Hokkaido Ballpark F Village
New space and experience value creation by planners

In March 2023, the heat of winning the WBC (World Baseball Classic) won't cool down.
"HOKKAIDO BALLPARK F VILLAGE" opened in Kitahiroshima City, Hokkaido, and is crowded with many people every day.

* From Hokkaido Ballpark F Village official website

NOMURA Co., Ltd. has been involved in this project for about five years and has been working with all of its strengths to develop a new ball park that is unlike any other in the world. This time, planning director Kenichi Sakazume and chief planner Tetsuro Yasuda, who were involved in the "Hokkaido Ballpark Project" from the beginning, will talk about the history of development and behind the scenes planning and design from the perspective of planners.

　(Left) Kenichi Sakazume | Planning Director (Right) Tetsuro Yasuda | Chief Planner

It started about 5 years ago.
Starting from the overall outdoor area planning

Sakazume
When I went to see the site for the first time, it was just a thicket of trees and a huge vacant lot.

Yasuda
It was snowing, wasn't it? I remember thinking, 'Is there a ball park the world has yet to see here?'

Sakazume
After about five years, it opened safely. When you saw the opening match, Mr. Yasuda, you cried, didn't you?

Yasuda
yes. There was an opening ceremony before the opening game, and at the beginning, the concept movie of Hokkaido Ballpark F Village was played on the LED vision. It was a content that the creators could empathize with so much that they cried, ``Ah, it's finally finished.'' The designer next to me was also crying.

Sakazume
It's emotional, isn't it?

Yasuda
I have loved sports since I was a child. It's been 15 years since I joined the company, but NOMURA Co., Ltd. had never had a solid track record of being involved in stadiums and arenas. So I never thought that I would be involved in stadium work.

Sakazume
I think that Mr. Yasuda's passionate love for sports was put to good use in this work. Look, that annoying baseball-loving character (Uzakyara) was also made into a joke by a client.

Yasuda
About five years ago, at the start, I had a meeting with the employees of the Fighters, and I thought I'd enter the position of <baseball lover/Uza character>. He always talks like ``You won yesterday~'', ``The match the other day was disappointing~'' (laughs)

Sakazume
Every time before the explanation of the project, that talk was promised (laugh), but in the meeting, it was ignored, but in fact, the other party was also amused, and at the drinking party, "Please continue."

Yasuda
The conversation started with the story of me crying and the story of an annoying character, but is it okay (laughs)?

Sakazume
No, it's important to have character in your work.

Yasuda
Thank you smile)

Planners create topics. Designers create spaces.

Sakazume
What started out as just planning the entire outdoor area has expanded considerably.

Yasuda
Really. From around 2021, there will be an increase in the number of tasks that planners and designers will work together, including hot baths. One of the reasons is that the designer has gained solid trust in the premium area (VIP area) that started in 2020, and what can NOMURA Co., Ltd. do? I feel that my work has spread all at once as it has gradually been conveyed to the client.

Sakazume
You could say that planners come in <when you need to create a mechanism that is not just a design>. There are times when it is better to proceed strategically from the upstream of the project, and at such times a planner will come in and proceed as the main engine.

Yasuda
Fighters probably didn't know much about the work of a planner at first, and I think they only had a general image of "design and construction when talking about NOMURA Co., Ltd.". That was when planning for the entire outdoor area began, and gradually people began to understand what a person called a planner could do...

Sakazume
In the meantime, I thought, ``That's okay with Mr. Nomura,'' and ``This is Mr. Nomura, too.'' In the second half, there were many jobs that were nominated, not in competitions.

Yasuda
The role of planners and designers at NOMURA Co., Ltd. in Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. The other day, I thought the words Sakazume-san explained were straightforward and easy to understand...

Sakazume
“Planners create topics. Designers create spaces

Yasuda
That one!

Sakazume
The topic is the software part. We will realize new things that have not yet existed in the world, such as ``You realized that business in this place,'' or ``That tenant is trying something new.'' It's a set in the space, but I think it's easier to understand if I call the content part a <topic>.
Planners create topics; designers create spaces. I was thinking about the work of Hokkaido Ballpark F Village this time with that sorting method

Yasuda
We started with planning and consulting for the outdoor area, but we had an image from the beginning that our goal would be inside the stadium, and we were always waiting for that opportunity.

Sakazume
When I was about the age of Mr. Yasuda now, I was doing planning for Tokyo Skytree Town® (hereafter referred to as Skytree). For the first six years of the Sky Tree, planning moved ahead, and although I was involved in the project for seven and a half years before it opened, Nomura's business continues to expand. From my experience at that time, I had the feeling that ``being ahead (to work) is definitely strong,'' and I think it should be the same at Hokkaido Ballpark F-Village.

Yasuda
NOMURA Co., Ltd., Ltd. can plan and design. I think that recognition did not suddenly spread, but because of the accumulation of steady proposals up to that point.

From outdoor area planning to hot bath facilities.The story behind the development! ?

Sakazume
Shall we talk a little bit more about the areas where the planners were deeply involved?

Yasuda
First, the overall planning of the outdoor area. There was a big concept here, but no detailed conditions were set.
``If you were to create something outdoors, what kind of category and what kind of facility should you create? ’, the theme changed each time.

Sakazume
You started with an abstract theme: ``I want you to create an attraction that attracts people outside the baseball stadium.''
At first, we had a wide range of requests, such as ``I want to create a dramatic effect on the approach from the new station'' and ``What kind of theme should I bring to attract customers to the outdoors?''. Without any preconditions, I asked myself, “What is the business that can be done on this scale?” ] I tried to consider from the part. So, after thoroughly researching other cases, we created materials as a team and discussed things like, ``This case attracts tens of thousands of people,'' and ``This theme fits.''

Yasuda
Planning isn't just coming up with ideas, it's important to work out whether or not they can be realized. It's going to be a back story, but a little bit of a dead idea. About 150 meters from the stadium, we jumped over a stream through a zipline towards the place where KUBOTA AGRI FRONT is now (laughs). There was also talk of a balloon observatory on a mini Ferris wheel.

Sakazume
Hearing from the business to see if the plan can be realized. If I get a reply like, ``For example, the balloon observatory seems to be difficult because the influence of the weather is too great,'' I will return it to the other party. It took about two years for me to ask for advice and get back to him. Even after deciding to build a pond, I wondered if the pond would be large enough to have an ice skating rink in the winter.

Yasuda
Like Moses' Ten Commandments, let's pass under the pond and let people cross.

Yasuda
Next, let's talk about the hot bath that Mr. Sakazume was involved in.

tower eleven onsen & sauna

Sakazume
Fighters had the idea to dig a hot spring and create a bathing facility. However, I thought that it would be quite difficult as a tenant business because the area is small. How do you turn that weakness into a strength? I was delusional and thought about how to have a hot bath here.

Yasuda
At first it was a footbath, wasn't it?

Sakazume
The reason why I chose the footbath is because the men's and women's baths have to be made separately, so you need twice as many baths. So I proposed a footbath that does not require changing clothes.

Yasuda
Then you only need one bathtub, so you can clear the narrow condition.

Sakazume
How many showers should there be, what kind of baths should be used, how many people will stay for how long and how they will enjoy themselves... After repeated simulations, I hypothesized that a maximum of 120 people could be accommodated. After zoning and hitting repeatedly, the current shape was created.

Yasuda
And then, Fighters called out Mr. Dai Matsuo of Pro Sauna, also known as Totoe Oyakata, and asked him to join us as a producer.

Sakazume
He is the instigator who created the current sauna boom. Thanks to you, I teamed up with my boss, solved various problems together, and things went smoothly. The hot bath facility seems to have received a lot of attention even before it opened, so it's a bit of a relief.

A museum that does not use baseball as its theme.A hands-on facility where you can learn about agriculture.

Sakazume
The tower eleven museum where Mr. Yasuda entered as a planner. Unique, isn't it? It's a museum inside a baseball stadium, but it's not baseball-themed.

Yasuda
Fighters has the idea that they don't want Hokkaido Ballpark F Village to be a place where only baseball fans come. “Eating, playing, staying overnight, I came here looking for that kind of experience, and it just so happened that baseball was also played. I want to do it like that.' So, I was told that the museum to be built there would be a little more educational, and that ``I'd like to make it a place where people can learn about the world rather than touch baseball.''

Sakazume
I'm not interested in baseball, but I want to go to Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. I want to make it a place like that, so it's not a baseball museum.

tower eleven museum

Yasuda
that's right. The concept of this museum is "HOKKAIDO FUTURE PAVILION". The theme is to think about the future of the world and our lives from Hokkaido through bodily sensations and experiences. The opening exhibition is "WHAT IS LIFE - What is Life?". Through art, theater, exhibitions, and interactive content, this is a new type of museum where you can intuitively experience the mysteries of the forms created by nature and the civilizations built by people.

Sakazume
I've been asking a lot of people in Sapporo about Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. When I do that, people who aren't interested in baseball tell me, ``I saw it on the news, it looks like a fun place, so I want to go.''
This is exactly what the ballpark creation team is aiming for! I'm so happy. "Together with fans and local people, it leads to regional revitalization and contribution to society", because that is important.

Yasuda
KUBOTA AGRI FRONT, which was designed by Kubota Corporation, is also deeply involved with the planners.

KUBOTA AGRI FRONT

Sakazume
This place was originally planned to be a facility related to agriculture. At the beginning of the development, it was a difficult area where it was difficult to decide on a business operator. Then, Fighters approached Kubota Co., Ltd., and the story unfolded dynamically, making it the "most memorable project" for the team.

Yasuda
It seems that Kubota Corporation has been talking about growing crops in a glass house and making it a corporate facility that communicates their business. Based on the keyword, "a place for making friends who are oriented toward the future of food and agriculture," let's make it a facility for children's agricultural learning! So you agreed and proceeded with the project, right?

Sakazume
Kubota Corporation, as a business operator, has a desire to "tell elementary and junior high school students about the issues of agriculture in Japan and let them know the importance of agriculture." That's why, by playing a simulation game where you can learn about how many people are involved in agriculture and food, and experience it, it became a facility where you can feel the spread of food. I am the coordinator of the cafe's business development and overall coordination. In a sense, I am participating as a producer (laughs). Currently, only the cafe is open, and the grand opening is scheduled for June 30th.

Hokkaido Ballpark F Village continues to evolve.
I would like to continue to be involved in creating new topics.

Yasuda
I always felt that this facility was creating <how to spend time>. There are no other baseball stadiums in Japan that have museums and agricultural learning facilities. The gathering of various pieces will make F Village stronger. But of course, I want all the fans who love Fighters to be happy. So, is it okay if I talk about baseball and art, which I was involved in as a planner?

Sakazume
You worked with graphic designer Maaya Kinoshita to create the baseball art that will be displayed in the premium area (VIP area) with designers from NOMURA Co., Ltd..

Premium area (VIP area) baseball art and Kinoshita Maaya

Yasuda
yes. There are two types of baseball art that I have been involved in. The first is a huge wall art about 5m high in the docomo CLUB LOUNGE. The second is a graphic designer, Mr. Kinoshita, who has drawn 9 Fighters fighters as painting art, and it is displayed in the hallway of BALCONY SUITE.
I worked with NOMURA Co., Ltd. 's designers to select from a huge amount of photographic materials while thinking about what kind of angle and what kind of scene should be drawn, and conveyed them to Mr. Kinoshita.

Sakazume
For the docomo CLUB LOUNGE, in 2006, the Fighters became the best in Japan for the first time in Hokkaido. Let's go back to the story of the <baseball-loving/Uza-character> at the beginning. Let's have Yasuda-kun supervise it." If you face your work with passion, you will surely be connected.

Yasuda
I was really happy when I received the story of baseball art. In addition, we were able to have new goal by having been engaged in ball park development this time. I want to create a world where watching sports is not just for people who love sports, but is a part of everyone's lives. That is my dream and goal.

Sakazume
Overseas, there is a culture of going to baseball stadiums on a daily basis, even if you aren't a fan.

Yasuda
For people who like sports, I would like to create a space where they can immerse themselves in watching sports by devising seating and space mechanisms. Also, for people whose purpose is not to watch sports, we would like to create facilities such as stadiums and arenas on the extension of spending time with family and friends.
If it's me and Sakazume-san, I think we'll be able to come up with all sorts of tricks, not just design, but also creating topics.

Sakazume
There are many things that I have cultivated at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village.

Yasuda
So if anyone wants to create an interesting sports entertainment facility, please contact Mr. Sakazume or Mr. Yasuda!

Sakazume
Please choose for me. Hokkaido Ballpark F-Village has reached a certain milestone since its opening, but of course I don't think this is the end. I think it will continue to evolve in the future. If you can talk to us, we may be able to help create new topics as planners...

Yasuda
It was a hurried explanation, but this conversation is positioned as a prologue of what kind of work NOMURA Co., Ltd. planners did at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, so let's wrap it up here.

Sakazume
For a deeper and more detailed story, not only us, but also the planners involved will publish articles on nomlog in the future, so please look forward to that as well!

Yasuda
A new ball park that can only be found here in the world, incorporating a unique Japanese perspective. That is Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. We can confidently say it's the best ballpark in the world.
I hope many people will come and visit!

 

Kenichi Sakazume | Planning Director, NOMURA Co., Ltd.

Joined the company in 1991. Large complex facility, parking area, Shinto shrine activation, hot bath facilities, observatory
It has a wide range of defense and achievements such as zoos and campgrounds. Main facilities include Tokyo Skytree Town®, Kanda Myojin Cultural Exchange Center, Tohoku Expressway Hanyu Parking Area Onihei Edodokoro, etc.
In recent years, a wider range of facilities such as regional revitalization, roadside stations, theme parks, and agricultural facilities
is producing. From product development, business development, business development to urban development, we are creating the future with the theme of "attracting customers" from a total perspective.

nomlog article｜Ginger ale at the shrine! How to make a buzz hit product

 

Tetsuro Yasuda ｜Chief Planner, NOMURA Co., Ltd.
Creative Headquarters Planning Center Planning Department 2 Room Chief

Joined in 2009. Engaged in many commercial facilities and facilities that attract customers, and engaged in a wide range of activities from facility marketing to merchandising planning. In recent years, he has been involved in the creation of sports entertainment facilities such as ball parks and arenas, and is striving every day to create new sports entertainment spaces in Japan.

nomlog article｜Possibilities and Future of Sports Entertainment Space (Part 1)(Part 2)

 

Planning and Editing: Hiroko Okazaki (nomlog Editorial Department)

Photography: Ai Ichikawa (nomlog Editorial Department) Text: Shoko Minamoto