Not a 'Wedding Venue', but your favorite 'Town': Launching 'IINDA Local'

MAW Inc. (Location: Matsumoto, Nagano; Representative: Daisuke Hoshino) is pleased to announce the official launch of "IINDA Local," a new line within their "IINDA" service that opens up celebrations—previously confined to wedding venues—to entire towns. Five areas are participating in the initial phase: Kiso Town (Nagano Prefecture), Oga City (Akita Prefecture), Shintate-machi (Ishikawa Prefecture), Susami Town (Wakayama Prefecture), and Nirasaki City (Yamanashi Prefecture). For couples, the service allows them to plan celebrations as an extension of their daily lives in towns they are familiar with or find comfortable. For guests, it transforms the celebration and the time spent before and after into a journey, turning a place of living into a place of celebration. Moving forward, the company intends to increase its partnerships, proposing a new culture of celebration that uses towns as stages across all 47 prefectures in Japan. [Background of the Service] Currently, the wedding ceremony implementation rate is 59.1%. Notably, 26.0% of people in their 20s choose not to hold wedding ceremonies (an increase of 5.6 percentage points from the previous year). Couples are increasingly choosing not to hold celebrations due to hurdles such as time, money, and emotional commitment, alongside the consecutive closures of traditional wedding venues. Even if the form differs from before, the culture of sharing "congratulations" and "thank yous" at the same time and place should continue as a rich life experience. "IINDA" was created in 2024 with this wish in mind. Initially, the company developed "IINDA Place," which turns charming spots like local inns and cafes into wedding venues. However, after receiving many requests from users wanting their guests to enjoy the entire town they live in or love, and being inspired by the "Albergo Diffuso" model of tourism development originating in Italy, the company decided to create the new "IINDA Local" service to transform an entire town into a celebratory space. [Service Features: Deciding on a town, not just a venue] "IINDA Local" is a service that colors the occasion of celebration together with numerous shops located in a specific area (i.e., a town). As couples and guests visit familiar cafes, daily grocery stores, and local lifestyle goods shops, they can enjoy the wedding party as if they were living in that town. 1. For Couples: Preparing a place of gratitude as an extension of daily life. Couples can transform places not far from their daily hearts into places for extraordinary "thank yous." They are not bound by the availability of traditional wedding venues or capacity limits. In most cases, the price is reduced to two-thirds or half of what it would be at a traditional venue. 2. For Guests: Enjoying the life of the town like a journey. Because the celebration is not confined to one venue, guests can enjoy a journey-like experience close to the town's life during and around the party time. 3. For Town Stakeholders: A trigger to increase the town's relationship population. This service allows people to invite others to places they want to convey through celebrations, and serves as an opportunity to promote the town's charm through participant feedback. [Participating Areas and Messages from Representatives] Ryota Tezuka, Representative Director and President of Tezuka Seiki Co., Ltd.: IINDA’s initiative is a challenge to re-edit Kiso’s value as an 'experience' and deliver it to the outside world. I am committed to getting involved with the resolve to build it together as a stakeholder. Shuhei Okazumi, Representative Director and President of Ine to Agave Co., Ltd.: Currently, there are no wedding venues in Oga City. But thanks to IINDA, it is now possible. The wedding ceremonies held in this town, which is undergoing positive changes, have the power to support the bride, groom, and all guests attending.