As part of the university-wide education course "Glocal Leader Practice," organized by the Gifu University Organization for Promotion of Glocalization (GU-Glocal) and the Center for Collaborative Study with Community, Gifu University students formed the "Seki Glocal Project Team" and hosted a community collaboration event titled "Monet's Pond Terrace" on Saturday, November 8, 2025, around the "Nameless Pond" (commonly known as Monet's Pond) in Itadori, Seki City, Gifu Prefecture. The event was designed to address a local challenge—the short stay time of visitors at Monet's Pond—by creating a relaxing space where guests could linger, thereby enhancing its appeal as a tourist destination.
For preparation, GU students visited Flower Park Itadori, the Monet's Pond Environmental Maintenance Committee, Seki Commercial High School, local businesses, restaurants, producers, and the Seki City Government to coordinate event operations. They also collaborated with high school students to build benches with technical support from Timec Inc. The completed benches were donated to Seki City on the day of the event and installed within the grounds of Flower Park Itadori.
During the event, GU students and Seki Commercial High School students jointly developed a special menu item—Wasabi Beef Bowl, offered exclusively for the event by local restaurant Shoryu. Other offerings included takoyaki, fresh vegetables and sweets from local farmers, and original products from Seki Commercial High School. These were extremely popular among tourists and local residents, with many items selling out by noon. The installed benches were widely used, and many visitors extended their stay to over 30 minutes. In visitor surveys, the majority responded that they would like to return, indicating that the event successfully achieved its goal of creating a relaxing environment for guests.
This event provided a hands-on learning opportunity for students to engage with local perspectives and challenges while actively working toward solutions. The "Glocal Leader Practice" course will build on this experience to further develop human resources capable of identifying and solving regional challenges.
Bench Donation Ceremony
Scenes from the Event
