On July 29th (Tuesday) and 30th (Wednesday), 28 students (2nd and 3rd year students) from Professor Keimi Kata 's seminar in Faculty of Commerce Department of Business and Marketing Commerce, conducted a two-day, one-night fieldwork trip to Higashisonogi Town, Nagasaki Prefecture.
This visit was part of the "KSU Chihaya Service Area *" initiative, a limited-time antenna shop showcasing the attractions of various parts of Kyushu. This marks the second year of collaboration between the seminar and the town. This time, the students visited the area with the aim of deepening their understanding of the region and its specialty products in preparation for the opening of the antenna shop at Gardens Chihaya (Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City) in September of this year.
Higashisonogi Town is located almost in the center of Nagasaki Prefecture and is a town rich in nature, overlooking Omura Bay. It is known as a production area for "steamed tamaryokucha," which is rare throughout Japan, and "Sonogi tea," produced in the town, has received high praise at the National Tea Competition and the Japan Tea Awards, attracting attention as one of Japan's leading brand teas.
This year, our activities are centered around the theme of "Promoting Higashisonogi Town." Our goal is not only to increase sales through product distribution, but also to widely disseminate the charm of Sonogi tea and Higashisonogi Town itself, and we are working on planning and promotional activities to achieve this.
During the fieldwork, students conducted research to deepen their understanding of Sonogi tea production sites and regional characteristics, and also held a workshop with "Chabashira Brothers," a collaborative unit active in Higashisonogi Town. Through discussions with Chabashira Yuichi, who works as an illustrator and musician, the students debated how to communicate the high quality and honest image of Sonogi tea in an approachable way. They exchanged ideas that would lead to increased awareness of Higashisonogi Town and the promotion of its brand value, and a lively exchange of opinions took place.
Based on what they learned during this fieldwork, the students are considering various ideas for the store's opening, including a large fortune-telling machine featuring a tea leaf stem motif, a Halloween-themed face-in-the-hole panel incorporating elements unique to Higashisonogi Town, a panel introducing the appeal of cold-brewed Sonogi tea, and a project to allow interaction with the "Tea Leaf Brothers."
The students will engage in practical learning that involves conveying the charm of the region through product sales, while also striving to further increase awareness of Higashisonogi Town and Sonogi tea.
*A local antenna shop, modeled after a service area on a highway, planned and run by students. It will be opened for a limited time at Gardens Chihaya as a base for promoting the charms of the region, with the aim of acting as a bridge connecting each region of Kyushu with the Fukuoka metropolitan area. (Inspired by the functions of a service area, such as information dissemination, sales, rest, and gathering.)
[Department of Business and Marketing / Industry-Academia Co-innovation and Research Promotion Headquarters]
