Ouse Town Returns to Tokyo: A Special Exchange Day Celebration

On January 31, 2026, Bunkyo Gakuin University’s Urban Development Research Center, in collaboration with the Ouse Town Rural Experience Exchange Council, will host the exchange event, "Ouse Day: It’s Been a While, Ouse Town - In Tokyo: What’s Past and What’s Ahead" at the university's Hongo campus.

This event will feature six representatives from the Ouse Rural Experience Exchange Council, who will discuss a twenty-year history of student and community exchange. The program includes an introduction to a local vegetable subscription service, a tasting event for traditional dishes, and informative sessions on the upcoming study tour for university students scheduled for February this year.

Targeting the city-rural connection, this occasion marks the onset of the "Contribution Type Travel Project for Creating Relationships with Ouse Town," which will officially launch in 2026. We invite everyone to attend and be part of this unique gathering!

Ouse Town and Bunkyo Gakuin University: A Deep Connection

The relationship between Bunkyo Gakuin University and Ouse Town began in February 2006, when Tomoharu Nakayama, Vice President and Professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences, took a seminar group to visit Ouse Town, recognized as a leader in green tourism. Over the past two decades, students have focused on addressing issues like aging farming populations and a lack of successors in Ouse Town through various initiatives, including green tourism activities, alternative sales of agricultural products, and even the production of Bunkyo wine. Their support has fostered creative community development.

The event is being planned and executed by Ryohei Nakagata, a graduate who moved to Ouse Town, along with four students from Bunkyo Gakuin University’s Urban Development Lab. Nakagata encountered Ouse Town during his academic pursuits in Nakayama's seminar. Since moving in 2017, he has actively led the community revitalization organization “Ouse no Tori” and worked with the university’s lab on city-rural exchanges and community engagement.

Highlights of the Event

- Engage with residents from Ouse Town
- Reports on the 20-year history of exchanges with Ouse Town
- Overview of a study tour for university students focused on rural experiences
- Announcement of the new "Contribution Type Travel Project" aimed at cultivating community ties in Ouse Town.

Event Details

- Date: January 31, 2026 (Saturday) from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
- Venue: Bunkyo Gakuin University Hongo Campus, Urban Development Research Center (1-19-1 Mukogawa, Bunkyo City, Tokyo)
- Schedule:

- 10:00 am: Doors open / Introduction to vegetable subscription and processed products
- 10:30 am - Part 1: Presentation of the journey between Ouse Town and Bunkyo Gakuin University / Student activity reports / Study tour overview
- 12:00 pm - Part 2: Community rice cake buffet featuring cabbage mochi and more
- 2:00 pm: Open exchange
- 3:00 pm: Event concludes

- Target Audience: Students, professionals, and community members interested in Ouse Town's initiatives.
- Participation Fee: Free (Pre-registration required)
- Registration: Please sign up using the following form: Registration Link

- Registration Deadline: January 23, 2026 (Friday)