The entire town is a campus. We are opening "Omizo University," one of Japan's largest universities.
SAWAMURA, a general construction company based in Takashima, Shiga, has announced its "April Dream" to transform the historic Omizo district into a massive, open-air campus called "Omizo University." The initiative aims to foster practical learning and community revitalization by turning the entire town into a classroom where residents serve as professors.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 18:49
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Our company supports "April Dream," an initiative that encourages people to share their dreams on April 1st. This press release is the dream of "SAWAMURA."
SAWAMURA Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "SAWAMURA"), a general construction company headquartered in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, supports the "April Dream" project organized by PR TIMES. We dream of opening "Omizo University," which envisions the entire area of Katsuno, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture (the former Omizo district, hereinafter "Omizo") as one giant campus.
The stage is Omizo, an area with over 400 years of history and an important cultural landscape.
We have chosen the area around our headquarters as our "campus," featuring the "town-division waterways" that have nurtured healthy living by separating domestic water from drainage, and where long-standing businesses that have continued for centuries still thrive today.
We believe that the culture of this region, which has walked hand-in-hand with the "water" that has supported and developed life in Shiga, holds the hints to making our future society more prosperous.
Coexistence with nature, pride in craftsmanship, and a spirit that warmly welcomes those from the outside. By combining the sensibilities of a new generation with this soil that has been cultivated for 400 years, we will create practical learning that cannot be taught in textbooks alone.
## "Omizo University": One of Japan's Largest Campuses
### 1. 365 days a year, someone is "apprenticing" somewhere
There is no fixed timetable at this university. One day, you might learn about fermentation at a long-established funazushi shop; another day, you might be taught the "ABC's of space creation" by renovating a vacant house. At night, local taverns turn into seminar venues where passionate, cross-generational discussions take place. 365 days a year, someone is learning from someone else, or taking on a challenge somewhere in town. We aim for a landscape where such "apprenticeships" are woven into daily life.
### 2. Everyone in town is a "professor," and everything in town is a "classroom"
The townscape of this castle town, with its 400-year history, is the "classroom" itself.
Furthermore, the people who live here—farmers, shop owners, and creators who have moved here—are all "professors." The greatest curriculum is the generous transmission and development of their ways of life, wisdom, and history passed down through oral tradition.
### 3. A catalyst to change from "consumer" to "creator"
We will cultivate "creators" who make life interesting with their own hands, rather than just "consumers" who merely receive services.
Whether it is renovating a vacant house yourself or launching a new business that utilizes local history, you can fully utilize the field of Omizo and practice without fear of failure. This is a "practical" university where the most creative challenges in Japan are born.
## The Future We Envision with "Omizo University"
This university does not aim to simply provide educational programs.
Through learning, we hope to increase the number of people who feel an attachment to the town, ensuring that this historic townscape remains a vibrant place 100 years from now. We aim to realize a society where everyone, from children to adults, can mingle beyond the boundaries of "teaching and learning," and where everyone can shine as a protagonist.
"A construction company turns a town into a university."
Through this dream, SAWAMURA will evolve from a company that builds structures into a company that nurtures the future of the region and the potential of the people who live there.
## A Challenge Toward Realizing the Dream: Exhibiting at "Shiga FUTURE THINKING WEEK"
To bring this grand dream of a "town-wide university" closer to reality, we will be exhibiting at "Shiga FUTURE THINKING WEEK," a festival for co-creating the future of Shiga. This event is a forum for discussing the challenges we must take on now, with "future thinking" focused on Shiga in 2050.
At the venue, we plan to hold exhibitions and sessions that embody the "boundary-less learning" that Omizo University aims for. We will host a talk session where Omizo's community development organizations, universities, and companies (SAWAMURA) discuss the future while touching upon the region's history.
The dialogue here will not stop at mere idea sharing. From this "experimental ground" where diverse sensibilities collide, we will derive concrete steps to update Omizo and, by extension, all of Shiga. Please look forward to our challenge as we increase the resolution of our dream and change the landscape of society.
SAWAMURA Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "SAWAMURA"), a general construction company headquartered in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, supports the "April Dream" project organized by PR TIMES. We dream of opening "Omizo University," which envisions the entire area of Katsuno, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture (the former Omizo district, hereinafter "Omizo") as one giant campus.
The stage is Omizo, an area with over 400 years of history and an important cultural landscape.
We have chosen the area around our headquarters as our "campus," featuring the "town-division waterways" that have nurtured healthy living by separating domestic water from drainage, and where long-standing businesses that have continued for centuries still thrive today.
We believe that the culture of this region, which has walked hand-in-hand with the "water" that has supported and developed life in Shiga, holds the hints to making our future society more prosperous.
Coexistence with nature, pride in craftsmanship, and a spirit that warmly welcomes those from the outside. By combining the sensibilities of a new generation with this soil that has been cultivated for 400 years, we will create practical learning that cannot be taught in textbooks alone.
## "Omizo University": One of Japan's Largest Campuses
### 1. 365 days a year, someone is "apprenticing" somewhere
There is no fixed timetable at this university. One day, you might learn about fermentation at a long-established funazushi shop; another day, you might be taught the "ABC's of space creation" by renovating a vacant house. At night, local taverns turn into seminar venues where passionate, cross-generational discussions take place. 365 days a year, someone is learning from someone else, or taking on a challenge somewhere in town. We aim for a landscape where such "apprenticeships" are woven into daily life.
### 2. Everyone in town is a "professor," and everything in town is a "classroom"
The townscape of this castle town, with its 400-year history, is the "classroom" itself.
Furthermore, the people who live here—farmers, shop owners, and creators who have moved here—are all "professors." The greatest curriculum is the generous transmission and development of their ways of life, wisdom, and history passed down through oral tradition.
### 3. A catalyst to change from "consumer" to "creator"
We will cultivate "creators" who make life interesting with their own hands, rather than just "consumers" who merely receive services.
Whether it is renovating a vacant house yourself or launching a new business that utilizes local history, you can fully utilize the field of Omizo and practice without fear of failure. This is a "practical" university where the most creative challenges in Japan are born.
## The Future We Envision with "Omizo University"
This university does not aim to simply provide educational programs.
Through learning, we hope to increase the number of people who feel an attachment to the town, ensuring that this historic townscape remains a vibrant place 100 years from now. We aim to realize a society where everyone, from children to adults, can mingle beyond the boundaries of "teaching and learning," and where everyone can shine as a protagonist.
"A construction company turns a town into a university."
Through this dream, SAWAMURA will evolve from a company that builds structures into a company that nurtures the future of the region and the potential of the people who live there.
## A Challenge Toward Realizing the Dream: Exhibiting at "Shiga FUTURE THINKING WEEK"
To bring this grand dream of a "town-wide university" closer to reality, we will be exhibiting at "Shiga FUTURE THINKING WEEK," a festival for co-creating the future of Shiga. This event is a forum for discussing the challenges we must take on now, with "future thinking" focused on Shiga in 2050.
At the venue, we plan to hold exhibitions and sessions that embody the "boundary-less learning" that Omizo University aims for. We will host a talk session where Omizo's community development organizations, universities, and companies (SAWAMURA) discuss the future while touching upon the region's history.
The dialogue here will not stop at mere idea sharing. From this "experimental ground" where diverse sensibilities collide, we will derive concrete steps to update Omizo and, by extension, all of Shiga. Please look forward to our challenge as we increase the resolution of our dream and change the landscape of society.