No.55 Inagi Communication Base Pair Terrace's Birth

(Inagi Newsletter published on June 15, 2016)

On April 23, 2016, a tourism information center was opened under the elevated tracks of Inagi-Naganuma Station on the JR Nambu Line. We are grateful to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Construction and JR East Hachioji Branch for allowing us to use this space, as the opening of this facility was made possible by the completion of the continuous elevated crossing project.
Thanks to local resident mechanical designer Kunio Okawara and multi-creator Jet Inoue, we were able to launch this facility with such a concept, and we express our gratitude.
The city has developed in line with urban infrastructure improvements such as land readjustment projects and the Tama New Town development. However, on the other hand, it also faces typical urbanization issues as a bedroom community, such as the outflow of daytime population and the weakening of local communities.
I believe that in order for the new citizens to continue living here, it is necessary for them to feel attached to the community and recognize Inagi as their hometown. Therefore, I consider community development with tourism as a keyword to be important and have made it a major pillar of my promises.
As part of the tourism initiative, we will utilize the cherry blossom trees along the Misawa River side road and other everyday scenery that has been overlooked as tourism resources. We will also launch a certification system called "Inagi's Stamp of Approval" to promote local specialties as souvenirs. Additionally, we have received characters created by Mr. Okawara and Mr. Inoue as part of the 40th anniversary of the city's establishment, and we have been working on the character "Inagi Nashinosuke" for the Yuru-Chara Grand Prix.
In the process of creating these new tourism projects, various challenges arose, such as whether we could gather Inagi's Stamp of Approval at a single store for permanent sales, and whether we could continue events like the "Kunio Okawara Exhibition" held for the 40th anniversary of the city's establishment as regular events rather than one-time occurrences. To solve these issues, I believe it is necessary to establish a facility like an antenna shop in the city, which led to the concept of the tourism information center.
In concretizing this concept, we decided to utilize the space under the elevated tracks at Inagi-Naganuma Station, and we initially planned to permanently display one of Mr. Okawara's works as a large monument as an ancillary facility.

These plans were compiled into a proposal called the "Inagi City Charm Promotion! Town Vitality Creation Project," and the start was marked by a visit to the JR East Hachioji Branch in May 2013 to present the proposal. However, it took a long time and coordination among stakeholders to solidify the original plan. In particular, regarding the production of the large monument, we received both moral and financial support from Professor Okawara, who decided on Gundam and Char's Zaku, which is a significant achievement, and I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Okawara once again.
The operation of this facility has been entrusted to a private business operator to ensure a close and flexible response to citizens, and it has been commissioned to the Inagi City Commerce and Industry Association as the designated manager. In addition to a promotional space that disseminates new information through videos and flyers, there is also a market space selling local specialties such as pears and grapes, as well as "Inagi's Stamp of Approval," and a gallery space for displaying works.
Thus, a new landmark in Inagi has been born. Along with the attraction effects of various businesses and facilities, we hope that more citizens and visitors from outside the city will enjoy using this facility, and that you will also utilize this facility for events that you take the lead in, spreading vitality throughout the city from this base and contributing to the dissemination of information about Inagi.