On July 30, 2020, committee and community members involved in the Mito Downtown Revitalization Project gathered for the tenth time. Since the project’s inception in February 2016, there have been ten projects and ten meetings. The committee plans to continue to take on new projects, with the hopes of lifting Ibaraki from the bottom of the nation-wide prefectural rankings. Keep an eye out for updates on the second phase of the project, coming soon.

At the ninth meeting for the Mito Downtown Revitalization Project, on November 20, 2019, Economist Mr. Kosuke Motani offered his comments and suggestions for the future of the project. The meeting covered several important topics including:
1) Status reports on previous projects including the Ibaraki Robots, M-WORK, and M-ART.
2) A report on a project in progress of M-GARDEN.
3) An announcement of projects being considered including potentially acquiring a local media company and a project called M-NIGHT.

The next meeting will be held in six months.Thank you to everyone involved for their continued support.

On May 10, 2019,  a press conference was held to announce the opening of M-GARDEN. The space is inspired by the famous Mito daimyo Nariaki Tokugawa. The design concept was based on what Tokugawa may have chosen if he was alive in 2019. The first floor will be an event space and full kitchen, with a room for private accommodation upstairs. Built for both residents and tourists, the space overlooks the beautiful Lake Senba.

We aim to build a space that can be cherished by the Mito community. Overlooked by Kairaku Garden, Lake Senba is located in central Mito. It is a peaceful tourist destination, adjacent to the Tokiwa Shrine. —----------

On November 21, 2018,, a town hall meeting was held for residents and community members  at Art Tower Mito. In order to incorporate the opinions of locals, these meetings are a crucial part of the Mito Downtown Revitalization Project.

Mito and the Politics of Reform in Early Modern Japan examines the history of Mito, which was once the headquarters of Mito Domain, one of three senior branches of the ruling Tokugawa family. In the nineteenth century, Mito became the birthplace of a revolutionary ideology that transformed Japan into a modern, imperial nation-state. The book focuses on the stories of Mito’s politicians, philosophers, and ordinary people from the beginning of the domain’s history to its end.

The author, Dr. Michael Thornton, grew up in Japan (Kobe and Tokyo) before attending Yale University, where he received a BA in history in 2010. After brief stints in Germany and Japan, he went on to receive his PhD in history from Harvard in May 2018. He currently teaches Japanese history at Yale University.

I grew up in the Village of Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture. The housing complex where I lived was surrounded by rice paddies. A wooded area was cleared to build my elementary school. After coming home from school, I would change into boots and go play in the rice paddies with a bucket, a small shovel, and a net. I caught crayfish and tadpoles in the paddies and beetles and snakes in the brush. Every day I would play outside until sunset.

The first G1 Ibaraki was held in Mito in April 2018. The event was organized by GLOBIS Founder and President, Yoshito Hori. The G1 Institute hosts conferences across Japan, gathering leaders across industries to discuss and paint a vision for the future of Japan.

Throughout Iwaki Arena, fans and players hung their heads in disappointment and wiped away tears. The season came to a sudden end in May 2018, when the Robots lost the regional championship. Just five points away from a win, it was a sad way to end the season. We look forward to celebrating the 2019 season with everyone soon.

The Robot’s second B-League season is starting in September 2017. There will be two non-Japanese players and three Japanese players added to the roster this season. Team practices are in full swing. To increase hype for the Robots, M-SPO, an open area with a covered court, food trucks, green space, and cafes, is now available to the public.

My first official season as owner of the Ibaraki Robots has come to an end. The team had a pretty good season, winning seven games in a row. The final game even had over 2700 people in attendance! I feel pride and a sense of accomplishment, but also am sad that this season has come to a close.

Almost one year has passed since I officially became owner of the Ibaraki Robots. The B-League, which we joined in 2016, is now in the final weeks of its season. I have had many challenging experiences this year, but have learned a lot.

The other day, I returned to Mito to give a lecture on management strategies of local companies. I don’t consider this my area of expertise, so I did some research before the talk. I organized companies into roughly three categories.

The Ibaraki Robots are officially starting their season. The first game will be an away game against the Aomori Watts on October 24. The first home game in Mito will be on October 1.

In early August, I participated in the 56th Mito Komon Festival. The festival started with a fireworks show over Lake Senba on Friday night. Komon-san-dori, the main street in front of Mito Station, was closed to vehicles on Saturday and Sunday. Busy with people, there were also floats, bon-odori dancing, and shrines being hauled on the shoulders of locals. Both sides of the street were lined with stalls selling food and toys. There was an outdoor concert, creating a very lively atmosphere.

“I want to give back to my hometown of Mito. What would be the best way to build a community?” With this in mind, I launched the Mito Downtown Revitalization Project. Through contacts developed at that meeting, in April, I became the owner of the Ibaraki Robots, a professional basketball team based in Mito.

“I quit. Those days are done.” In August 2015, I attended a reunion of my junior high school swimming club in my hometown of Mito. When I asked one of my senior classmen how he was doing at his sushi restaurant, that was the response he sadly murmured. I could not find the words to comfort him at that moment. He had always dreamed of taking over his family’s restaurant.