Lab party & Farewell party
As the first semester was over and the Bon Festival was just around the corner, we held a party to celebrate Mr. Azarel’s (M2) graduation from the Master’s Program and a farewell party for Ms. Iokura (M1) before her study abroad at the campus. Mr. Ishii, an alumnus of our lab, also came to the party!
Mr. Azarel will continue his doctoral course in our laboratory, and Ms. Iokura will study abroad at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden (Kungliga Tekniska högskolan) for 10 months from the middle of August. We will miss you, but good luck with your research there!
Lab OB Party
[2018/07/21]
We held a reunion mainly for students who belonged to our laboratory from 2009 to 2014. Many alumni/alumnae attended the party and had a nostalgic time. It was a pleasure to hear their successes and experiences. We are looking forward to hearing more happy experiences when we hold the next meeting!
(Kaneko)
Symposium “Attractiveness of Railroads and Railroad Routes in Tokyo Area – Challenges and Future Prospects”
[2018/07/20]
We participated in the symposium, “Attractiveness of Railroads and Railroad Routes in the Tokyo Area – Challenges and Future Prospects”, held by the Transportation Research Institute (TRI).
The symposium included a lecture on the issue of declined population in the Tokyo area, introductions of initiatives by six railroad companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and a panel discussion with experts on these initiatives. The population of the Tokyo metropolitan area is expected to continue to increase at least until 2045, and the forecast has been updated to show that the problem of population decline is not expected to arrive anytime soon. I felt that the railroad companies should focus on something else (strengthening connections with other mobility?) rather than developing new businesses to prepare for the decline in population. A rescue center in the city in the event of a disaster, etc.).
I also thought it would be interesting to see what Mr. Hiroshi Naito (architect and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo) would like to do with the “What do railroad operators want to do? I was impressed by Mr. Shuyo Ishikawa’s comment, “Stations are places that convey core contents, so I would like them to think more about how to build stations, without taking advantage of their potential. (Hirabayashi)
Transportation and Traffic Management for Tokyo 2020 Games
[2018/07/19]
We participated in the 141st City Planning Roundtable “Transportation and Traffic Management for Tokyo 2020 Games”. The lecture was given by Mr. Masayuki Kanda, who is also a part-time lecturer at our college.
I was interested in TDM (Transportation Demand Management) and TSM (Transportation System Management), because I had been studying MFD, a theory to understand urban traffic conditions on a macro scale, but I was disappointed that I could not hear what specific measures would be taken. It seems that the goal of road traffic management is to reduce traffic by 15% on weekdays. I am looking forward to seeing how it will be realized. (Hirabayashi)
Mr. Azarel’s master’s thesis presentation
[2018/07/18]
Mr. Azarel’s Master’s thesis presentation has ended successfully. Thank you for your hard work!
Tourism Research and AI Seminar @ Kamakura
[2018/07/06 ~ 07/08]
Following Nikko, we conducted a tourism flow survey in Kamakura. In addition, an AI seminar (machine learning seminar) was held in conjunction with the survey.
Mr. Azarel completed the submission of his master’s thesis
[2018/07/04]
Mr. Azarel, an international student who entered in the fall, has completed his master’s thesis. Thank you for your hard work! Details will be posted soon.
Seminar on Tourism Research and Spatial Economics @ Nikko
[2018/06/22 ~ 06/24]
We spent two nights and three days off campus in Nikko until yesterday. On Saturday, we had a seminar on spatial economics, while on Sunday, we conducted a tourism flow survey with several guests.
- Spatial Economics Seminar
The seminar was held with a number of members in charge of the book “Spatial Economics” by Masahisa Fujita and others (Toyo Keizai Inc., 2000) to increase knowledge and broaden perspectives, and to provide a starting point for future research by the new members. Chapters 1 to 13 were taught by (titles omitted) Mr. Kita (B4), Mr. Muro (M1), Mr. Shiroma (M1), Ms. Iokura (M2), and Ms. Hirabayashi (M2). The work consisted of a repetitive process of analytically constructing a model of how a city is formed and how it develops and declines, and then looking at the results of simulations. I feel that the seminar was a fulfilling experience for all the members, who not only understood the scope of their own work, but also read the previous and following sections, and held discussions with the other members in charge of the previous and following sections.
– Tourism Flow Survey
Using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which are commonly used in smartphones and car navigation systems, we conducted a survey of tourist flow in the Nikko area. Large-scale road congestion is occurring around Toshogu Shrine, and its improvement is urgently needed. As part of the countermeasures, a detailed understanding of traffic congestion is indispensable, and this survey was conducted for this purpose. In addition to the Toshogu area, measurements were also taken at nearby railroad stations, bus stops, and the Chuzenji Lake area to understand the flow of tourists.
Fukuda Laboratory’s Wi-Fi-based tourist flow survey has long been conducted in cooperation with Mr. Suga of the Institute for the Future of Regional Economy, who provided tremendous support for this survey as well.
The third-year undergraduate students in the civil engineering course have a class called “Colloquium,” and this survey was also part of that class. I participated in the colloquium with Mr. Honma and Mr. Miyazaki, who are third-year undergraduates.
– Happy Birthday, Mr. Suzuki!
Mr. Suzuki (M2) celebrated his birthday. We held a small surprise party for him.
JSCE Spring Conference on Infrastructure Planning and Management (June 9-10, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama Campus) completed!
[2018/06月09 ~ 06/10]
The 57th JSCE Spring Conference on Infrastructure Planning and Management has ended successfully. Thanks to all the presenters, audience, professors who managed the conference, and students who were in charge of the practical management, I feel that we were able to make this conference a good one. As a student of Tokyo Institute of Technology, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you.
As for the presentations, four students from our laboratory participated in the oral presentation division: (M1 students) Ms. Iokura and Mr. Muro, and (M1 student) Ms. Hirabayashi and (D3 student) Mr. Dantuji, in the poster session division. Details will be added later.
| Conferences Lab Life by Students
Doctoral Course Midterm Presentation (Mr. Dantsuji)
[2018/05/30]
Mr. Dantsuji, who enrolled in the fall of the last year and is currently finishing his second year in the PhD program, gave his midterm presentation.
Dr. Asakura, a familiar face, asked, “Is it more common to use macroscopic methods when doing traffic demand management, and why is it more difficult to use microscopic methods?” Why is it so difficult to use a microscopic method?” “You use point que, but wouldn’t physical que be more common?” There were many sharp questions such as “Why is it so difficult to take a microscopic approach? Other professors asked, “Are you using the macroscopic method as one of the existing methods, or are you inventing a new method, or is that method the best method after thinking it through?” and other essential comments were exchanged at a high level.
