{"id":1354,"date":"2025-03-27T10:43:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T01:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eikei.dev.db-force.net\/english\/?post_type=project&p=1354"},"modified":"2025-07-14T14:46:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T05:46:08","slug":"coming-soon-2","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/project\/1354\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio at Shareo \u2014 Creating a New Community Where Students Talk, Reflect, and Broadcast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For four consecutive years, Hiroshima has had the highest net outflow of young people among all prefectures in Japan. Rather than focusing solely on keeping youth in Hiroshima, KAWAHARA Sota\u2019s project aims to build a sense of connection for those who leave. In an era where social bonds are often weakened by the dominance of social media, he sees potential in radio\u2014a medium where people share time and connect through voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Overcoming a Weakness to Embracing Radio\u2019s Potential<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRadio is a form of verbal catch ball,\u201d says KAWAHARA. \u201cIt helps you organize your thoughts and form deep connections with others.\u201d
Driven by this belief, he founded a student group called Pectures after entering university and began producing podcasts and campus radio broadcasts. \u201cAt first, I just wanted to overcome my fear of public speaking, but the more I worked with audio media, the more fascinated I became by its power.\u201d
One of Pectures\u2019 major initiatives is a program called \u201cAll Hiroshima Student Radio,\u201d which connects universities in the prefecture through collaborative broadcasts. Another goal was to showcase great workplaces in Hiroshima through interviews with local companies, thereby challenging the region\u2019s youth outflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From these experiences, KAWAHARA developed a new vision:
Not just keeping young people in Hiroshima, but creating spaces where they can still feel connected\u2014even if they leave. That idea became the foundation for his current project, \u201cRadio at Shareo,\u201d which he sees as the culmination of his student journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u83c5\u7530 \u60a0\u751f & \u5ddd\u539f \u58ee\u592a – \u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u30b5\u30a4\u30c8\u3011\u5e83\u5cf6\u770c\u516c\u7acb\u5927\u5b66\u6cd5\u4eba \u53e1\u5553\u5927\u5b66 (Japanese Page)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Radio activity in Shareo<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Creating a Public Space for Dialogue and Exchange<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The project offers a platform where students lead the conversation and where students, companies, and local communities gather to interact.
More than just a radio program, the project aims to revitalize Hiroshima\u2019s city center by repurposing an unused tenant space at Shareo\u2014a large underground shopping complex in central Hiroshima\u2014into a broadcast booth and community hub.
\u201cI participated in an event hosted by the Hiroshima Urban Core Conference called \u2018Pitch & Breast!\u2019, which focused on revitalizing the Kamiyacho Shareo West Street area. After presenting my radio activities, I was offered access to one of the booths,\u201d KAWAHARA explains. \u201cThere\u2019s also an open space around the booth, making it a perfect place for diverse people to gather and create social impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing Time, Building Comfort<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On February 17, 2025, the project held its kick-off event\u2014an open recording session with over 30 participants from both student and corporate backgrounds.
\u201cWe began with a workshop to explore what makes a space feel welcoming and comfortable. Participants shared ideas in small groups, clustered their thoughts, and presented their findings. These insights were reflected in the second radio episode to better shape the space as a platform for exchange and dialogue.\u201d
The team plans to continue monthly broadcasts with diverse content and ultimately hopes to achieve live streaming in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driven by a Personal Vision<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What led to the creation of this project?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I asked myself what I truly wanted to do, I thought about Hiroshima\u2019s youth outflow issue\u2014which I\u2019d heard about constantly in the news,\u201d says KAWAHARA. \u201cDespite being discussed for years, no significant progress had been made. I felt compelled to do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He identified two key elements for addressing the issue: (1) Fostering meaningful human connections, (2) Creating mechanisms that attract people from outside the prefecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He then realized that his radio activities could serve as the method to achieve these goals. The project design closely mirrors the Needs Statement method taught in the university\u2019s Project-Based Learning (PBL)<\/a> course. He also gained valuable insight from the president of Yokoyama Seimitsu Co., Ltd., whom he met during an internship. \u201cThrough that connection, I received practical advice on systems thinking and project management from someone in the field,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an Age of Information Overload, Radio is Being Reimagined<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

KAWAHARA\u2019s activities have caught the attention of Hiroshima FM and Fukuyama FM, leading to guest appearances and collaborative broadcasts.
\u201cI don\u2019t overthink it\u2014I just focus on enjoying the process and following what excites me,\u201d he says. \u201cOf course, that\u2019s easier said than done, but the open, flexible environment at Eikei University of Hiroshima has helped me act quickly on my ideas. I\u2019ve learned how to write proposals, move things into action, and evaluate those actions constructively.\u201d
He adds, \u201cPeople have started telling me they want our generation to keep pushing boundaries and change Japan\u2019s stagnant mindset. That motivates me to keep moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cRadio at Shareo\u201d project still has many ideas waiting to be realized, and KAWAHARA\u2019s field of activity continues to expand\u2014step by step.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u3000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25bcPartner Company Introduction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cfYokoyama Seimitsu Co., Ltd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5-8-54 Nagatsuka, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima City
With over 150 years of history, this Hiroshima-based company supports manufacturing by transforming ideas into tangible products and services. They specialize in designing systems, creating new communities that transcend existing resources, and producing value-added solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/yokoyamaseimitsu.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1355,"template":"","project_category":[81,79],"project_tag":[83,8],"class_list":["post-1354","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-projectbasedlearningpbl","project_category-studentproject","project_tag-projectbasedlearningpbl","project_tag-student-projects"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2077,"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1354\/revisions\/2077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_category?post=1354"},{"taxonomy":"project_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eikei.ac.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_tag?post=1354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}