～Station Becomes a Destination of Learning and Excitement
- The following is content from the press release -
June 4, 2025
JR East Startup Co.
SOZOW Corporation
Akita Station Building Co.
East Japan Railway Company
Ltd. and SOZOW Corporation, a company selected for the 11th East Japan Railway Startup Program, will co-create a project with Akita Station Building Co. and East Japan Railway Company ("JR East") to connect children's creativity with the local community.SOZOW Fest Akita 2025 Summerwill be held at the Akita Station Building ALS as a limited time event.
0This event is,"Crossing Borders of Experience and Learning."A new project to co-create a network of creativity and regional exploration by children starting from the station, based on the theme ofFirst demonstration of "Traveling Kids' ParkThe event will be held as a A digital creation experience center where parents and children can enjoy and learn together will be opened in the station building for a limited period of time, and exploration programs will be conducted in collaboration with the surrounding community. In the future, the project aims to connect multiple regions through real and digital means, and to cross the borders of children's learning and exchange.
This project is a part of JR East'sHAPPY CHILD PROJECT (HCP)As a part of the "Learning and Creation Hub" initiative, we are also proposing a new station that will be a "hub" for learning and creativity.
1. "SOZOW Fest Akita 2025 Summer" Event Outline
( 1 ) Period: July 19, 2025 (Sat.) - August 6, 2025 (Wed.) [tentative]
( 2 ) Location: Akita Station Building "Ars" B1F (7-2-1 Nakadori, Akita City)
( 3 ) Target: Preschool and elementary school children and their families
(Junior high school students and older may participate.)
( 4 ) Admission fee: Tickets will be on sale from June 20 * Advance and day-of-performance tickets available
(Prices will be announced separately on the official website.)
( 5 ) Contents: The concept is a "digital festival. Children will play a leading role and engage in a variety of creative activities using technology such as Minecraft, AI, video production, and robots. We will offer many fun and exciting programs to explore and connect with the local community, as well as experiences that will open up the future. In addition, a "unique currency" will be used at the event to allow children to experience economic activities.
Official site:https://sozow.com/fes/akita2025summer
2. future development and vision
This initiative is made possible through the collaboration between SOZOW, which has strengths in online exploration programs for children nationwide, and the JR East Group, which operates "real life hubs" such as train stations and station buildings that connect cities and regions over a wide area, A new learning platform that connects local communities and children beyond time and space! This is a challenge to create a "Traveling Kids Park" that connects local communities and children beyond time and space.
Starting from "Kids' Parks" located at multiple stations and station buildings, the program will move back and forth between real and digital worlds, connecting through "workshops" and actually visiting the local community through "tavi (travel)". The following three strategies will be used to create a cyclical network of exploration and learning that will make people want to visit, connect, and visit the local community.
- Kids' Park:
Mobile pop-up event at station buildings (held this summer in Akita as "SOZOW Fest Akita 2025 Summer". (In Akita this summer, the event will be held as "SOZOW Fest Akita 2025 Summer"; some locations aim to make it a permanent event in the future.) - Tabi (travel):
Community Exploration Summer Camps in each region to provide exciting learning from real connections - Workshop:
Providing learning and community that transcends distance by moving back and forth between online and offline.
<ReferenceConcurrent Events: Make, Show, Play "Akita Machi no Eki Summer
As part of a co-creation project by Tokyo University of the Arts and East Japan Railway Company, a variety of experience booths and devices will appear on the first basement floor of the Akita Station Building "Ars" directly connected to Akita Station, where parents and children can foster creativity and have fun during the summer vacation. In addition, various artworks will be exhibited, and booths by chefs, creators, and artisans will be set up for a limited time only! Admission is free.
Please visit us as often as you like.
Saturday, July 19 - Sunday, August 24, 2025
10:00-18:00 Closed on Tuesdays / Open on August 5
JR East Startup Program
The program invites venture companies and people with various ideas to submit proposals for businesses and services that utilize the management resources and information assets of stations, railroads, and group businesses, and after brushing up the proposals, they are realized. The program received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the 1st Japan Open Innovation Awards hosted by the Cabinet Office in FY2018, and the Minister of the Environment Award at the 3rd Japan Open Innovation Awards in FY2020.
Web site:https://jrestartup.co.jp/program/
JR East Group "HAPPY CHILD PROJECT
Aiming to support the balance between work and family life and contribute to local communities, the JR East Group is promoting various initiatives to support households raising children, including the development of nursery schools and other childcare support facilities and the holding of events for parents and children to enjoy together, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area and other areas along its railway lines.
Going forward, we will continue to attend to the various needs related to child-rearing, while transcending the boundaries of support to create a railway line that is easy for everyone to live along.
Web site:https://www.jreast.co.jp/kosodate/
SOZOW Corporation
An edutainment startup that has delivered "curiosity-based learning" to more than 20,000 children nationwide. Utilizing programming, AI, video production, Minecraft, etc., in addition to acquiring digital skills, the company offers inquiry-based programs that practically cultivate various non-cognitive skills required for collaboration and problem solving, as well as a mindset that fosters independence and self-esteem. Utilizing the knowledge gained from its past online business, the company is also focusing on providing learning in real-life settings and co-creating local communities.
Web site:https://sozow.com/
