Hokuryu Town

Mori Town

Fukushima Town

Furubira Town

Kutchan Town

Kimobetsu Town

The composition of participants was also diverse, including not only active regional revitalization cooperation team members and regional revitalization entrepreneurs but also those interested in these activities.

What was impressive about the day's operation was the mechanism of organizing tables according to requests from participants beforehand, such as "I want to talk about this." By having people with similar interests sit together, each table reportedly experienced "unusual excitement."

There were also scenes where participants voluntarily picked up the microphone set up for announcements in the venue and began talking about their activities and affiliated municipalities. By intentionally minimizing the role of the host, a scene unfolded where each participant became the main character of the event.

**Participants' feedback: "Not enough time," "Please hold it regularly"**

All the feedback received from participants confirmed the positive response to this exchange meeting.

"It was very stimulating to have the opportunity to talk with members from other municipalities."

"It was a good opportunity to visit Kyogoku Town."

"I would like to see such exchange opportunities provided regularly."

"It was so fulfilling that I felt there wasn't enough time."

Incidentally, on the day of the event, there were 3 participants who did not know about the "regional revitalization entrepreneur" system but thought they were eligible, which provided insight into the awareness of the system. Although seemingly a mishap, it also showed that there is a real segment of people who are "interested but do not accurately know the system."

**Plus for Kyogoku Town ─ From a "transit point" to a "town you want to stop by"**

Yamachu-san views the positive impact of this exchange meeting on Kyogoku Town from both "value seen from outside the town" and "value seen from inside the town."

**<From outside the town>**

"The neighboring town is also about 20 minutes by car, about 13 kilometers away, and in the Shiribeshi region, Kyogoku Town is said to have the impression of being a 'transit point' or 'independent.' The fact that people stopped by, talked, and felt the potential," said Yamachu-san.

In the Shiribeshi region, Kyogoku Town has often been seen as a town to be passed through. The fact that 28 people from 9 municipalities in Hokkaido specifically visited, stayed in the town, and experienced the town itself, was an opportunity to update that impression.

**<From inside the town>**

"Meisui Plaza is changing, and...