The International Furniture Design Competition Asahikawa (IFDA) was held in 1990 as part of the Asahikawa City 100^th anniversary commemoration project. The IFDA, which takes place every three years, commemorated its twelfth anniversary in 2024. This initiative, which solicits ideas for wooden furniture from around the globe and seeks out outstanding design, has become a stepping stone for furniture designers. Five prominent American and European designers, including the architect Sosuke Fujimoto, who is the Design Producer for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, served as judges at the judging panel in June 2024. More than 10,000 entries have been submitted in the 12 competitions that have been held thus far, and designers have signed agreements with Asahikawa Furniture Industry Cooperative manufacturers, to commercialize their products.

　“In 2024, we received 655 designs from 38 countries and regions around the world. No other country or region has continued to hold a wooden furniture design competition for as long as 34 years like Asahikawa has,” said Fujita. “Five chairs from previous award-winning designs that highlight Asahikawa Furniture’s appeal will be provided for the Expo site as part of the Co-Design Challenge.”

　In addition, Asahikawa City has been holding the design event “Asahikawa Design Week” since 2015, which offers visitors the opportunity to experience the appeal of not only furniture, but also the charm of local industries such as architecture, machinery, metalworking, food, and tourism through manufacturing tours and workshops. “Meet up Furniture Asahikawa,” a program organized by the Asahikawa Furniture Industry Cooperative during Design Week, features an open factory tour and an exhibition of Asahikawa’s furniture production area. Additionally, there is a woodworking skills competition where furniture makers compete using their technical skills. “At the open factory, we want to let visitors experience the world of woodworking in a fun way that takes them back to their childhood. Few people get the chance to experience sanding unpainted plain wood, painting it with oil and finishing it. When the participants are ready to finish shaving and polishing the wooden spoon is up to them. Our goal is to provide the participants with a manufacturing simulation,” Fujita smiles. It is hoped that Asahikawa and the Expo site will collaborate and draw visitors to each other when the 2025 event takes place in June during the Expo period.

　Asahikawa was recognized as a UNESCO City of Design in 2019, and as of October 2024, Asahikawa was the third city in Japan and the 49^th city worldwide to receive this designation, following Kobe and Nagoya. “Through the Co-Design Challenge, we want people from all over the world to see Asahikawa’s strengths, such as its high-quality materials, world-class design, and top-notch technology, and we hope they will come to Asahikawa and experience it for themselves,” said Fujita, gently placing his hand on a piece of wooden furniture with soft curved lines.