Sectional Workshop B： "'Kurokabe (Black Wall)' and Its Chances for Success in Mie Prefecture"
Instructed by Yoshiyasu Shimizu
｡?himizu
"Kurokabe" is now "Kurokabe Co. Ltd " and operates as a semi-public organization Capital is 440 million yen, of which 140 million yen is provided by Nagahama City and the remaining 300 million yen by the private sector.
Nagahama City had established itself since the Edo days as an economic and cultural zone. Nagahama itself is a small city; it thrived in its role as a commercial center for people who came to purchase things from surrounding towns.
From the late 1970's to the early 1980's, a much-loved Catholic church which had been nicknamed "Black Wall Bank" because its exterior walls were black, relocated to the suburbs. People wanted to save the character building, and ideas were tossed around. With private sector financing, a corporation was formally established in April 1988. We had no preconceptions about what to do in terms of business prospects . The only things we had in mind from the outset were the basic concepts ： 1. To avoid enterprises which would, by competing with established businesses, lead to a decline in local shops or industries; 2. To choose something which would attract people from outside; and 3 . To find something that a major urban center or big corporation would be unable to do. Other factors we considered as themes were history, cultural and artistic values, and international flavor. So in terms of what we chose, which was glass, it's an enterprise that would have been possible anywhere in Japan, not just in Nagahama. Of course Mie Prefecture could have done it too.
With glass as our keyword, we're working on having universities locate their glass departments here. We're also approaching other places, like Venice, in a variety of ways to explore possibilities in glass. That's part of the global strategy we're aiming for. When you take a global view, and the glass used in "Kurokabe" is no exception, Japan's glass compared to Europe's is like kindergarten compared to university. Right now in Nagahama we're in the process of pursuing glass culture to the max. In time we hope to be seen as one of the centers of fine glass, like Venice or the Czech Republic .
So "Kurokabe," in its pursuit of the ultimate in glass culture, is a company that plays a role in the activation and development of the city of Nagahama.
For example, "Okage Yokocho" in Mie Prefecture still retains a strong feel of daily life, and is actually rooted in the community. A world where not only tourists, but locals can just drop in and feel totally comfortable, at home . I'd be interested to know about how you feel about how things are in Mie Prefecture .
｡?articipant
"Okage Yokocho" was an existing entity, but it seems to have escalated into a kind of theme park. A major contributing factor is the problem of its hours of operation. "Oharai Machi" in Ise closes around 3 p.m., and then visitors drift away to Shima after that. It's not a place where you feel you can linger for long stretches of time. I think what's needed are spaces or gambits which allow residents to just be there, spend time there.
