Name
城東閣つながる小路振興会

Secretariat
 11 Oaza Kajimachi, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture Jotokaku

Date of establishment
May 11, 2nd year of Reiwa

Executive office
10 offices (as of July 1, 2nd year of Reiwa)

Outline of establishment

An organization established in order to accomplish the goal of the Jotokaku Renovation Project (a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry subsidized project), which is a private project added to the Fundamental Plan for Vitalization of the Hirosaki City Center, as the hub of Hirosaki city’s cultural heart (Kajimachi district), and an alliance established between the existing promoters of Hirosaki City Government, Hirosaki Chamber of Commerce, etc. with non-tangible businesses, etc., to deepen regional alliances with new participants, further advance our regional economy, and enhance local value.

Prospectus of Establishment

Presently, regional shopping districts are attempting to rise up out of intensifying devastation. Believing a fresh-looking town will enrich people’s lives and local culture, we constantly pursue a “peaceful place,” such as that held dear by a happy family.

1 - This Committee is a gathering of volunteers who advocate for the vitalization of regional economy

2 - This Committee closely liaises and effectively cooperates with the local community

3 - This Committee offers a space of mutual enlightenment for all members, and a space to form important human relations and friends deepening friendship from a “half-learning/half-teaching” approach

　In 2019, sixty years after Jotokaku was born, the new Jotokaku project began as a makeover initiative to enhance the value of the overall area and restore vigor to the shopping district of Hirosaki, a country town, as part of regional revitalization amidst Japan’s declining birth rate and aging population dilemma.
Connecting to the adjacent Dotemachi Shopping Arcade and Kakumi-koji, the new art gallery, etc., Edo period’s Hirosaki Castle and five-story pagoda, Zenringai, Western-style structures such as churches built in the Meiji and Taisho periods, modern buildings erected in the Showa period, student towns for Hirosaki University students, etc., Jotokaku is the artery to a variety of local culture assets that hold great significance for the residents of Hirosaki. As the “cultural hub for human interaction” taking advantage of the region’s craftsmanship and exploration on foot, the organization will continue persistently creating spaces promoting the livelihood and vigor of this city from the merchant town of Kajimachi.

　It is our wish that Jotokaku be utilized for many long years as a place where everyone, from residents in everyday use to visitors from across Japan and abroad, irrespective of age or gender grow and enjoy together, as a crystallization of the “wisdom and smiles” of we, the people alive in the here and now.

 

～ Regeneration of local downtown area ～