Collaboration with local communities and Open Lectures

Hakodate1859 1859 Since its opening as a port, Hakodate has developed into a center of trade and the gateway to Hokkaido. It is also a city with a unique history and culture, featuring Western-style buildings and Goryokaku, the site of the Boshin War. Since its founding, our university has also worked in cooperation with the local community to address the challenges facing the region, and the learning environment extends beyond the campus, encompassing the entire city of Hakodate as a field of study.
For example, at the foot of Mount Hakodate, in the city area known as the western district, there was a restaurant founded in 1907 (Meiji 40), which was sadly closed down.2010 2010 In the area, there stands the charming building of Daikoku-yu, Hakodate's oldest public bathhouse, which has since closed down. Our university has leased this building with the intention of using it as a base for participatory design experiments, and we are using it in various ways, such as holding Craft-Shops and exhibitions, as the "Daikoku-yu Design Base," a research lab in the city. Students move around this neighborhood, and we are creating a space where local residents can easily participate and design something together. This initiative aims not only to promote learning for Future University students but also to contribute to the revitalization of the city.

Future University Hakodate Daikokuyu Design Base Facebook

Faculty members from this university will serve as lecturers, providing easy-to-understand explanations of the university's research topics and achievements.Open LectureWe hold this event several times a year.
In addition, we invite prominent figures, experts, and researchers to speak on cutting-edge topics of high specialization.Special lectureWe also hold the following events. Admission is free for both, and everyone is welcome to participate.
The courses are held in various formats, including lectures and Craft-Shops. Some courses may require participants to bring their own materials, and some may be limited to specific age groups such as adults or children. For detailed information on the courses, please see below.Open Lecture/Special Lecture PagePlease refer to flyers or other materials.

In recent years, science communication, an activity aimed at bridging the gap between the general public and science and technology, has become increasingly popular. In the Hakodate region, the first full-scale science festival in Japan was held.Hakodate International Science Festival"2009 2009 It has been held every August since then. This event was spearheaded by faculty members of our university, with the involvement of local higher education institutions and government agencies, and has become a major regional event attracting over 10,000 attendees. In addition to participation from those already engaged in science communication activities in the region, the festival has become a broad-ranging event befitting its name as an international science festival, with presentations by guests from both within and outside the region, and participation from companies' CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs.

Furthermore, as an initiative closely related to the science festival, we are leading the operation of "Hakodate Science Terakoya," which aims to expand opportunities for experiences and learning that allow people to understand, become familiar with, and enjoy science and technology, and to cultivate citizen volunteers to carry out these activities. In addition to offering intensive summer courses, we regularly hold Craft-Shops and other events.

As a university established by a regional union, our institution has, since its founding, upheld the principle of "contributing to the promotion of local academia, culture, and industry by collaborating with the local community as an intellectual, cultural, and international think tank" as one of its core founding principles. Led by a diverse faculty, we have developed a wide range of activities. For example, a prime example is the Hakodate Area Regional Digital Archive Construction Project, which we have spearheaded. Involving curators from local libraries and museums, temples and shrines possessing valuable cultural properties, collectors, and historical writers, we have unearthed historical documents and art history materials lying dormant in the local area. On the one hand, we are working on building a database and search/browsing system through high-resolution digitization of these materials. On the other hand, we are holding a series of public lectures, "Culture and Compilation," inviting experts from all over the country to consider the cultural significance of archive compilation for the region. Thus, a wide range of projects are being developed through a combination of regional and social collaboration. In addition, we engage in, or are deeply involved in, a wide range of social collaboration activities, from community design Craft-Shops in cooperation with local residents to the annual "Hakodate International Folk Arts Festival."