最終更新日 2024-08-26
A new Michinoeki, or roadside station, will open in Nisshin City next year (2025), and the construction is underway.
A Michinoeki, in general, is like a roadside station on an express highway where people stop for a rest during a driving trip. They can check road and tourist information nearby and have food and drink. Also, Japanese people especially like buying souvenirs that are unique to the place.
Michinoekis are dotted all over Japan. Families and friends visit some of the most popular ones to stay for a full day on weekends. They are located along national or regional roads and are free admission and parking.
Now, the new Michinoeki in Nisshin City will become a facility for Nisshin-City residents, focusing on child care support, disaster prevention activities, agriculture promotion, and events and recreations for the residents, in addition to the conventional Michinoeki functions. Michinoeki for the residents makes sense because prefectural road No. 57, attached to the Michinoeki, is used primarily by residents of Nisshin City and the surrounding cities.
I did not look forward to having a Michinoeki in Nisshin City. Now that the city has decided to construct one, I hope many people will like the new facility. Although it may sound good that the new facility serves the needs of Nisshin residents, I wish it also attracts as many people as possible, just like how I felt excited at other Michinoekis on my past trips.
Unfortunately, before the opening of the Michinoeki, I seldom noticed that the word “regional brands” caught the attention of the locals. That probably is because our city has not successfully developed products worthy of regional brands. Although individual products, shops, or enterprises may be well-known to people outside Nisshin City, they might not recognize them as connecting with the city.
For products to be accepted as regional brands, it is crucial that you continuously use a2nique symbol mark or name in association with the products so that the products soak into buyers’ minds. You must also set the standards and use the marks to maintain quality standards. Do not betray your fans. Regional brands grow by accumulating confidence. Do not forget to protect such marks by trademark registration to allow you to use the regional brands continuously.
Nisshin City does not use intellectual property protection such as trademark registration much compared to surrounding municipalities. A quick internet search showed that the Nisshin Society of Commerce and Industry started a “Nisshin Brand Project” project last year and that Nisshin City plans to grant subsidies to support the development of new products for regional brands. I suggest that the city proceeds with trademarking symbol marks and names to take care of such activities so that Nisshin’s regional brands grow steadily through these activities.