s

Wacom's new initiative through soccer

As an official partner, Wacom supports FC KAZO, a soccer club in Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. We’re excited to introduce our new initiatives with this inspiring club.

 

FC KAZO is a soccer club in Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture, where Wacom's head office is also located. Under the team's motto "From Kazo City to the World," the club aims to contribute to the local community through soccer and other sports. Wacom empathized with their philosophy and has been working with FC KAZO since 2019 as an official partner. We asked Yoshinori Mita and Takashi Kamatsuka about Wacom’s new initiative with their local soccer club.

 

What made you decide to join FC KAZO's partner program?

Yoshinori:
One day, the owner of FC KAZO came to our head office and asked me if we were interested in supporting them as a partner. Like many other soccer clubs, FC KAZO wanted to team up with a local business to get more supporters involved and help the club. I especially resonated with the owner’s enthusiasm to increase involvement in volunteering and organizing events for the community to gain more support for local teams. At that time, Wacom happened to announce that they were accepting proposals from employees to support a project. As a team member of the general affairs department, I wanted to do something for the community. Working with FC KAZO would allow us to connect with the local community as well as have our products used in public sectors, local offices and schools in the future. I decided to start working on a project with Takashi, a member of the sales team.

Takashi:
I was interested in giving back to society and thought Wacom would be a great choice to promote such initiatives, so I decided to participate in the project right away. I have a child and felt connected to FC KAZO's activities for children as well. As a company, I felt that Wacom have a duty to society, and this was the pergect opportunity for Wacom to get involved in the community.

Yoshinori:
Takashi and I met when we were both working in the sales team. We also both belonged to Wacom’s soccer team. Takashi has ties to Saitama, which was just one of many reasons he was the perfect fit for this project.

Takashi:
The conditions were all set! I feel this project really aligns to my beliefs and it's also very rewarding.

 

Please tell us what it means to be an official partner.

Yoshinori:
There were various partner programs, and this time we chose to publish our logo on the FC KAZO’s staff jersey.

Takashi:
We’re talking about the staff jerseys here, not the uniforms. That’s important to remember!

Yoshinori:
Yes, FC KAZO is actively involved in Kazo City’s local communities and they organize initiatives like holding soccer classes at nursery schools and kindergartens and participating in local events. These activities are supported by the staff; therefore the staff jerseys are a great way of supporting these projects and the local community more closely. We also wanted to get the word out about Wacom to the local community.

 

You’re saying that you proposed a new initiative that goes beyond the official partner program. Is that right?

Yoshinori:
Yes, we suggested that we could display our products at the venue during the soccer tournament. We wanted to make FC KAZO even stronger with Wacom's technology.A long time ago, Wacom produced a pen display called VisiCoach, which was used for coaching soccer and other sports. By utilizing this pen display, it’s possible to write strategy instructions on the spot while watching actual footage of the game. If we used it with drones, we could film the game from the sky, which could, in turn, be used to review formations. We were excited to exchange new ideas. The owner of FC KAZO was aware that football teams in other countries were already utilizing such technologies to strengthen their teams, so he was interested in our products. As part of the partnership, we were able to display our products at the youth soccer tournament in the summer of 2019.

 

What type of reactions did you get to the product display at the soccer tournament?

Takashi:
We tried displaying the products outdoors for the first time at the soccer tournament in July 2019 for the 5th grade kids. Experiencing the products made the kids very happy. They were fascinated by our pen tablets and kept touching them until the coach came over to tell them to stop. It was really fun.

Yoshinori:
Everybody really enjoyed themselves. All the kids – even from different teams – got along with each other as soon as they started drawing. The hands-on corner was a great place to hang out and enjoy activities with friends. Since it was the first time we exhibited our products outdoors, we ran out of electricity after a while. That was an unexpected turn of events.

Takashi:
We had taken about six pen displays with us, but, as a result of the electricity shortage, we were only able to display two of them. It was too windy to put up a signboard and the sun was strong, so we had to get creative when it came to figuring out where we could display the products so they could easily be seen. But a lot of kids came out to experience our products. They were expressing themselves not only by drawing pictures but also by writing letters. They were very passionate about drawing.

Yoshinori:
They had never heard of Wacom before so we wanted them to experience the products to the fullest, but unfortunately, we just couldn't get enough electricity.

 

What are your goals for the future?

Takashi:
I'd like to build a better relationship with FC KAZO and to be more involved in this project as a Wacom employee and also as an individual. Next time we will be exhibiting our products at a larger tournament. We also plan to welcome the new team members to this project team.

Yoshinori:
It would be interesting if the team members in other departments, such as the development team, joined this project. I would like to spread the word about the activities among our colleagues at Wacom. I also hope we can use this opportunity to get the people in Kazo City to know more about our products and use them. I would like to keep working for Kazo City, a beautiful place where our head office is located.

Takashi:
There's also FC KAZO's "Seven Year Plan"! If it goes well, they may be one of the top teams in the J-League in seven years.

Yoshinori:
I would love to see the "Seven Year Plan" come true. It would be great if we worked with FC KAZO to develop the team and the local community in the future.

 

 

Reflecting on the Last Five Years: Progress and Future Trajectories of Social Initiatives

We will reflect upon our five-year journey with CEO Nobu Ide about the intention to connect the future of Social Initiatives with our Meaningful Growth.

Read more

Our Sparks. “Focus: The Autistic Superhero Loves Comic Art!” by Yvonne Wan

Discover the inspiring works of community creators who collaborate with us. Today, we feature “Focus: The Autistic Superhero Loves Comic Art!” by Yvonne Wan.

Read more

"CREATE Program" Expanding Future Possibilities and Connecting Hopes

Wacom Canada has been involved with the "CREATE Program" at Sisler High School as a partner to support students who want to embark on career paths in the creative industry.

Read more

Our Sparks. “Join The Journey” by Arian Rahmatzai

The 'Our Sparks.' pages showcases community creators whose works inspire and collaborate with us. This time features Arian Rahmatzai's artwork, a German talent who interned at Wacom.

Read more

Supporting Children's Dreams of Becoming Creators - 1: Initiatives with Kinko Town

The aspiration of children who dream of becoming creators is what ignites our team members’ enthusiasm and drives many of our initiatives. One such initiative involved teaming up with an animation workshop in Kinko Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Read more

Wacom Yuify: Making the world a safer place for creators

Wacom Yuify is an innovative service being developed to authenticate creators' works by embedding invisible micro-marks into artworks and, therefore, addressing unique needs across various regions and cultures.

Read more

Initiatives in China – Bringing Digital Ink Technology to More People

Lannie Zhang, the only product manager in the Ink Division in China, took the time to talk to us about the initiatives planned to increase awareness and promote the use of digital ink technology.

Read more

wacom

Our Sparks. “At the beach in the early afternoon” by sammy

We would like to introduce the artworks by artists in Oiso Town, Kanagawa, Japan, where we have been working together to support the writing/drawing initiative.

Read more

wacom

Wacom Experience Center - A space for everyone to be creative

The Wacom Experience Center Portland was created for people to interact with the creative community in the city. We took a look back at its growth with Megan Davis, who has been playing an energetic role there.

Read more

Connected Ink 2022: What happens here is everything

Connected Ink 2022 opened with two key questions. Let’s take a look back at some of the sessions in Tokyo that explored them.

Read More

Our Sparks. “Wind Carrying Light” by Syuro

We would like to introduce the artworks by artists in Oiso Town, Kanagawa, Japan, where we have been working together to support the writing/drawing initiative.

Read More
oiso town tn

How can we support the “writing/drawing" initiative with Oiso Town?

The partnership with Oiso Town has developed into a city-wide initiative. We spoke with Tadakuni Tsubota of the Creative BU Retail Partnership about this initiative.

Read more

A side of the Connected Ink polyhedron - 2


How do team members see Connected Ink? The next team member is Yohei Himori who is involved in the planning and operation of Connected Ink together with Heidi.

Read More ::before ::after


s

A side of the Connected Ink polyhedron - 1


How do team members see Connected Ink? The first team member is Heidi Wang who has played a key role in the planning and operations when it all began in 2016.

Read More ::before ::after




th

How can we overcome barriers that exist in society? / Call & Response

In collaboration with Heralbony Inc. and the General Incorporated Association, Connected Ink Village, Wacom launched a new initiative called "Call & Response” in September 2021.

Read More ::before ::after



d

What Lingers in the Afterglow / Connected Ink 2021

Here’s a look back at the opening and finale of the nearly 70 sessions held that day and reflect upon what has happened since Connected Ink 2021.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Our Sparks. “The spark of love” by Jacky Yang

Our sparks meet constantly changing situations, unexpected challenges, and new opportunities. We called on our team members again to show how they see their spark in the world of today and the future.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Keep asking questions and moving forward / Connected Ink 2020

Connected Ink 2020 was the beginning of a new commitment and challenge for Wacom to continue asking those eternal questions that always play in our minds.

Read More ::before ::after

d

“Stage KOPPA”, a stage that connects stories

"Stage KOPPA" was created as a stage for Connected Ink 2020. It is a stage that changes its shape and role in response to different situations while connecting the various stories that occur there.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Our Sparks.
“Mam and Dad’s Child Interest” by Stella Wang

Our sparks meet constantly changing situations, unexpected challenges, and new opportunities. We called on our team members again to show how they see their spark in the world of today and the future.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Our Sparks.
"A moment on an autumn mountain" by Takahiro Yamamoto

We had an internal art contest for our Social Initiatives. Let us share the existence of the spark in our team members’ hearts with their artworks.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Online drawing class for elementary school students during stay-at-home period

Yoshinori Mita, a team member of Japan held an online drawing class together with FC KAZO and illustrator Suiiro to provide something fun for elementary school children to do during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Wacom's new initiative through soccer

As an official partner, Wacom supports FC KAZO, a soccer club in Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. We’re excited to introduce our new initiatives with this inspiring club.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Our Sparks.
"The spark is in you! Mirror portraits during times of isolation" by Oliver Madlener

We had an internal art contest for our Social Initiatives. Let us share the existence of the spark in our team members’ hearts with their artworks.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Online Sketchnoting workshop for children during school closures

Our team members in Germany organized an online workshop “Young Wacom” for the children while schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Support the "lives" of artists through customer support

Alex Duffey from our Americas Support team established a new program to support artists. We asked him about a story with Ms. Devon Bragg, the artist who inspired him to establish this program.

Read More ::before ::after

d

3. How KOPPA began /
The story of the Traveling KOPPA

KOPPA began in April 2019. Tamotsu wanted to make something that can be used again after an exhibition. We asked Team KOPPA about their thoughts.

Read More ::before ::after

d

2. No need to destroy it anymore /
The story of the Traveling KOPPA

We put it together ourselves, set it up, put it back, then travel together again. The Traveling KOPPA, our new display furniture came to be.

Read More ::before ::after

d

1.Meeting KOPPA /
The story of the Traveling KOPPA

KOPPA started out as a challenge: Tamotsu Ito, an architect from Japan, wanted to utilize leftover building materials. Our meeting was pure happenstance.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Our Sparks.
“That Spark Inside” by Simone Wolters

We had an internal art contest for our Social Initiatives. Let us share the existence of the spark in our team members’ hearts with their artworks.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Marketing lecture for future engineers

We gave a marketing lecture for students who are learning to be engineers at the National Institute of Technology Tokyo College.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Efforts by our sales member, who are responsible for a pen tablet until the very end

Every year, we take pen tablets that have been sitting in our warehouse and gift them to high school clubs and winners of high school art competitions to help students create digital contents.

Read More ::before ::after

s

For the Future of Education
Lifelong Ink x AI

"AI Ink for Education" was developed to capture eye movement information and pen movements while learning, in order to ascertain the characteristics of learning by each student and to create an educational environment suited to each student.

Read More ::before ::after

d

Wacom Intuos have been introduced in a school to make classes more fun and creative

Yoana Simeonova, a software designer working in Bulgaria, introduced Wacom Intuos in a school to make children's IT classes more fun.

Read More ::before ::after

The Company's basic compliance policy, such as codes, policies, and systems related to sustainability

Read More ::before ::after

Back to top
A+ A-
Feedback
Support