Fostering 'Female Entrepreneurs' in Aoyama, Tokyo: 'Aoyama Machizukuri Entrepreneurship School' Starts in April! Now Recruiting First Batch of Students.

The Aoyama Town Planning Council (Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Tadayasu Aoyama) will launch the 'Aoyama Machizukuri Entrepreneurship School' starting April 2026! We are now recruiting the first batch of students. This is for all women who want to give shape to their ideas in Aoyama, the 'City of Learning'. Anyone can participate, including working professionals, freelancers, students, and housewives. The first step to turning your ideas into the future of the city starts here. This council is a corporate body established by volunteers and companies belonging to the Aoyama Omotesando Shopping District Association. The Aoyama area in Tokyo is currently experiencing a significant decline in population, business enterprises, and local shops. Therefore, based on the proposal of the aforementioned volunteers, we have recently launched the Aoyama area regional revitalization project, 'Aoyama Town Planning Council in the Aoyama Omotesando Neighborhood of Minato Ward'. Furthermore, this spring, the Aoyama Town Planning Council will launch the 'Aoyama Machizukuri Entrepreneurship School', a private school operation business designed to make the town of Aoyama a place for taking on the challenge of new businesses. [Overview and Features of the 'Aoyama Machizukuri Entrepreneurship School'] Set in the Aoyama area, this is a practical entrepreneurship school aimed at those who wish to start a business or grow an existing one. The purpose is to systematically learn everything from organizing business concepts centered around the Aoyama area, designing business models, formulating business plans, and assembling PoCs (Proof of Concept), while acquiring the ability to actually launch and grow a business. This entrepreneurship school will offer lectures and seminar-style classes centered around Professor Tadayasu Aoyama, a Specially Appointed Professor at the Graduate School of Project Design, who has deep ties to the Aoyama place name (the 27th head of the Aoyama family, who governed the Sasayama Domain as a hereditary daimyo of the Edo Shogunate). Furthermore, we are conceptualizing the formation of a network of female executives and entrepreneurs (Aoyama Women's Project). By having female executives share their knowledge and experiences, and forming a community that leads to collaboration and co-creation, we aim to build a continuous business ecosystem that goes beyond a mere course.

April: Structuring Aoyama's regional issues May: Formulating Vision, Mission, and Purpose June: Concrete solutions and monetization/conceptual design July: Customer needs regarding hypotheses/in-depth verification August: Basics of marketing and public relations September: Sales strategy October: Policy x Business model design November: Business promotion, scheme strategy (operations, recruitment, etc.) January '27: Proof of Concept (PoC) design February/March '27: Final presentations / Graduation ceremony [Instructors] Tadayasu Aoyama and others [Venue] FARO Minami-Aoyama 4F, 6-7-7 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo (Transportation: 12 minutes on foot from 'Omotesando' station on the Ginza Line, 17 minutes on foot from 'Hiroo' station on the Hibiya Line) Online participation is also supported [Qualifications] Must be female. No requirement to live or work in Aoyama. Any age or profession. Must be able to attend all 6 lectures and the midterm/final presentations in principle. Must be willing to cooperate in group discussions and regional fieldwork (optional). Must have the desire to return the knowledge gained in the program to other students and the local community. [How to Apply] Please apply using the form below. https://aoyama-hub.or.jp/entry/