Lab for Innovative Infrastructure Systems

We had a launch party in our laboratory after the summer seminar was over!

We also gave Mr. Imaoka (M2), who celebrated his birthday last week, a gift of ‘aojiru’ (green juice)!

[2018/08/25～08/28]

TSU’s annual summer seminar, jointly organized by five TSU laboratories, was held at Sarugakyo Onsen in Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture. This year, we had research presentations mainly by M2 students, lectures by professors, and interactive discussions. From our laboratory, (M2 students) Mr. Hirabayashi, Ms. Kaneko, Mr. Imaoka, Mr. Suzuki, and (M1 student) Ms. Salsabia presented their research. It was a valuable opportunity for us to listen to and discuss presentations by professors and students from other laboratories, and we believe that it provided a good stimulus for our future research activities.

Also this year, Mr. Tanaka, a M2 student of University of the Ryukyus, is staying in Fukuda Laboratory and gave a presentation in the summer seminar.

Furthermore, we had a table tennis match and BBQ as a recreational activity, which was a very meaningful camp.

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!

[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)

[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)

[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)

[2018/07/18]

Mr. Azarel’s Master’s thesis presentation has ended successfully. Thank you for your hard work!

[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.

[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.

[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.