Four Research Teams

Multi-technology Information Connection Team

Kyushu University: Yukihiro Shimatani, Hironori Hayashi, Fumiko Taura,

Fukuoka Institute of Technology: Toshiyuki Moriyama, Fukuoka University: Hamada Teruki

Kumamoto University: Tomoko Minagawa

Proposal of new water management systems: The team created a water circulation model that included underground water predicted to have storage and infiltration benefits within watersheds, and proposed rainwater storage and infiltration configurations that would be comprehensively beneficial for flood control, water utilization, the environment, and crisis management.
Development of elemental technologies: The team considered storage and infiltration methods that were inexpensive and attractive for the respective land usage purposes of private homes, new housing complexes, existing housing complexes, condominiums, nursery schools, schools, parks, roads, public facilities, private stores, shopping centers, retention ponds, and soil. It implemented them and quantitatively measured their flood control, water utilization, and environmental benefits.
Rainfall society visualization using IT: The team used ICT (Internet Communication Technology)/IoT (Internet of Things) technologies to clearly convey to the residents of watersheds how much money had been accumulated in their watersheds, how much water flowed through their watersheds when it rained, how much rain was falling in their watersheds, and where that rain was falling.
Evaluation of rainfall society ecosystem services:The team collected basic information such as biological information and cost information, installed Leucopsarion petersii spawning beds, and created tentative plans for performing economic evaluations of ecosystem services.

Multi-sector Space Connection Team

Kyushu Sangyo University: Sampei Yamashita, Keiichiro Hidaka

TLA,ltd.: Tomoki Takebayashi

Creation of spaces for coordination within watersheds: The team increased awareness of the "rainwater society" concept among stakeholders such as residents of communities, local municipal councils, members of the general public, government offices, private organizations, and the media. The team's goal was to create and sustain a space for bringing together these diverse stakeholders and promote coordination within the Hii River watershed.
Cultivation of the personnel and coordinators that will help realize the rainwater society: Lectures
System recommendations: Witnessing of the creation of systems related to planting agreements, building agreements, etc., and system recommendations
Extension of the rainwater society concept to Zenpukuji River: Interchange with stakeholders of Tokyo's Zenpukuji River.

Multi-Story Connection Team

University of Tokyo: Mayumi Fukunaga, Reiko Iwasa

Kyushu University: Azusa Kikuchi, Akito Yasuda

The team overlapped the activities of the above three teams with the spatial histories of watersheds based on the results of discovery of regional cultural resources and social studies to create stories that could be shared by many people. These served as the core that conveyed the current ideas and attitudes of areas with other teams and aligned the directions taken by individual groups. They stimulated the multi-technology team, which was susceptible to becoming excessively rigid from a technical vantage. The team created a Hii River watershed story, created a local wisdom network map, and evaluated intergenerational co-creation systems.

Fukuoka University: Ryoichi Watanabe, Hiroki Iyooka, Teruki Hamada

Tokyo Gakugei University: Tomoyasu Yoshitomi

Fukuoka Association of Architects & Building Engineers: Kumiko Kakudo, Yoko Kimura

Tea parties: The team held tea parties for members of various generations to discuss rainwater and watersheds. Participants shared connections in both time and space, in a three-dimensional framework, through their casual, ordinary interaction.
Rainwater center: A (temporary) rainwater material center was established, exhibiting rainwater-related materials and water storage items in upstream, midstream, and downstream areas.
Seedling development: Rainwater was used to raise seedlings and create rain gardens to increase the amount of local vegetation.
Headwater monuments. Headwater monuments were set up by using wheelbarrows and other equipment to carry the monuments from downstream to upstream.
Guideposts: A model course was set up alongside the Hiikawa River to provide people with information about its watershed. The guideposts were installed together with local children.
Environmental education (100 sessions): Rainwater-related materials were loaded into a mobile workshop truck and used to carry out over 100 environment education workshops over the course of three years 2016-2019. These workshops were held at rainwater centers, nursery schools, schools, community centers, and other sites.

LABS FOR RAINWATER SOCIETY