Depending on when you are reading this, good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, everyone.
My name is Lapananrat Pantawat (Ryu), a 3rd year student currently studying abroad in New Zealand who somehow fell in love with startups.
I say “somehow” because if you were to tell me a few years ago that I would voluntarily stand on a stage and pitch my startup in front of countless people, I probably would have called you crazy.

I am an introvert. Just the thought of standing in front of countless faces makes me nervous, and even today, that feeling never truly goes away.
So, how did I end up doing startups?
To answer that, we have to go back to before I came to ICT.

Before ICT, I had never considered pursuing a career in startups, nor did I have the slightest idea what startups were about. Like many other high school students, I was much more interested in video games and spending time in bed.
That changed after I came to ICT.

Through engineering projects, business programs, competitions, and the support of my teachers and mentors, I gradually discovered something I had never expected. I genuinely enjoyed solving problems and turning strange ideas into something that could potentially help people and, more or less, make me rich. I simply couldn’t get startups out of my head, and honestly, I love it.

Over time, I discovered three principles that continue to guide me today.

The first is simple:

Every idea is an opportunity.

I learned that a good idea does not always appear at the right time. You could be eating, showering, studying, or even sleeping when it comes to your mind. (Mine mostly comes when I’m trying to sleep.) Most of my ideas don’t quite seem like good ideas at first. As a matter of fact, most of them are completely ridiculous. But never once have I dismissed them immediately. Instead, I started asking myself, “What if?”
That question eventually led me to participate in startup competitions and, eventually, to the Kosen Summit.
Before attending the Summit, I only had a handful of pitching experiences, probably two or three at most. Every pitch I gave taught me something different, but they all had one thing in common: they forced me outside my comfort zone.
And then came the Kosen Startup Summit.

The moment I reached the venue, I told myself, “I finally did it.” After spending half a year working on this project, I felt that all the time and effort I had put into it had been worth it, especially since almost everything I experienced there was new to me.

On the first day of the competition, every participant had the opportunity to hang their posters and present their ideas to whoever visited their booth. That evening, there was also a networking event where participants were encouraged to get to know each other and introduce themselves to their competitors. I was really lucky to meet so many people who shared the same passion as me. However, due to my limited Japanese skills, I wasn’t really able to converse with anyone.

The second day was when the real deal took place. This was the day I pitched an idea called Playground. The team scheduled to present before me suddenly ran into a technical issue, forcing me to present ahead of them. It might have sounded like a small change, but it completely caught me off guard. I was thrown out of rhythm, and for the next three minutes, I found myself stumbling over my words.
It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
Honestly, I was disappointed and devastated. I had spent countless hours preparing for this competition. I had met so many new people who shared the same passion as me at the networking event. Yet, everything crumbled on stage. But I never stopped there.

And that leads me to my second principle:

Embrace failure.

I have failed countless times in my life. I have failed exams, struggled to make friends, and even failed to deliver a good pitch.
But one of the biggest lessons I have learned through startups is that failure itself is not necessarily the problem.
The problem is failing to learn from it.
I have always reminded myself that failure is acceptable as long as I learn from it and refuse to make the same mistake twice.
Every time something went wrong, I had a choice. I could either let the experience discourage me, or I could use it to improve. I chose the latter.

That mindset changed the way I approached competitions. Sure, I was still aiming for first prize or a place on the podium, but the other thing I never left out of sight was the experience I could learn from.

My third principle is perhaps the simplest:

Always ask for feedback.

No matter how well you think you have done, there is always something you can improve.
Some of the most valuable lessons I have received did not come from winning competitions. They came from people who watched my presentations, pointed out my weaknesses, challenged my assumptions, and bluntly told me what I could have done better.
At first, hearing criticism can be difficult.
It’s like poking a hot needle into the most sensitive part of your ego.
But without criticism, you wouldn’t know what your weaknesses are or what you need to improve. You would continue living under the illusion that your idea was the best and carry that false confidence onto the stage.
Looking back at how I ended up here, I realize that I did not suddenly become a confident extrovert.
I am still an introvert at heart.
I still get nervous before presentations. I still have moments where I question whether my ideas are good enough. And I still have a lot to learn about entrepreneurship.
But I have become much more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

ICT gave me an environment where having crazy but still healthy ideas was encouraged rather than immediately criticized. My teachers and mentors gave me opportunities to experiment. Competitions gave me opportunities to fail. And events like the Kosen Summit gave me opportunities to meet people who share the same passion.
For that, I am incredibly grateful.

I don’t know exactly what lies beyond this journey of mine. Perhaps some of the ideas I have today will fail. Perhaps some will become something much bigger than I expect.

But I know that I want to keep trying.

I want to keep looking at ordinary problems from a different perspective and asking, “What if there was a better way?” And most importantly, I want to keep putting myself in situations that scare me.

So, for those of you who have read this far, thank you.
And to the students reading this, I hope that this journal can encourage you to try something new and step out of your comfort zone.
You don’t have to be confident. (Neither was I.)
You don’t have to have the perfect idea. (Most of mine weren’t.)
You don’t even have to know exactly what you want to do. (Speaking from experience.)
Just try something.
Fail at it.
Ask for feedback.
And try again.
Because if an introvert like me can somehow end up standing on a stage talking about startups, perhaps you can surprise yourself too.

So, how did an introvert named Ryu end up doing startups?

I think you know the answer.

Lapananrat Pantawat (Ryu)

Hello! My name is Nicole Nabity and I am a new associate lecturer teaching mathematics at ICT. I started working at ICT on September 1st, 2026. I am from Iowa in the USA. I graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree, double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Spanish. In addition, I obtained a teaching license from Purdue University Fort Wayne to teach mathematics at the middle and high school levels. 

I have been living in Hakusan city for the past 3 years while working as the Coordinator for International Relations at Hakusan City Hall, however, this is not my first time living here. The first time I lived in Japan, I came as a Rotary Youth Exchange student and attended a Japanese high school for one year. During the exchange program I lived with several host families, the first of whom was in Hakusan city. 

Since that experience, Hakusan city has held a special place in my heart, and I feel incredibly lucky that I am able to live and work here all these years later. I hope to help the students here succeed in their studies and share insights from my own experiences to support them as they take classes and participate in the international programs offered at ICT.

One activity I look forward to each year is climbing Mt. Hakusan, and I was thrilled to share that experience with students from the school this year. Although it was a challenging hike, we all enjoyed the beautiful views along the way to the summit. I am looking forward to many new experiences and memories here at ICT.

Nicole Nabity

This is Philip Cadzow, the ICT Physical Education teacher with a report of climbing Mt. Hakusan on the 2nd of October with some 1st and 2nd year ICT students from Hakusanroku Campus.

On Friday October 2nd, 2026, at 5:00 a.m., 21 students and 6 teachers crowded onto a bus and slept the hour-long journey until they were deposited at the start point of the hike; Bettodeai station – an altitude of 1,260m.

Mt. Hakusan is known as one of the three holy mountains of Japan along with Mt. Tateyama and Mt. Fuji, and many residents of Ishikawa annually climb Mt. Hakusan to watch the sunrise. Students and faculty from Hakusanroku Campus also attempt to climb Mt. Hakusan each year, but not for the sunrise and usually making the climb up and down in one day. The last two years we have attempted to climb but have had to cancel due to bad weather, which means that the 3rd years who are now in New Zealand were never able to climb Mt. Hakusan, and it was the final chance for the current 2nd year students.

Waking up from the bus ride and ready to start their climb from Bettodeai station to one of Mt. Hakusan’s 3 peaks called Gozengamine – an altitude of 2,702m and an elevation change of roughly 1,500m, were 10 1st year students and 11 2nd year students. These students were the ones who had completed a 5km run the week prior to check for fitness and had a thorough gear check to make sure they were prepared for sudden weather changes. The other students of their year group were going on an easier hike in a different part of the Hakusan Geopark called Sampoiwadake.
The weather was cool with a clear blue sky, and the hike started very well as everyone made it to the first hut 20 minutes faster than planned, but unfortunately at this point one student had to be taken back down the mountain and back to school as they began to feel unwell. We then divided into 2 groups to make passing people on the narrow track easier. Originally, it was thought that they would be named the fast group and the slow group, but as the first group reached the second hut and messaged the slow group to know that they had arrived, the slow group also arrived at the second hut!
There are many different climbing routes up Mt. Hakusan and the most common of these is the Saboshindou path – named as Sabo (prevent erosion) shindou (new route). However, this route was closed off after the second hut and both groups were forced to take a longer route called Echo line – this route is about 2 km longer than Saboshindou but it’s not as steep and goes past the ridgeline that carries onto the next mountain over called Mt. Bessan. The view that day from the Echo line ridge was of a clear blue sky, shining green foliage from what looked to be small alpine bamboo that kept the mountainside gently swaying in the breeze, even in the beginnings of autumn, and a sharp ridgeline across to Mt. Bessan; leading the eye further away and into the distance of the surrounding hills all shaded in blue shadow. 
Mt. Hakusan’s peak was visible from the Echo line ridge and the group made fast progress up to the Murodo (big mountain hut) to have a break for lunch. The wind gusted but didn’t howl, it wasn’t so cold as to numb the hands, but it stripped heat away from the body and after 10 minutes a person’s nose would start to go a little numb. The most important layer of clothes in this environment is anything that can block the wind from stripping away a person’s body heat. After the lunchbreak many of the students could be seen appreciating the seriousness of the constant cold wind and it lent a certain seriousness to the mountain hike. Although some students who were more prepared than others had a better time of it. Kotarou, who prepared well for the trip, was seen taking a nap while others shivered. 
Luckily by the time students had eaten lunch and made it to the Gozengamine peak of Mt. Hakusan, the wind had dropped and it wasn’t so cold. Students smiled and made comments on how beautiful the view was. Other students hid behind a sunny rock and made a very good impression of sleeping. Everyone was made to take a silent minute to appreciate the surrounding view. Honda-san, who took the sick student down the mountain from the first hut and made sure that they were transported safely back to campus by another teacher, managed to catch back up to us and make it to the top just as we started to descend. 
The route hiking down was the same Echo line that we took to climb up, and so it wasn’t as steep as the other years’ route, but it was longer. The ridgeline down blocked the wind, and the afternoon sun was hot. Students had shaking legs from exhaustion and the constant downhill but most of the complaints were from the teachers who hadn’t exercised enough in preparation. 
Making it to the bus didn’t cause as much celebration as it did cries of relief and people sagging to the ground, and once all students had loaded on to the bus, after 5 minutes there was absolute silence. All students had fallen asleep upright, sitting on the bus.
I think this year’s trip up Mt. Hakusan was one of the best we’ve had. While we normally hike the Saboshindou route, I think from this year on we will be taking the Echo line – the view was just as good but without the sharp incline. I just hope that the weather can cooperate with us again next year.

1st year student Ady created a video! 

Philip Cadzow

Hello everyone! My name is Meguru Ito, and I am the advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club, or “Dezafa Club” for short. Today, I would like to share our experience at the recently held 37th National College of Technology Programming Contest in Kagawa (Takamatsu).

Commonly known as the KOSEN Programming Contest, this is an official competition where KOSEN students from across Japan compete using their ideas and skills in information and communication technology. Along with competitions such as the KOSEN Robot Contest, it is one of the largest and longest-running competitions for KOSEN students. The competition consists of three categories. The Competition Category is a team-based programming competition in which students compete according to a given set of rules or themes. In the Challenge Category, students develop projects based on a theme that changes each year. Finally, the Free Category allows students to create original software and systems based on themes of their own choosing.

This year, two teams from ICT participated in the Challenge Category. The first team, consisting of 4th year students Taichi Eguchi and Hayato Sumi, and 2nd year students Akira Azuma, Reo Sakai, and Kai Osawa, developed a system called “TAS-MIRU.” TAS-MIRU is a system designed to help teams assign tasks more effectively during projects. By entering a project specification and information about each team member’s skill set, the system generates an optimal distribution of tasks.

The second team, made up of 2nd year students Haru Abe, Kent Kawaguchi, So Kajita, Kotaro Higuchi, and Hiroki Yatsuo, developed a system called “Animalarm.” Animalarm is a system designed to protect crops from wildlife damage. Multiple speakers are placed around a field and activated in sequence, starting with the ones farther away, to drive approaching wild animals away from the crops.

Following the presentations and demonstration judging, both teams were given the Encouragement Award, which is presented to all teams that advance to the final round. Although we had hoped for a higher award, the students worked incredibly hard to prepare for the competition. At the event, they enthusiastically demonstrated and explained their systems to visitors and company representatives. They also attended presentations by students from other KOSEN schools and actively interacted with people at corporate booths. Opportunities like this do not come along very often, so I believe the experience provided our students with a great deal of inspiration. In fact, some of the students came up to me afterward and said things like, “It was really interesting talking with someone from XX company!” and “The presentation by XX KOSEN was amazing!” Thanks to their enthusiasm for meeting people, our students also ranked highly in the “Business Card Quest,” a small event within the competition where participants try to collect as many business cards as possible. 

As ICT’s Programming Contest advisor, I have been supporting our students as they work toward reaching the national competition. And each time, I am reminded of just how exciting the KOSEN Programming Contest is. The presentations by students from other KOSEN schools are always unique and fascinating, and you can also feel the enthusiasm of the companies taking part in the event. In recent years, the value of KOSEN students in the job market has continued to grow, and this becomes especially clear when speaking directly with company representatives. I hope experiences like this will give our students a chance to understand both where they stand today and how much potential they have for the future. Next year’s competition will be hosted by National Institute of Technology, Kurume College. 

I hope our students will take on the challenge again next year and work hard to make it to the national competition!

Meguru Ito

Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku office. I would like to write about the final poster presentations in the Engineering Design IA (1st year) held on July 24th, 2026.
Engineering Design IA is a course in which 1st year students engage in project-based activities to identify problems in everyday life and develop solutions to address them. While learning fundamental design methods and concepts, students experience the excitement of creating something new by rapidly prototyping their ideas and bringing them to life.
For this project, students were challenged to redesign “the worst thing they use every day” and improve it. The teams focused on a variety of items that they found frustrating in the dormitory and the classroom. The prototypes they developed are introduced below.
Working in teams, students identified problems encountered in their daily lives and developed innovative solutions. Throughout the project, they learned design-thinking methods and gained hands-on experience in creating prototypes that addressed real-world challenges.

Roll Hanger

This group focused on the difficulty of storing hangers efficiently due to their size and shape. To solve this issue, they designed a hanger that can be folded and rolled up for compact storage. The lightweight and portable design makes it easier to carry during moves and helps reduce the amount of space required for storage.

Blackboard Eraser Attachment

This group addressed the problem of chalk dust being dispersed into the air when erasing a blackboard, creating an unhygienic classroom environment. They developed a blackboard eraser attachment that effectively collects chalk dust while quickly and thoroughly erasing the board. The device incorporates a filter and fan system that captures airborne dust, contributing to improved cleanliness and a more comfortable learning environment.

Attachment for Table

This group recognized that students often have limited desk space, causing small items to fall off the desk and reducing the available workspace. To address this issue, they created a clip-on desk organizer that can be attached to a table. The organizer provides additional storage space for small items and helps students make more effective use of their desks.

Cable Organizer

This group focused on the clutter caused by computer cables and adapters on students’ desks. They designed a cable organizer with built-in storage that keeps cables and adapters neatly arranged. The organizer can be attached to a desk, allowing users to manage cable length efficiently and maintain a larger and more organized workspace.

Bottle Lamp

This group identified two issues in the Living Commons: the existing lighting fixtures were so large that they make it difficult for students to see the faces of friends nearby, while also failing to provide sufficient illumination for effective studying. To address these issues, they developed a lightweight, portable lighting device. The lamp shines light upward through a water-filled plastic bottle, using reflection and diffusion to spread light throughout the surrounding area. Its compact design improves visibility for communication while creating a brighter environment for studying.

On-time Laundry

This group focused on a common problem in the student dormitory: some students leave their laundry in the washing machine after the cycle has finished, preventing others from using the machines promptly. To solve this issue, they proposed a washing machine management system that utilizes student ID cards and QR codes. Students can unlock a washing machine using their ID card, while QR codes allow users to check machine availability and identify current users. The system aims to improve washing machine use efficiency and reduce waiting times.

Through this project, students experienced the entire design process, from identifying problems and generating ideas to prototyping and presenting their solutions. By focusing on everyday inconveniences and transforming them into practical innovations, they developed valuable skills that will support their future learning and engineering activities.

Yuri Makada