What a company employee started at "Senri New Town"

The corona misfortune is also in the 3th year, and it's the season where you can hear the footsteps of winter.

With more opportunities to work from home and longer "home time", have you ever made a small discovery in the town you live in?

There is a male office worker who started his activities with the desire to “know more about the region”

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(Osaka Broadcasting Station video production Yukihiko Minowa)

Hitoshi Nomura (48), who works at a department store in Osaka.

Twelve years ago, when my child was born, I moved from Hyogo Prefecture to Senri New Town in search of an environment with plenty of nature that makes it easy to raise children.

The population of the former “Old Town” has increased over the past 10 years

It is a new residential area that was developed in the northern part of Osaka as "Japan's first large-scale new town" during the period of high economic growth about 60 years ago.

Young families from all over the country moved in one after another.

In 1970, the transportation network was developed in conjunction with the Osaka Expo, which was held in this area, and it suddenly became famous.

However, since the 1990s, the aging of the population has progressed rapidly, and even the towns known as cutting-edge have come to be called "old towns."

However, since 2000, housing complexes have been rebuilt and condominiums have been built, and the population has continued to grow over the past decade.

[Population change in Senri New Town]

1962 ... birth

1975 ... about 130,000 people　　　

2010 ... about 89,000 people　

2021 ... about 103,000 people

(from the national census and basic resident register)

Mr. Nomura also I am one of the people who bought a new apartment.

Every day I am busy going back and forth between home and work.

However, life changes completely due to corona misfortune.

I have been working from home more and more, and I spend more and more days in "Senri New Town".

Mr. Nomura noticed something.

“I didn't know anything about the town”

Mr. Hitoshi Nomura

"I started to think that the scenery was wonderful, and then I learned about people who are doing attractive activities such as 'There was a shop in such a place.' If I had known about the event, I would have gone." Well, I was able to choose a more prosperous life. Isn't it an unfortunate situation for the residents to not know?"

Since last year, Mr. Nomura has been actively participating in community gatherings.

He wanted to create an opportunity for "new residents to get to know the town."

In the midst of all this, I meet a man.

Takeshi Okui (63) grew up in Senri New Town.

He has been involved in community activities for over 15 years and has also researched new towns across the country.

Mr. Nomura heard from Mr. Okui about the future of the town.

"History repeats itself"

Mr. Takeshi Okui:

“In the last 15 years or so, many new buildings have been built, and the number of new residents in their 30s and 40s has increased tremendously. In order for the town not to lose its vitality, it will depend on how much residents can act with the feeling that it is their own town.”

What does it mean to act as though it is your own town?

Mr. Nomura wanted to make the town known to as many people as possible, and to create a system in which local residents and business operators could participate in "town development" together.

That's why I started holding festivals in my hometown.

The target is children living in the area.

We thought that it would be easy for people of the child-raising generation who have recently come to New Town to participate, and that they would develop an attachment to the town from an early age.

Toward a sustainable town with the “Senri Festival”

Mr. Nomura received advice from Mr. Okui and visited local businesses and civic groups to encourage them to participate in the festival.

In the six months since we started our activities, we have gradually found people who agree with us, and over 60 organizations have agreed to cooperate with us.

And on November 1st, the “Senri Festival” began.

The period is 1 month.

43 events are being planned in Senri New Town and its surroundings.

In order to entertain the local people, we have prepared events such as

learning about the railways that run in the area

and experiencing the work of a nurse at a local university.

At a workshop to learn about bamboo groves, volunteers tending bamboo trees in the park taught visitors the importance of maintenance.

“Senri New Town,” which was created by clearing up an area where bamboo forests once spread, still has a lot of bamboo left, and the aging of the residents who take care of it is an issue.

An elementary school student who participated said, "I usually thought there was bamboo, but for the first time I learned that there are people who are struggling to take care of it."

Her mother also said, ``If there is something she can do, she wants to be involved in bamboo grove conservation.''

Mr. Okui, who continues to work with Mr. Nomura on town development, hopes that more people will pay attention to the town through the Senri Festival.

Mr. Takeshi Okui said,

"As a town that leads the history of the new town, I want it to become a town where new people continue to come and people from all walks of life continue to make various efforts

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" I think that the more people like me, the more active the town will become.Even if you think you're indifferent now, if you have a chance, you'll get involved.Everyone in this town. It would be nice if we could make our lives better and make our lives richer.”

"New connections" born in "Senri New Town"

The future of the town is about to be created by everyone getting involved in the town little by little.