Connecting Osaka and Okinawa friendship cities through food education, SDGs and cultural exchange! Hirakata City "Kasuga Higashino Kindergarten" x Nago City "Nago Pineapple Park Started exchange program

Kasuga Higashino Kindergarten (Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture; Director: Shigeo Tanino) and Nago Pineapple Park operator Nago Pineapple Garden Inc. (Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture; President: Kiyotaka Asato) will begin ongoing exchange programs through industry-academia collaboration based on food education, SDGs and cultural exchange. We will develop this project to expand multifaceted exchange and co-creation between Hirakata City and Nago City, two friendship cities in Japan.

Nago Pineapple Park

Kasuga Higashino Kindergarten

■First exchange meeting

Friday, February 7, 2025, from 10:30 a.m.

Both kindergartens will be connected online and children will learn various things related to pineapples.

The plan is to continue learning about SDGs (issues related to coral conservation in Okinawa) and cultural differences between Osaka and Okinawa, which have different climates, while the preschool children watch the growth process of the planted pineapples via online, and eventually visit the site to experience harvesting and cultural exchange.

Future Prospects

With Hirakata and Nago as friendship cities, we are looking for companies and organizations that are interested in participating in the exchange of people, goods, and culture between Osaka and Okinawa.

Kindergartens, nursery schools, and certified childcare centers that wish to participate in the exchange program

Companies willing to cooperate with the transportation and accommodation of preschool children during their trip to Okinawa.

Companies and organizations that are willing to participate in product development and collaboration projects using Okinawa and Osaka specialties, etc.

Toward "Hirakata City and Nago City Chosen by the Child-Raising Generation

A bustling city where people gather is the most important asset for local governments, companies, and educational institutions.

By learning about other regions through cultural exchange, along with mutual understanding, children will reflect on their birthplace and deepen their understanding of their hometown. By having industry and academia collaborate on projects, we aim to nurture a spirit of familiarity with local businesses and hometowns, to pass on culture, and to develop human resources for the children who will lead the future.

■Company Profile

Nago Pineapple Farm Co.

Location: 1195 Tamemata, Nago City, Okinawa 905-0005, Japan

Representative: Kiyotaka Asato, President and Representative Director

Establishment: 1979 (Showa 54)

Business description: Sightseeing theme park business, souvenir sales business, mail order sales business, food and beverage production and processing business, food service business

　　　　　 Food and beverage manufacturing and processing business, restaurant business, pineapple farming and landscaping business

URL ： https://www.nagopine.com/

■Facility Overview

Kasuga Higashino Kindergarten of Tanino Gakuen Educational Corporation

Location: 4-20-1 Kasuga-kitamachi, Hirakata City, Osaka, 573-0137, Japan

Representative: Shigeo Tanino, Director

Establishment: February 1974

URL: http://kasugahigashino.net/