Learning from Murakami City's Town Planning, Which Overturned Administrative Policy: Hints for Taking on Challenges

When you start something new, have you ever found yourself frozen before you even begin, or given up halfway through?

In Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, there is a person who, driven by the desire to "preserve our important historical town," succeeded in creating a movement in five years, attracting national attention, and, in 18 years, stopping urban development by the administration to realize town development that leverages its history.

That person is Shinji Kikkawa, the 15th generation head of a family that has passed down the region's food culture in Murakami for about 400 years, and the president and CEO of Kikkawa Co., Ltd.

From urban development to town development that leverages history.

We will unravel the "tips for initiating and realizing things" that moved the townspeople, the administration, and people nationwide, starting with one person's town development efforts.

Murakami City's "Town Development Utilizing History"

First, let me introduce Mr. Kikkawa's actual achievements in town development.

In 1998, a plan for modernization involving road widening was formulated in Mr. Kikkawa's hometown of Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture. Mr. Kikkawa, determined to prevent the loss of the castle town's charm, which retained its tasteful traditional townhouses, embarked on town development activities, starting by creating a handwritten map of the townhouses by himself.

Gradually gaining supporters, he launched events such as the spring "Machiya Doll Tour," where various dolls are displayed in 60 townhouses, and the autumn "Machiya Folding Screen Festival," where folding screens are showcased. As a result, people from all over Japan began to visit Murakami.

▲Scene from the "Machiya Doll Tour"

Furthermore, within five years of starting the activities, he launched projects such as the "Black Fence Project," which covered inorganic concrete block walls with black fences, and projects to renovate the exteriors of townhouses. As a result, the framework for town development was established, and in 2016, the administration decided to halt the modernization plan and shift its policy to town development that leverages history.

Currently, Murakami is a town where visitors can experience the charm of a good old castle town, attracting 300,000 visitors annually.

For more details, please refer to this column.

01. Don't try to do what's within your means.

How did Murakami City manage to lay the groundwork for town development in such a short period of five years?

"The secret is that we didn't try to do what was within our means," says Mr. Kikkawa, regarding this intriguing secret.

It sounds like a riddle, but he explains that if you try to "do what you can," a sweet feeling of being good enough without giving 100% emerges.

When Mr. Kikkawa was recruiting shops for the first Doll Tour, he was told, "It's the first time, so five or six shops would be fine." However, he looks back and says that because he challenged with a strong will to "definitely make it a success" rather than working within those means, 60 townhouses participated, attracting attention from the media and people nationwide.

▲The "Machiya Doll Tour" was featured on NHK's art program "Sunday Museum" in its first year, attracting 30,000 tourists from all over Japan.

02. Don't try to do it with everyone.

While prefacing with "working together is a good thing," Mr. Kikkawa says, "What's important is not to try and do it with everyone."

He explains that people who say "let's all work together" tend to avoid taking risks themselves. When working with others, complacency can set in, and the commitment to see things through responsibly diminishes.

Mr. Kikkawa shared from his experience that when you stand up and say, "Even if no one agrees, this is important, so I will definitely do it!", that's when supporters gather for the first time, and when everyone works together, it generates explosive power.

▲The former cityscape of Murakami City. Dilapidated arcades covered the entire shopping street.

03. First, make it happen and show the results.

To start something new, you might think you need to consult various people, build consensus, and create a plan... but Mr. Kikkawa immediately made it happen.

When Mr. Kikkawa first created the townhouse map, he went door-to-door alone, saying, "I'll make it myself, so please let me introduce it." From there, it developed into the Doll Tour, Folding Screen Festival, Black Fence Project, and Exterior Renovation Project. He says that these initiatives led to an increase in visitors to the town, media coverage, and visible changes in the landscape, which in turn changed the reactions of the townspeople.

"If I had suddenly said, 'Let's restore the exteriors of the townhouses to their old state,' no one would have listened to me. When people see the results of repeated earnest challenges actually leading to prosperity, even those who were negative gradually change their minds," says Mr. Kikkawa.

▲The concrete block walls were covered with black wooden fences to bring out the traditional townhouse atmosphere.

04. How to deal with "common" barriers: standardization and opposition.

When attempting something new, two barriers often arise: the "barrier of standardizing ideas = internal barrier" and the "organizational barrier = external barrier."

Mr. Kikkawa states that the key to overcoming both barriers lies in "small numbers."

Even unique ideas lose their individuality when many people are involved in brainstorming, hindered by the internal barrier. By planning with a very small group of like-minded individuals, uniqueness can be refined, leading to something that garners attention.

And when trying something new, strong opposition from the organization (the external barrier) is common. That's why it's important to recruit only those who are willing to participate. When planning the Doll Tour, Mr. Kikkawa formed the Murakami Machiya Merchants' Association, a group of people who wanted to participate, rather than working within an existing organization.

▲Even vacant houses in the arcade were renovated to their old charm, adding to the town's appeal.

05. What to do when you have to compete within an organization?

Mr. Kikkawa sometimes faced strong opposition even within the Murakami Machiya Merchants' Association, which he himself founded. At such times, the secret to moving forward was taking on three risks.

These were the "risk of raising money," the "risk of gathering supporters," and the "risk of responsibility if something went wrong."

He would consult, saying, "I'll take on all these risks and won't cause any trouble, so could you please help with just this part?" If he was still refused, he would ask, "Please let me try just once; if it fails, I'll gracefully withdraw." Then, he would put all his effort into that one attempt to make it a success. This, he said, was how things moved forward, accumulating little by little.

06. How to come up with unique ideas without relying on talent.

You might think Mr. Kikkawa's various initiatives in Murakami succeeded because he's a man of ideas, but... "It's hard to come up with new ideas. So, my wife and I traveled to regions across the country that were doing town development and studied diligently," Mr. Kikkawa recounted about his humble path at the time.

He explained, "When you meet many people, learn, and stay aware, an idea suddenly blossoms. Then you refine it to fit Murakami." In this way, Mr. Kikkawa visited over 100 sites, gathering input, and thus generated groundbreaking projects.

▲Mr. Kikkawa talking about town development at the time.

07. What is the source of energy to stand up to adversity?

Criticism against new challenges is not uncommon. Mr. Kikkawa, who was taking a path completely opposite to the administration, faced such strong headwinds that he said, "There were countless times I wanted to give up."

He attributes his perseverance to "the existence of town development players nationwide."

"From people I met across the country who were doing amazing things under much more difficult circumstances than Murakami, I received the most important, strong energy of 'I won't let those people beat me'," said Mr. Kikkawa.

It seems that the presence of people pursuing the same goals, even in different places, becomes a great source of strength.

08. Charismatic leadership is not needed.

As Mr. Kikkawa's projects progressed, dissatisfaction grew within the organization, with people feeling that "Mr. Kikkawa is just doing what he likes," and things started to go awry. On the other hand, some people appeared who "don't like Mr. Kikkawa, but what he's doing is good, so they'll join him."

▲Mr. Kikkawa's store, "Sennen Sake Kikkawa," also saw a tenfold increase in visitors after its renovation to an old-fashioned style.

What Mr. Kikkawa realized then was that "while I lack leadership, there is a 'leaderless leadership' that is established with the help of others."

What is leaderless leadership?

Mr. Kikkawa believes that leadership isn't about charisma or intelligence, but about the conviction and executive ability to care about something more than anyone else. Especially for actions that benefit society and people, others will follow, and in desperate situations, people will appear to help, becoming a continuous source of energy.

Indeed, this is a type of leadership that differs from the traditional image but leads to project realization.

09. What's important at the start is not the number of supporters, but your aspirations.

“When I started town development, someone told me, ‘If you have two people to look back on, move forward without hesitation.’ When I stood at the starting line, only my family supported me. Without that support, I couldn’t have done it,” Mr. Kikkawa reflects.

This teaching means that even if you have few supporters, if you act with a mind for the happiness of your community and people, comrades will appear, an organization will form, and it will become a great force that can change the direction of the town.

True to these words, Mr. Kikkawa continued his town development with strong aspirations, ultimately succeeding in getting the urban development plan revoked.

▲The current cityscape of Murakami City. The town now attracts tourists year-round, not just during events.

Having leveraged the know-how he shared and overcome numerous challenges, Mr. Kikkawa now says:

"I am happy doing town development now."

And in the town of Murakami, people from all over Japan come to enjoy its historic streets.

When you want to achieve something, not just in town development, please remember this.

It will surely encourage your determination and challenge.