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Home > About Academyhills > History > 1996-2000
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February 16 - Special Seminar- The Birth of Internet City "Digital Harajuku" Seminar using the dedicated 45Mbps Internet infrastructure in LaForet Harajuku introduced the Digital Harajuku Project, which was to turn Harajuku into a stage for the new Internet culture. Moderator: Yoshio Tsukio; Panel: Jyoichi Ito (President, Digital Garage, Inc.), Akiko Shiina (entertainer), and Jun Murai. May 20 - Academyhills Opened With a move from the fourth basement floor to the 36th floor, "Academyhills," an educational facility for the new age, was created. Centered around ARK Toshijuku; partners include Keio University and the University of California at Berkeley. Its goal is to become a "University without Walls". - ARK Toshijuku Started Its 16th Session The Management Design School opened, offering a full curriculum designed to train business leaders for activities in the international business world. Instructors include: Junjiro Takahashi, Yasumitsu Nihei (Professor, Keio University Institute for Economic and Industry Studies), Teruo Inoue (Director, Keio Foreign Language School), Mitsuaki Shimaguchi (Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University) and Kenichiro Senoh (Assistant Professor, Sanno University School of Information Management). Global Communications Course and Management Innovation Course, instructed by Kenichiro Senoh. The Digital Bauhaus School offered new courses in website development, and an introduction to utilizing the Internet. August - Academyhills Connected to the Internet With the commencement of MII service, Academy hills received its first Internet connection-the same dedicated 1.5Mbps Internet service that Mori Building supplies to its tenants. October 17   - Academyhills Opening PartyPanel discussion on "A Fusion of Culture, Education and Industry: Toward the City Centers of the 21st Century," was coordinated by Takemochi Ishii. Panelists: Shuji Takashina (Director, National Museum of Western Art), Glen S.Fukushima (President, The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan), and Richard Bender. November - Distance Learning: Cyber-University Session ran until May 1997. |
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February - Second Multimedia Research Conference (Cyber 66 Hills Research Association) Inaugural Meeting February 13  - Tadao Ando and William Curtis LectureTheme: "Between the Centuries: The Present and Future of Architecture and Community Planning" March - Dean Galucci and Executive Dean Goodman of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service Visited Japan April - Oxford University Vice-Chancellor Peter North Visited Japan June - Mori Building's Digital Design Competition Call for Entries began June 7 - International Design Conference in Aspen Participants from Japan included Shunji Iwai (film director), Youki Kudoh (actress), Masayoshi Son (President, Softbank Corporation), and Susumu Furukawa (Vice President of Consumer Strategy for Japan, Microsoft Corporation). Fall - Taisho University Started Its Lectures at Academyhills |
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March 30 - "Committee for the Beautification of Tokyo" EstablishedYoshio Tsukio chaired the thirteen-member committee, which included Yasushi Aoyama (Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Policy Information Office) and Glen S. Fukushima, and was charged with the mandate to create scenarios for improving Tokyo's attractiveness for the 21st century. On October 28th of the same year, "A Report on Improving Tokyo's Attractiveness, "was issued, with which the committee activities were concluded. May 12  - Video Journalist School Started Its First SessionAkira Ikari (Television Journalist, Asahi New Star) is welcomed as the lecturer. September 7  - First "Oxford University Academy Salon"Averil Cameron (Principal, Keble College, Oxford University) speaks on "The Collapse of the Roman Empire." October 26 - ARK Toshijuku Started Its 21st Session New courses: Project Proposals, directed by Takahide Suzuki (President, UG Toshi Kenchiku Ltd.), Takayuki Imai (Director, Atelier Urban Design, Inc.), Koichi Sone(Professor, Shibaura Institute of Technology),Tokihiko Takatani (Principal, Tokihiko Takatani & Associates), Toshiki Kato (President, Kato & Associates), Junji Shirai (President, Terranova International) and Tadasu Ohe (President, Plantec Architects); Innovation Business Strategy, instructed by Seiichiro Yonekura; and Real Estate Securitization, instructed by Kazuo Sato (Director, Council for Real Estate Syndication). A 1/1000-scale model of Minato Ward was built, and permanently installed at ARK Academyhills' Digital Bauhaus. November 12 - Course Established on City Design; Commemorative Lecture Held Guest lecturer Richard Bender spoke on "Cultural Communication and Urban Attractiveness," to commemorate the establishment of the course, which was jointly taught with the University of California at Berkeley. |
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March 3 - Urgent Report Academyhills / ARK Toshijuku Public Symposium: "Concluding the Discussion on Economic Strategy"Lectures by Heizo Takenaka on "Prospects for the 21st Century" and "Economic Policy for the 21st Century (Concluding the Discussion on Economic Strategy), " Junjiro Takahashi on "Prospects for Japanese Society, "Minoru Mori on "Images of the City of the Future" and "City Policy for the 21st Century (Concluding the Discussion on Economic Strategy)," and Shigeru Itoh on "Images of the Future of City Planning," with discussionon "Concluding the Discussion on Economic Strategy" among the four speakers. April 20  - Ceremony to Commemorate the Establishment
of "Waseda ARK College"Attended by special guest lecturer Richard Koo (Senior Economist, Nomura Research Institute / Visiting Professor, Waseda Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies), Takayasu Okushima (President and Chairman of the Executive Board, Waseda University), Keizo Obuchi (Prime Minister of Japan), and Yoshiro Mori (Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party). April 21 - ARK Toshijuku Started Its 22nd Session Real Estate Appraisal course, conducted with the cooperation of Kinya Murotsu (Deputy Manager, Appraisal Research Division, Mori Building Co., Ltd.), was added to the curriculum as a supplement to the Real Estate Business and Real Estate Securitization courses. April 22  - "Urban Greenery Research Association" Inaugural SessionEstablished to conceive policies that will plan for and realize cities "as they should be." Members included: Shinji Fukukawa (CEO, Dentsu Institute for Human Studies), Yasuhisa Shiozaki (Member, House of Representatives, National Diet of Japan), and Yasushi Aoyama (Vice-Governor of Tokyo Municipal Government). The group completed its activities on May 5, 2001. May 24 - Lecture by Peter Droege The Coordinator of the Urban Design Program at the University of Sydney spoke on "The Future of the Waterfront: Case Studies of Sydney and Melbourne." July 2-3  - Aspen International Design Conference in JapanHeld at Academyhills and Karajan Plaza in ARK Hills. Seiichiro Yonekura served as committee head, and Mori Building's Yoshimitsu Isoi and Toshio Yabe participated as panelists. July 21  - Opening Ceremony for "ARK Academyhills 'Digital Bauhaus'"With the move of the Environment Simulation Laboratory from the fourth basement floor of ARK Mori Building to the second floor of Roppongi 25 Building, the remodeled "ARK Academyhills 'Digital Bauhaus'" held a Grand Re-Opening. 1/1000-scale models of Tokyo's Minato Ward and Manhattan went on permanent display. December 6 - The Fifth "Urban Greenery Research Association "Meeting and the Fourth" Oxford University Academy Salon" held as Special Joint Session Gordon Clark, Oxford University's Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, gave a special lecture on "England as a Nation of Garden Cities." |
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January 25 - Academyhills Public Seminar "Introducing PFI (Private Finance Initiative)-A Reversal of Government and Popular Thought"Speakers: Hirotaka Yamauchi (Professor,Hitotsubashi Graduate School of Commerce), Kiyoharu Mori (Deputy Director General, Project Finance Department, Development Bank of Japan), Kunihiko Oshima (General Manager, Kumagai Gumi Co. PFI Project Promotion Group), and Tadasu Ohe. January 28 - ARK-Network Association Toured "Venus Fort" Dean of ARK Toshijuku Shigeru Itoh leads a group of teachers and alumni on a tour of Venus Fort, Mori Building's "theme park for women." February 24  - First "Academyhills / Georgetown University Mori Special Lecture"Discussion on the theme of "The Japanese-American Role in the Global Age: A Fusion of Politics and Economy" conducted via videoconference link between Academyhills and Georgetown University. On the Japanese side, participants included Heizo Takenaka, Jiro Tamura (Professor, Keio University), Motoshige Itoh, Yoshimasa Hayashi (Member, House of Councillors, National Diet of Japan) and Shinji Fukukawa; on the American side, Edward Lincoln (Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institution) and Mark Mason (Research Professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service). April 19 - ARK Toshijuku Started Its 24th Session New courses include Private Finance Initiative Research, instructed by Hirotaka Yamauchi, Tadasu Ohe and Kunihiko Oshima (Group Head, Kumagai Gumi Co. PFI Project Department); Venture Business, instructed by Seiichiro Yonekura; and E-Business Research, instructed by Jiro Kokuryo (Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University) and Hisano Ueda (President and CEO, Que Corporation / Media Producer). "Fashion Creators School" opened. School training fashion proffesionals conducted through September under the instruction of Chie Koike. October 25 - ARK Toshijuku Started Its 25th Session New courses: Property Management, instructed by Naoaki Shinoda (Director, Space G Net Consulting); Real Estate Investment, instructed by Kinya Murotsu and Hiroyuki Isobe (President, Hiro & Associates Inc.); E-Marketing, instructed by Jiro Kokuryo and Hisano Ueda; and Web Masters, instructed by Hisano Ueda and Tetsuro Tsuneyoshi (Director, Que Corporation / Media Producer). November 24 - CMnet Corporation Established Administered jointly by Softbank EC Holdings Corporation (formerly Softbank E-Commerce) and Mori Building Co., Ltd. December 8 - Harajuku BOX Launched A portal site for the Harajuku area accessible by mobile phone users, produced in conjunction with NEC. |
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