Thriving and friendly community development
（Initiatives Example）

We will develop areas that maximize Namba’s potential and build a foundation to bring back the population that has become concentrated in cities to the areas along our railway lines by capitalizing on local resources such as the nature and the countless tourism resources and historical assets in each area, and communicating with diverse stakeholders.

In 2018, we devised a Greater Namba concept to create a lively location for people to shop around in, by developing the north-south route between Namba Terminal and Shin-Imamiya/Shinsekai. With tourists coming back to Japan, the Expo scheduled for 2025, the integrated resort (IR) set to open in 2029, and the Naniwasuji Line opening in 2031, we are trying to build a place in Namba and Shin-Imamiya for people to visit, stay, and live in, where they can have new encounters and interactions.

The renewal construction for Shin-Imamiya Station that was started on October 19, 2020 (Mon) was completed on March 26, 2022 (Sat). OMO7 Osaka by Hoshino Resorts was opened on April 22, 2022 (Fri) on the east side of Shin-Imamiya Station, which has the second highest number of passengers after Namba Station, greatly changing its surroundings. The area has been redeveloped with the understanding that the station plays a significant role as part of the community building for the Shin-Imamiya and Shinsekai area.
Key measures included moving the ticket gate that had been on the second floor to the first floor, building larger elevators, making the south-to-north alley more appealing, and improving the station concourses to improve customer convenience and satisfaction.
For the Shin-Imamiya area, to attract people of different nationalities and generations, we did the Ebisu-cho Land Development Project, which includes shared corporate dormitories, and opened YOLO BASE, a space to connect Japanese and non-Japanese people; Nanigotoya, a place where art and music come together; and Sankakuchi, a hub to create a welcoming and thriving atmosphere for the area.
Going forward, we will continue to create a lively location for people to shop around in along the north-south route between Namba and Shin-Imamiya/Shinsekai.

We have been promoting community development and the revitalization in the areas along our railway lines through commercial buildings, office buildings, residential development, running leisure facilities, and other activities focused around the major stations on our railway lines. “Ki:no Wakayama,” a complex facility directly connected to the Wakayamashi Station, which is the southernmost terminal of the Nankai Line, celebrated its grand opening in June 2020. The complex includes an office zone, commercial zone, a hotel, and the Wakayama Civic Library, and uses an abundance of Kishu timber for the structure, with the aim of letting customers enjoy high-quality items that are “unique to Wakayama.” The commercial zone saw approximately 2.1 million customers in its second year.
Additionally, we are aiming to create a thriving atmosphere with more tourists at Wakayamashi Station and its vicinity, with the sightseeing train “Medetai Train” running between Wakayamashi Station and Kada Station. Furthermore, a “HYDE Southern” wrapped train is running between Namba Station and Wakayamashi Station (and Wakayamako Station) from December 2019 to May 2022, as a collaboration with HYDE, an artist who is also the tourism ambassador of his hometown Wakayama City.

Based on our belief that the understanding and cooperation of the local region is essential for “promoting tourism,” we are working together with municipalities, tourism-related organizations, and other businesses in areas along our railway lines to attract customers to tourist sites, such as Koyasan, which is a World Heritage Site and one of the most sacred areas for Buddhism in Japan. 
For instance, there is a growing demand for a new type of travel called “micro-tourism,” in which people go sightseeing in regions near them, so we held a “food experience tour in collaboration with local tourism businesses, etc.,” in the Izumisano area, along with “special guided shrine tours by priests” at the Sumijyoshi Taisha Shrine. For overseas visitors, we have been sharing information in a timely manner using the Internet and social media, even during the period of time when there were travel restrictions, to spread information on areas along our railway lines and attract visitors in anticipation of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 The Medium-term Management Plan “Kyoso 140 Plan” includes tourism-related businesses and is likely to become a pillar in our new management. We will continue to preserve and utilize tourism assets in the areas along our railway lines for “new value creation and to boost the number of people interacting through the promotion of tourism,” along with the “development of sustainable business models related to tourism.” 

The route connecting Kinokawa Station to Kada Station has been given the nickname “Kada Sakana Line.” Together with organizations such as local tourist associations, we have been conducting activities for the “Kada Sakana Line Project” to promote the attraction of these areas along our railway lines. As part of this initiative, we have been operating the sightseeing train “Medetai Train.” Since starting the operation of the “Medetai Train,” we have been seeing definite results in the project. A busy year may see an increase of approximately 35,000 more non-commuter passengers at Kada Station, which had been on a declining trend.

We have been proceeding with #BIZ TAG NANKAI, a collaborative creation project to build the appeal of businesses along our railway lines, aiming to increase the number of attractive workplaces and the number of people who work in areas along our railway lines.
 In FY2021, the “Kotatsu Job Hunting Expo” and the “Mystery Industry Research EXPO” were held. These are exchange-type joint information meetings targeting businesses along the railway lines and job-hunting individuals. Additionally, we held the “Assist innovation by companies along our railway lines” workshop for young successors of businesses along the railway lines, helping them to create ideas for new businesses. These initiatives are conducted with the cooperation of various governments, municipalities, chamber of commerce and industry, financial institutions, universities, and other organizations in areas along our railway lines. 
 

We launched the “Smiles for Families +1 Project” in FY2021, to promote the enjoyment and feelings of attachment in child-rearing families toward living in areas along our railway lines, and to have those areas be recognized as attractive areas to live in. With the aim of “providing a wide range of opportunities to nurture ‘budding curiosity’ within children in areas along our railway lines, and co-creating communities in which child-rearing is enjoyable,” we cooperated with municipalities and companies along the Nankai lines in FY2022 and held a total of 29 hands-on events in the summer, called “‘Exciting Experiences for Parents and Children! Along the Nankai Line’ Let’s Nurture Children’s Curiosity .