Designing Spaces Ignites Relationships: "LOUNGE WiTH 372" Demonstrates a New Method for Regional Issue Resolution as a Community Hub.
KAiGO PRiDE's community hub "LOUNGE WiTH 372" in Inagi City, Tokyo, celebrates 300 days of operation. It's attracting attention as a new method for resolving regional issues by designing spaces and communication to foster relationships, addressing challenges faced by regional comprehensive support centers.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 22:00
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General Incorporated Association KAiGO PRiDE (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Manjot Bedi) announces that "LOUNGE WiTH 372" (hereinafter referred to as WiTH), a community hub realized through the association's participation in space and communication design within the regional comprehensive support center initiative in Inagi City, Tokyo, will mark its 300th day of operation on May 19, 2026.
Over 300 days of operation, this hub has functioned not merely as a facility, but as a "hub for mutual support in the community," generating user feedback and concrete behavioral changes. Amidst nationwide challenges in regional comprehensive support, this new method is gaining attention as a potential breakthrough for solutions.
■ Background | A New Approach to Structural Issues
Regional comprehensive support centers, said to be as numerous as junior high schools nationwide, play a crucial role in an aging society but face structural challenges. In Inagi City, challenges included "approximately 40% of consultations requiring no specialized expertise," "specialized staff unable to focus on their core duties," and "psychological hurdles for users themselves to seek consultation."
In response to these issues, this project began concept design with a paradigm shift from "places for consultation" to "places where relationships are born," and is now approaching 300 days since its actual operation commenced.
■ KAiGO PRiDE's Role | Resolving Regional Issues through "Relationship Design"
In this project, KAiGO PRiDE designed a "structure where people spontaneously want to get involved" through:
Overall production
Regional communication design
Supervision and production of all creative aspects
Space design
Production of regional collaboration events
What is important is not to create a facility, but to create a mechanism where relationships continuously emerge.
Across Japan, there are many underutilized vacant spaces, isolated regions, and structures where support is difficult to reach. This initiative addresses such issues with an approach that:
Does not depend on large-scale investment
Utilizes existing resources
Redesigns relationships
This makes it a replicable model for other regions.
Beyond merely creating spaces, it demonstrates how a community can function sustainably by redesigning regional relationships themselves.
KAiGO PRiDE Official Website
■ 300-Day Outcomes from 7 Perspectives
At this facility, changes are captured from 7 perspectives to visualize the "value of the place."
A. Small daily stories (Realization of early consultation and prevention)
Consultations and relationships are born from small events in daily life.
Example: An elementary school student came to consult, saying, "I found money on the street," and delivered it to the police box with staff, naturally leading to consultations as an extension of casual conversation.
This lowers the barrier to consultation, and a pathway for early response and prevention is functioning.
B. Visible relationships (Resident-led activities, visualization of relationships)
Knowing "who is in the place" creates an environment where people can engage with peace of mind.
Example: Users stopping by "just to see a familiar face" or participants evolving into event organizers, shifting residents from "being supported" to "being involved."
As a result, division of roles within the community is naturally progressing.
C. Intersection of multiple generations and attributes (Countermeasures against isolation, creation of relational population)
People of different generations and backgrounds regularly interact in the same space.
Example: The sight of elementary school students, seniors, high school students, and foreign nationals simultaneously present has become commonplace.
This creates "everyday connections" that do not depend on specific events, contributing to the prevention of isolation.
D. Change through learning and experience (Social prescribing, behavioral change)
Experiences lead to changes in individual behavior and awareness.
Example: Users organizing workshops or planning events, transitioning from "participation" to "proactive activity."
In addition to institutional support, "social prescribing" that fosters roles, connections, and meaning in life is functioning.
E. Value of the space itself (Dispersion of consultations, reduction of burden)
The space has become a regular place for daily use, where people can stay without a specific purpose.
Example: Increased use such as "stopping by during a walk" or "meeting someone."
By accommodating general consultations and anxieties, the concentration of consultations at regional comprehensive support centers is eased, leading to a reduction in the burden on specialized staff.
F. Connection with the community (Utilization of existing resources, collaborative model)
Regional activities and relationships expand from this place as a starting point.
Example: Continuous implementation of community-led cafeterias, events, and organizational activities, promoting collaboration between administration, community, and private sectors.
By utilizing existing resources like former bank branches, it functions as a reproducible model.
(The original text ends abruptly here, so the translation also ends.)
Over 300 days of operation, this hub has functioned not merely as a facility, but as a "hub for mutual support in the community," generating user feedback and concrete behavioral changes. Amidst nationwide challenges in regional comprehensive support, this new method is gaining attention as a potential breakthrough for solutions.
■ Background | A New Approach to Structural Issues
Regional comprehensive support centers, said to be as numerous as junior high schools nationwide, play a crucial role in an aging society but face structural challenges. In Inagi City, challenges included "approximately 40% of consultations requiring no specialized expertise," "specialized staff unable to focus on their core duties," and "psychological hurdles for users themselves to seek consultation."
In response to these issues, this project began concept design with a paradigm shift from "places for consultation" to "places where relationships are born," and is now approaching 300 days since its actual operation commenced.
■ KAiGO PRiDE's Role | Resolving Regional Issues through "Relationship Design"
In this project, KAiGO PRiDE designed a "structure where people spontaneously want to get involved" through:
Overall production
Regional communication design
Supervision and production of all creative aspects
Space design
Production of regional collaboration events
What is important is not to create a facility, but to create a mechanism where relationships continuously emerge.
Across Japan, there are many underutilized vacant spaces, isolated regions, and structures where support is difficult to reach. This initiative addresses such issues with an approach that:
Does not depend on large-scale investment
Utilizes existing resources
Redesigns relationships
This makes it a replicable model for other regions.
Beyond merely creating spaces, it demonstrates how a community can function sustainably by redesigning regional relationships themselves.
KAiGO PRiDE Official Website
■ 300-Day Outcomes from 7 Perspectives
At this facility, changes are captured from 7 perspectives to visualize the "value of the place."
A. Small daily stories (Realization of early consultation and prevention)
Consultations and relationships are born from small events in daily life.
Example: An elementary school student came to consult, saying, "I found money on the street," and delivered it to the police box with staff, naturally leading to consultations as an extension of casual conversation.
This lowers the barrier to consultation, and a pathway for early response and prevention is functioning.
B. Visible relationships (Resident-led activities, visualization of relationships)
Knowing "who is in the place" creates an environment where people can engage with peace of mind.
Example: Users stopping by "just to see a familiar face" or participants evolving into event organizers, shifting residents from "being supported" to "being involved."
As a result, division of roles within the community is naturally progressing.
C. Intersection of multiple generations and attributes (Countermeasures against isolation, creation of relational population)
People of different generations and backgrounds regularly interact in the same space.
Example: The sight of elementary school students, seniors, high school students, and foreign nationals simultaneously present has become commonplace.
This creates "everyday connections" that do not depend on specific events, contributing to the prevention of isolation.
D. Change through learning and experience (Social prescribing, behavioral change)
Experiences lead to changes in individual behavior and awareness.
Example: Users organizing workshops or planning events, transitioning from "participation" to "proactive activity."
In addition to institutional support, "social prescribing" that fosters roles, connections, and meaning in life is functioning.
E. Value of the space itself (Dispersion of consultations, reduction of burden)
The space has become a regular place for daily use, where people can stay without a specific purpose.
Example: Increased use such as "stopping by during a walk" or "meeting someone."
By accommodating general consultations and anxieties, the concentration of consultations at regional comprehensive support centers is eased, leading to a reduction in the burden on specialized staff.
F. Connection with the community (Utilization of existing resources, collaborative model)
Regional activities and relationships expand from this place as a starting point.
Example: Continuous implementation of community-led cafeterias, events, and organizational activities, promoting collaboration between administration, community, and private sectors.
By utilizing existing resources like former bank branches, it functions as a reproducible model.
(The original text ends abruptly here, so the translation also ends.)