What do you think of when you hear Shibuya souvenirs? Speaking of which, some people may say that Shibuya's souvenirs don't really come to mind.
Future Design Shibuya (FDS) is proceeding with a project to explore "new souvenir shapes" that can contribute to solving regional issues in Shibuya.
"The purpose of this project is two-fold. One is to make souvenirs that contribute to the local community and let people feel free to experience social actions. The other is to return the profits to the city of Shibuya. "
I would like to ask Tadashi, who is in charge of this "Souvenir business" at FDS, as a seconded employee from Dai Nippon Printing, which co-founded this business, about the business.
"Souvenirs that can contribute to the community" that you want to take root in the city of Shibuya
— Speaking of Shibuya, this is it! There may be many people who can't think of such souvenirs.
Well, of course, there are various souvenirs in Shibuya, but I think the problem of the town is that there aren't many typical souvenirs.
— Under such circumstances, what we are creating is “souvenirs that can contribute to the community”.
It is a mechanism to make souvenirs in the form of collaboration with companies and organizations that support this activity, and the sales will be used to solve problems in the city of Shibuya.
For example, a company that wants to contribute to society can easily contribute to the local community by getting on board with our Souvenir business, without having to start from scratch.
Also, I think that the hurdles for social contribution are still high for people in the town, so through souvenirs, you can get to know the issues in the area first, or feel free to pick them up, and the first step of social action is easy. I want to create a situation where I can take a step forward.
I hope that such a sense of distance from social contribution can be conveyed as "Shibuya-ness."
— Specifically, how are you giving back to the community?
For example, one of the regional issues in Shibuya is the problem of graffiti, and as a support for the "graffiti erasing event," we donate goods from the profits of the project.
As for the selection of such return destinations, the seven fields of the Shibuya Ward Basic Concept ((1) Child-rearing / Education / Lifelong Learning / (2) Welfare / (3) Health / Sports / (4) Disaster Prevention / Safety / Environment / Energy / (5) Space and Community Design / (6) Culture・ We aim to utilize our profits for all of entertainment / (7) industrial promotion).
We will decide specific measures for regional returns together with the local people
For example, in the project that I recently started working on, the content is to support the field of "culture and entertainment", but I tried to leave the selection of this field to everyone in the town.
At the venue of "SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK" held in November 2022, you will have to set up multiple trash cans with the field names of the Shibuya Ward Basic Concept and throw away empty PET bottles. We have created a system in which people can vote by having them thrown away in the trash can of the field they are aware of. As a result, the number of votes in the field of "culture and entertainment" was high this time, so we decided to first collect and support the issues of the town in that field.
From there, we are focusing on the field of "culture and entertainment" and are currently soliciting in the form of open recruitment what the people in the town are having trouble with and what kind of support they need.
<Application period>
January 31st (Monday) -March 31st (Thursday), 2022
<Outline of open call for participants>
In the field of "culture and entertainment", we are soliciting activities to liven up Shibuya, and support up to 200,000 yen per activity for the efforts adopted in the examination.
<Details>
Future Design Shibuya
https://fds.or.jp/pressrelease/347/
— Anyone can apply for the open call for participants?
Yes. Anyone can apply, whether it is a company, a group, or an individual.
Souvenirs that can contribute to the community are to gain the sympathy of the people in the town
— So, from a different perspective, what kind of souvenirs are actually sold to consumers?
The main item is "SHIBUKURO".
At the beginning of the project, there was a social trend of charging for plastic shopping bags, so we started by specializing in bags.
We will collaborate with various creators to make bags together with collaborating companies and organizations, but there are no particular restrictions on the shape or design of the bags. The only rule is that it has a colorful tag that is also a symbol of SHIBUKURO. This tag is a landmark of SHIBUKURO and a sign that it contributes to the return to the community.
It's been three years since SHIBUKURO started, and I feel that the consciousness of companies has changed in the social climate. When it started, it was often necessary to start talking from the "merits of companies contributing to the community" when talking to companies with which they collaborate, but now, on the contrary, from the company side, CSR and SDGs etc. We have received more and more inquiries about "I want to contribute" in the context.
While the attitudes and mindsets of companies have changed considerably in this way, there is also the issue that our efforts have not yet been fully delivered to the people in the town. To that end, while FDS will become a hub that connects companies and organizations with the people of the town, I would like to collaborate more diversely than ever before to create attractive products and deliver them to the people of the town.
At the same time, I want to be an initiative that everyone can sympathize with. For example, when talking about open recruitment, we would like to value the attitude of soliciting opinions from local people and returning them together with everyone, rather than deciding where to return profits.
When I look closely at the city of Shibuya and walk around, there are sometimes people who bring SHIBUKURO. It would be great if more people could walk around with the colorful tags, which are also a sign of participation in community contributions.
I wish I could make a project that everyone in Shibuya knows so that everyone can understand that "Oh, that person also has" SHIBUKURO "" and "I'm contributing to the community." I am thinking. It's a big dream.
<Related site>
SHIBUKURO ｜https://shibukuro.jp
SHIBUKURO Online Store ｜https://shibukuro.stores.jp/
<INFO>
"SHIBUYA SOUVENIR", a souvenir introduction site for Shibuya, operated by Future Design Shibuya and the Shibuya Tourism Association, has opened.
SHIBUYA SOUVENIR ｜https://shibuya-souvenir.com
