A community integrated “Open Factory” event, where local manufacturing sites will be opened to the public, will take place in October in Kyotango City and Yosano Town, the homes of Tango Chirimen silk. A seminar was held in Kyotango City for the participating business operators and a representative from the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) explained how the project had the potential to promote the area as a place to live and bring in customers.

The event will be held from October 3^rd to 5^th by an executive committee with representatives from both Kyotango and Yosano. Local residents and tourists will be invited to visit factories and manufacturing sites for the textiles, machinery and metal, and farming industries.

The seminar was run at Tango Open Center in Omiya-cho, Kyotango City and there were roughly 60 participants. There, the General Manager of the METI Kansai Bureau of Economy Trade and Industry Community Collaboration Promotion Division, Mr Satoshi Tsuda, spoke about the community integrated Open Factories operating in 60 locations around the country.

He explained how there has been cases where people who came to view the factories have then decided to job hunt and move to the area and how it has led to the development of staff and the sale of goods, giving the examples of Sanjo City and Tsubame City (Niigata Prefecture), where knife and tableware crafts are thriving, and Sabae City (Fukui Prefecture) which is famous for eyeglasses.

Representatives from a metalworking company in Omiya-cho (Kyotango City) and a glove making company from Higashi Kagawa City (Kagawa Prefecture) also took the podium to report on the implementation of Open Factories. They presented the accomplishments of the project and how it has brought in domestic and international tourists and promoted their company’s products.

Copyright © The Kyoto Shimbun

Translated by Kyotango City Tourism Association