KOFU -- How can I manage work and child care? Female students at the University of Yamanashi concerned about their future working styles have been interacting with people raising children in urban and regional cities to learn about various ways to balance home and work life.

The initiative was started in June 2024 by six third-year students studying community activities in the university's Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, who established the student organization "FC." The letters in the name stand for "family," "future," "communication," "children" and other concepts. The idea was to broaden their image of careers in the course of their job-hunting activities by listening to working adults engaged in a variety of work styles.

As one new way of working, they have been researching "parent-child workations" combining work and vacations, in which children experience nature and other activities while their parents work at the destination. In November 2024, they organized such a "workation" for urban parents and their children in the Yamanashi Prefecture village of Kosuge, and interviewed participants. The following month, they held an exchange meeting with residents of Kofu and Ichikawamisato to hear the voices of people living in rural areas. The activities were funded through crowdfunding, which raised approximately 300,000 yen (some $1,900).

On Jan. 25, they held an event to share information on diverse lifestyles with students based on their past activities and the knowledge they had gained. They also exchanged views with about 50 participants, including online viewers. Project leader Hinata Matsuda, 21, told those taking part, "I vaguely wanted to work in an urban area, but rather than focusing on where I work, I realized it's more important to be in an environment where I can fulfill what I want to do." She continued, "I want to find non-negotiable principles for myself in both job hunting and marriage."

(Japanese original by Akane Imamura, Mainichi Future Creation Lab.)