On Friday, October 3rd, Faculty of Art and Design and Faculty of Commerce Kyushu Sangyo University, in collaboration with Takahashi Co., Ltd. (Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture), which operates the facility, and NEXCO West Japan Kyushu Branch (Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City), launched the second installment of the "KSU Chihaya Service Area *," a limited-time antenna shop promoting the attractions of various parts of Kyushu, at Gardens Chihaya no Chihaya Park (Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City).
The second step was to open the Higashisonogi Service Area in collaboration with Higashisonogi Town in Nagasaki Prefecture.
<Higashisonogi Service Area>
Period: October 3, 2025 (Friday) to November 3, 2025 (Monday/holiday) 11:00 to 17:00
(Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays)
Venue: Gardens Chihaya Chihaya Park (3-6-37 Chihaya, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Products: Nagasaki Sonogi Tea, a green tea that has received high praise at national tea competitions,
"Nagasaki Sonogi Japanese Black Tea" is characterized by its gorgeous aroma and gentle taste,
Nagasaki Sonogi Hojicha is popular for its fragrant aroma and refreshing taste.
Higashisonogi Town and NEXCO West Japan together with the residents of Higashisonogi Town
Developed in a six-month urban development workshop,
Original drinks that take advantage of the flavor of Sonogi tea and are arranged in a unique way.
For this project, under the guidance of Professor Toru Kurita of the Department Department of Living Environment Design of Faculty of Art and Design and Lecturer Yuichiro Ishibashi Department of Visual Design, students from the same department worked on the spatial design of the store and the creation of the logo and posters. The logo is based on a houndstooth pattern, with the "weave" of the "Woven Tree," a tree in the park that is the symbol of Gardens Chihaya, as its motif. The store fixtures are designed to be stacked, with a basic cube shape that can be combined with the houndstooth pattern, aiming to express the pattern in three dimensions.
Additionally, Department of Business and Marketing Faculty of Commerce operates a brick-and-mortar store, playing a role in deepening ties between the city and various regions in Kyushu. This time, under the guidance of Associate Professor Keimi Kata, seminar students from the same laboratory conducted fieldwork in Higashisonogi town for two days, on Thursday, September 11th and Friday, September 12th, in order to promote the town's attractions. The students are promoting the town's unique charms, centered around "Sonogi Tea," which they have felt, at the Higashisonogi Service Area.
From the third installment onwards, our students will continue to promote the attractions of other regions. Please stop by if you are in the area!
*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.)
[Faculty of Art and Design, Faculty of Commerce, Industry-Academia Co-innovation and Research Promotion Headquarters]
