Kochi Prefecture and Professional Dance Team 'CHANGE RAPTURES' Launch Town Development Support Project Through Dance, Utilizing Government Crowdfunding® via Furusato Nozei System
Kochi Prefecture and professional dance team 'CHANGE RAPTURES' have launched a town development support project through dance, utilizing Government Crowdfunding® (GCF®) via the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) system. This project aims to create sports opportunities for children in mountainous and remote areas and to preserve Yosakoi culture, with a target donation amount of 2 million yen.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 15:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 01:01 (9h 29m after Collected)
Kochi Prefecture (Governor: Seiji Hamada, hereinafter "Kochi Prefecture") and PERF Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Yuki Yanagi, hereinafter "PERF"), which operates "CHANGE RAPTURES," a professional dance team participating in Japan's first professional dance league "D.LEAGUE," have launched a project aimed at town development by expanding connections between people and regions through dance. This initiative utilizes "Government Crowdfunding®" (hereinafter "GCF®"), a system for soliciting donations through crowdfunding via the Furusato Nozei system.
The fundraising period is from April 27, 2026, to July 25, 2026, with a target donation amount of 2 million yen.
■ Background for Soliciting Donations via GCF®
In Kochi Prefecture, due to factors such as a shortage of sports instructors and declining birthrates, the environment for children to regularly engage in sports and activities with others is becoming limited.
Especially in mountainous and remote areas, merely gathering at activity bases becomes a burden, making it difficult for people to gather and interact within the community.
On the other hand, "dance" accounts for a high percentage of sports that children want to do*1, and it has the characteristic of being less affected by age, gender, disability, or exercise experience. The ability to naturally bridge the distance between people by sharing the same music and choreography is also a unique strength of dance.
Since concluding a partnership agreement with Kochi Prefecture in February 2023, PERF has continuously engaged in initiatives that bring people together and create regional connections through dance, leveraging the unique instructional and communication skills of professional dancers.
This project aims to further develop these efforts and connect them to town development by expanding interactions between people and regions through dance, for which donations are being sought via GCF®.
*1: Kochi Prefecture, FY2023 "Survey Report on Children's Exercise and Sports"
■ How Donations Will Be Used
The donations received will be used for the following initiatives to promote town development activities through dance:
● "Visiting Lessons" by Professional Dancers:
Members of CHANGE RAPTURES will directly visit mountainous and remote areas where there are no dance facilities, creating opportunities for top-level instruction even in rural areas.
● "Remote Lessons" Utilizing ICT:
In addition to direct instruction, remote instruction will also be provided, creating an environment where high-quality lessons can be received in familiar locations, even in mountainous and remote areas where travel is difficult.
● Inheriting "Yosakoi" Culture for Future Generations:
Opportunities will be created to experience "Yosakoi" during dance lessons, aiming to contribute to the promotion and inheritance of "Yosakoi." Lesson participants will aim to participate in the Yosakoi Festival as "Yosakoi Raptures" and engage in activities.
Through these efforts, we aim to ensure that dance is not a temporary endeavor but becomes a lasting regional activity where people gather, relationships are formed, and connections are made for the future.
■ Comment from Mr. Yoshio Maeda, Sports Promotion Supervisor, Tourism and Sports Department, Kochi Prefecture
We are truly grateful to the members of CHANGE RAPTURES for their support in promoting sports in our prefecture through workshops and dance instruction at schools.
The sports environment in our prefecture has seen a decrease in accessible places for sports due to population decline, and there is a need to create an environment where everyone can experience the joy and excitement of sports.
This GCF® is a new challenge to solve regional issues through "dance" together with the members of CHANGE RAPTURES.
Our big goals are to increase the number of children who love exercise, to increase vibrant communities through dance, and to contribute to the development of the "Yosakoi Festival," which originated in our prefecture!
We hope to transform your support into great strength and achieve this unprecedented and significant project. We kindly ask for your continued support.
■ Comment from Mr. Yuki Yanagi, Representative Director, PERF Inc.
Since concluding a partnership agreement with Kochi Prefecture in 2023, CHANGE RAPTURES has been deeply interacting with local communities through dance, leveraging the unique instructional and communication skills of professional dancers.
This GCF® is a crucial step to further accelerate these activities and to tackle regional issues such as a shortage of instructors and reduced interaction opportunities through "sustainable town development" rooted in dance.
We want to elevate dance from mere entertainment to a 'new social infrastructure' where everyone can express themselves and connect with others.
Those who donate are not just supporters but partners who will create the future of Kochi together. With your thoughts and support, we will deliver a new form of regional revitalization through dance from Kochi to the entire nation.
The fundraising period is from April 27, 2026, to July 25, 2026, with a target donation amount of 2 million yen.
■ Background for Soliciting Donations via GCF®
In Kochi Prefecture, due to factors such as a shortage of sports instructors and declining birthrates, the environment for children to regularly engage in sports and activities with others is becoming limited.
Especially in mountainous and remote areas, merely gathering at activity bases becomes a burden, making it difficult for people to gather and interact within the community.
On the other hand, "dance" accounts for a high percentage of sports that children want to do*1, and it has the characteristic of being less affected by age, gender, disability, or exercise experience. The ability to naturally bridge the distance between people by sharing the same music and choreography is also a unique strength of dance.
Since concluding a partnership agreement with Kochi Prefecture in February 2023, PERF has continuously engaged in initiatives that bring people together and create regional connections through dance, leveraging the unique instructional and communication skills of professional dancers.
This project aims to further develop these efforts and connect them to town development by expanding interactions between people and regions through dance, for which donations are being sought via GCF®.
*1: Kochi Prefecture, FY2023 "Survey Report on Children's Exercise and Sports"
■ How Donations Will Be Used
The donations received will be used for the following initiatives to promote town development activities through dance:
● "Visiting Lessons" by Professional Dancers:
Members of CHANGE RAPTURES will directly visit mountainous and remote areas where there are no dance facilities, creating opportunities for top-level instruction even in rural areas.
● "Remote Lessons" Utilizing ICT:
In addition to direct instruction, remote instruction will also be provided, creating an environment where high-quality lessons can be received in familiar locations, even in mountainous and remote areas where travel is difficult.
● Inheriting "Yosakoi" Culture for Future Generations:
Opportunities will be created to experience "Yosakoi" during dance lessons, aiming to contribute to the promotion and inheritance of "Yosakoi." Lesson participants will aim to participate in the Yosakoi Festival as "Yosakoi Raptures" and engage in activities.
Through these efforts, we aim to ensure that dance is not a temporary endeavor but becomes a lasting regional activity where people gather, relationships are formed, and connections are made for the future.
■ Comment from Mr. Yoshio Maeda, Sports Promotion Supervisor, Tourism and Sports Department, Kochi Prefecture
We are truly grateful to the members of CHANGE RAPTURES for their support in promoting sports in our prefecture through workshops and dance instruction at schools.
The sports environment in our prefecture has seen a decrease in accessible places for sports due to population decline, and there is a need to create an environment where everyone can experience the joy and excitement of sports.
This GCF® is a new challenge to solve regional issues through "dance" together with the members of CHANGE RAPTURES.
Our big goals are to increase the number of children who love exercise, to increase vibrant communities through dance, and to contribute to the development of the "Yosakoi Festival," which originated in our prefecture!
We hope to transform your support into great strength and achieve this unprecedented and significant project. We kindly ask for your continued support.
■ Comment from Mr. Yuki Yanagi, Representative Director, PERF Inc.
Since concluding a partnership agreement with Kochi Prefecture in 2023, CHANGE RAPTURES has been deeply interacting with local communities through dance, leveraging the unique instructional and communication skills of professional dancers.
This GCF® is a crucial step to further accelerate these activities and to tackle regional issues such as a shortage of instructors and reduced interaction opportunities through "sustainable town development" rooted in dance.
We want to elevate dance from mere entertainment to a 'new social infrastructure' where everyone can express themselves and connect with others.
Those who donate are not just supporters but partners who will create the future of Kochi together. With your thoughts and support, we will deliver a new form of regional revitalization through dance from Kochi to the entire nation.