On Tuesday, December 23rd, Professor Ebi from Faculty of Modern Social Studies participated as a moderator in the "Dynamic Cafe" hosted by Hyogo Prefecture.

　Dynamic Cafe is an event that has been held by Hyogo Prefecture since 2023 and is run by each prefectural citizen center in the prefecture.The event aims to promote collaboration among participants, reflect on prefectural policies, and create a better community by sharing the various initiatives of people active in the community and thinking together about the attractions, challenges, and future vision of the region.
This was the 12th time the event was held, and was organized by the Hanshin Minami Prefectural Citizens Center. 20 people participated, mainly from the Amagasaki, Nishinomiya, and Ashiya areas. They were divided into four thematic groups to hold workshops: "Securing human resources for small and medium-sized enterprises," "Promoting the appeal of tourism," "Creating a city with greenery and water," and "Healthy development of young people."
Professor Ebi served as facilitator for the "Communicating Attractions through Tourism" group, and during the workshop, issues such as "Perhaps the brand power of the Hanshin area has not been clearly communicated outside the region," and "One issue is that the Hanshin area has too many modernist resources," were raised. However, many suggestions were also offered that provided clues to solving these issues, such as "Perhaps we need tourism that mixes tradition and modernity," and "We need to strengthen cooperation between each unique area and develop tourism that tells a story," leading to a lively exchange of opinions.
Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito also joined the event midway through, giving a speech on prefectural government policy, including measures to combat rising prices and support for education. Afterwards, each group gave a presentation based on the workshop, followed by a Q&A session. Afterwards, a networking session was held, where the governor personally visited each group's table to exchange opinions.
At the event, the Governor and other participants were served Otemae University 's original coffee, "OTEMAE BLEND COFFEE," created by students in the Tourism and Regional Management, and Professor Ebi explained to everyone about the process of its creation.

<Source: School Public Relations>