Explore global business opportunities, learn how design drives corporate value, and connect with innovators shaping Fukuoka’s future. This week’s Thursday Gathering brings together exporters, SMEs, designers, and creative professionals for an evening of learning and collaboration.
Date and Time: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, 16:00 to 20:00
Location: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6F SKYLOBBY
Admission: Free (registration required)
Registration & details are here
Event Highlights (In-person only)
15:55 – 20:00
Networking
Every Thursday Gathering includes dedicated networking time, with up to three complimentary drinks (beer or soft drinks). Meet speakers, founders, and fellow participants in a relaxed environment designed to inspire collaboration and fresh ideas.
More info : In English and Japanese
16:00 – 16:50
ONE BLDG. COFFEE LAB – Kickoff
Explore a new way of seeing the everyday. Food surrounds us so naturally that we rarely pause to consider it—where it comes from, and where it ultimately goes.
This project begins with a challenge: to spark a new cycle of circularity using coffee grounds—materials once destined for disposal—reimagined through the power of kids × art × coffee. In this special session, we will unveil for the first time the experimental initiative launched inside the ONE FUKUOKA BLDG.: “ONE BLDG. COFFEE LAB.” From sourcing and brewing coffee to the discarded grounds it leaves behind—how can these materials transform into art, and eventually, into urban development? As we showcase how children “hack” the building through coffee grounds × art, we will dive into essential questions:
• Why do cities need circular systems now more than ever?
• What can children’s free and unbounded creativity bring to adult society?
Developers shaping the future of Fukuoka, professionals from the coffee industry, leaders in children’s art education, and the university student who initiated this project will come together to explore how food × art × children can become a force that cultivates the city itself. This 50-minute session is filled with hands-on insights and real-world experimentation you can experience only here. The next circle that enriches Fukuoka can be more honest, more pure.
Let’s make city-making freer—and far more exciting. ONE BLDG. COFFEE LAB -WA-
More info : In English and Japanese
17:00 – 17:15
How to Enjoy Thursday Gathering
A short, interactive introduction to the mission of Thursday Gathering—its community, goals, and how to make the most of your experience. Recommended for first-time attendees.
More info : In English & Japanese
17:30 – 19:20
Fukuoka Takeoff 2025 – Matching Seminar with Export Support Providers
Fukuoka Prefecture hosts this special seminar connecting local SMEs interested in overseas expansion with export support organizations. Part 1 features a talk session on overcoming common hurdles such as trade operations, marketing, and building overseas sales channels, with practical tools including trade-support systems, buyer matching platforms, and cross-border e-commerce strategies. Real-world examples, including a traditional tea shop’s overseas branding approach, highlight actionable insights.
Part 2 is an in-person networking session where companies, support agencies, and regional trading firms can exchange information and explore global business opportunities.
More info : In Japanese
18:30 – 19:20
When Design Meets Business – New Value Through Co-Creation (Design Pitch)
Design is increasingly recognized not just as aesthetics but as a strategic resource. In this pitch session, Fukuoka-based designers share collaboration cases with local companies, demonstrating how design reveals a company’s strengths, supports branding, and drives business growth. Facilitator Michio Kajiwara and designers Wataru Sakamoto, Daisuke Miyanaga, and TOMOCO present examples showing how design elevates corporate value and creates lasting impact.
More info : In Japanese
Organized by: Venture Café Fukuoka
Languages: Japanese and/or English (varies by session)
All sessions are in-person only. Pre-registration required via the event website.