Kitahiroshima City, adjacent to Sapporo and located almost halfway between Sapporo and New Chitose Airport, is buzzing with excitement.
In 2023, a new ballpark, centered around the new stadium for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, is scheduled for completion in Kitahiroshima City.

The ballpark is highly anticipated not just for watching baseball games, but as a multi-purpose complex where families can enjoy shopping, dining, and day camping. Spurred by this development, a "grassroots community building" movement is now underway in Kitahiroshima City.

What kind of new wave is sweeping through the city?
We spoke with the people involved in the ballpark concept at the Kitahiroshima City Hall.

(From left to right, Mr. Yuji Tsukada, Mr. Fuminobu Sugihara, and Ms. Misato Shiramizu from the Planning and Finance Department of Kitahiroshima City, who we interviewed for this story.)

"We began promoting the bid for the new stadium in June 2016. In 2018, we signed a partnership agreement with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and have since collaborated on sports classes and dietary education programs. Then, in 2020, a project team was formed within the 'Kitahiroshima City Ballpark Promotion Association,' which is made up of related city organizations. About 15 young staff members have gathered to launch new initiatives to build momentum."

To enhance information dissemination, the project team launched a Twitter account (@kitahiro_bppt). They started a four-panel manga series titled "Maybe You'll Get It with Manga? Hokkaido Ballpark" to explain the ballpark in an easy-to-understand way.

("Maybe You'll Get It with Manga? Hokkaido Ballpark")

Additionally, in August, they held a three-day talk event called the "BP Talk Session." Discussions on community building spurred by the ballpark were held under three themes: people working in Kitahiroshima, students, and people working outside Kitahiroshima.

(A scene from the BP Talk Session)

Furthermore, a walking event scheduled for October 4th, with a course around the ballpark area, has already reached its 200-person capacity.
In this way, grassroots community building, sparked by the ballpark, is gaining traction.

(The town walking event "Let's Walk the F Village Construction Site with Fighters Ashiato Fund" to be held on October 4th. Registration is already closed as it has reached full capacity.)

"The project team is moving quickly and flexibly to implement events and other initiatives, and through these efforts, I feel we are gradually creating points of contact with our citizens. The project team has about 15 members, and we hope to expand this circle, increasing the number of people who get personally involved and take ownership of Kitahiroshima's future."

In September, academy coaches from the baseball team also conducted physical education classes at elementary schools in Kitahiroshima City, advancing collaboration in fields such as education and welfare.

(A class at Kitahiroshima Municipal Kitanodai Elementary School on September 11th)

"In 2021, Kitahiroshima City will launch a new 10-year plan. We will continue to carry out initiatives to build excitement and anticipation among our citizens, while also implementing programs in various fields like tourism, education, and welfare that will gradually become integrated into the community."

This year, Kitahiroshima City has also been proactive in other ways, such as a project to send rice and Genghis Khan (Mongolian barbecue) to students from the city who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizing an online event for the "Tokyo Kitahiroshima-kai," a group of people with ties to Kitahiroshima living in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

(The "Feel Kitahiro" Student Support Package Delivery Project)

Kitahiroshima City is brimming with anticipation for the opening of the ballpark.
Its engaging community-building efforts are set to continue into the future.