Manabia Terrace

Manabia Terrace (東根市公益文化施設まなびあテラス) is a public cultural complex located in Higashine, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It opened on November 3, 2016, and is operated by the city of Higashine. The facility brings together three core functions: the Higashine City Library, the Higashine City Museum of Art (with a citizens' gallery), and the Higashine City Civic Activity Support Center. It also includes a bakery café, a shop, and an adjoining urban park known as Manabia Park. The complex was developed under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme, the fourth such project undertaken by the city. A special purpose company called Media Gate Higashine was established with investment from Kajima Corporation, NEC Capital Solutions, Library Research Center (図書館流通センター), Mitsubishi Electric Building Techno-Service, and Yamagata Building Service. This SPC built the facility and holds a 20-year contract to operate it. The total construction cost was approximately 3.4 billion yen. Library Research Center is responsible for the overall operation of the facility. The name "Manabia Terrace" was chosen through a public naming competition that attracted 505 entries from within and outside the prefecture. It combines "manabia," evoking the idea of learning (学び) and a place where many people gather, with "terrace," suggesting a bright, open space that illuminates (照らす) the future. The logo mark, called the "Tree of Culture," features six rounded forms representing art, information, interaction, creation, learning, and relaxation. Manabia Terrace serves as an information and cultural exchange hub for Higashine residents. The library, with a floor area of 1,886 m², integrated the former Higashine City Sakuranbo Library that had been located inside Sakuranbo Higashine Station and closed in September 2016. Its collection grew to about 200,000 volumes, roughly four times the previous size. The museum, with 1,541 m², is the city's first art museum and includes a citizens' gallery and a special exhibition room. The civic activity support center provides rooms for study sessions and workshops, and offers printing equipment for loan. The facility also features an entrance on both the east and west sides, and at the entrance, a regional video archive—the first of its kind in the Tohoku region—was introduced. Manabia Terrace is accessible from Sakuranbo Higashine Station (about a 15-minute walk or 5-minute bicycle ride), and is served by city buses and Yamako buses. It has approximately 150 free parking spaces and 100 bicycle parking spaces. The facility publishes a monthly newsletter, "Manabia Terrace Tsūshin," and hosts various events, workshops, and community activities throughout the year.

Manabia Terrace was developed as a public cultural facility for Higashine City, Yamagata Prefecture. The project began with design work starting on September 24, 2014, followed by construction commencement on June 1, 2015. The facility was completed on July 31, 2016, and opened to the public on November 3, 2016, coinciding with the 58th anniversary of Higashine's city incorporation. It was built directly south of Yamagata Prefectural Tōō Gakkan Junior and Senior High School, which had opened in April of the same year. The facility was procured through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI), the fourth such project by the city. A special purpose company named Media Gate Higashine was established with capital from Kajima Corporation, NEC Capital Solutions, Library Research Center, Mitsubishi Electric Building Techno-Service, and Yamagata Building Service. This company constructed the facility and was contracted to operate it for 20 years. The total development cost was approximately 3.4 billion yen. Library Research Center handles the overall operation of the facility. An urban park, Manabia Park, was developed on the south side of the site. The name "Manabia Terrace" was selected through a public competition that received 505 entries from within and outside Yamagata Prefecture. The city combined elements from three outstanding proposals—"Manabia Land," "Manabia Land" (written with different characters), and "Manabia Hall"—to create the final name. "Manabia" carries the meaning of learning (学び) and a place where many people gather, while "terrace" suggests a bright place that illuminates (照らす) the future. The logo mark, designed as a "Tree of Culture," features six rounded forms representing art, information, interaction, creation, learning, and relaxation. The facility comprises several key components. The Higashine City Library, with an area of 1,886 m², opened by integrating the former Higashine City Sakuranbo Library that had been located within Sakuranbo Higashine Station and closed in September 2016. The library's collection expanded to approximately 200,000 volumes, about four times the previous size, and includes general books, children's books, a teens' corner, a story room, and study rooms, as well as reading terraces and a kids' terrace. It also features automated lending and return machines and a 24-hour pickup box. The Higashine City Museum of Art, with an area of 1,541 m², is the city's first museum. It was established in response to numerous requests from citizens for a place to exhibit their works, and a curator was assigned to enable special exhibitions. The citizens' gallery and special exhibition room are designed as open spaces without pillars. The Higashine City Civic Activity Support Center provides rooms for study sessions and workshops, and offers printing equipment for loan. A bakery café called Boulangerie Café Oitti Marchand is operated by Yamagata Building Service. The facility has two entrances, on the east and west sides, and at the entrance, a regional video archive—the first in the Tohoku region—was introduced. Since opening, Manabia Terrace has served as a hub for community activities, hosting events, workshops, and exhibitions. It publishes a monthly newsletter, "Manabia Terrace Tsūshin," and a quarterly publication for the civic activity support center called "Suppe!" It also produces a broadsheet series related to the "Kuroki Aruji and Higashine Hyakumonogatari" ghost story talk event that began in 2019. The facility is accessible from Sakuranbo Higashine Station by a 15-minute walk or 5-minute bicycle ride, and by city buses and Yamako buses. It has approximately 150 free parking spaces and 100 bicycle parking spaces.

• Design work begins for the cultural complex.

• Construction commences.

• Facility completed.

• Manabia Terrace opens to the public, coinciding with the 58th anniversary of Higashine's city incorporation.

• Former Higashine City Sakuranbo Library inside Sakuranbo Higashine Station closes, later integrated into the new library.

• Ghost story talk event 'Kuroki Aruji and Higashine Hyakumonogatari' begins.

A public cultural complex serving as an information and arts exchange hub for Higashine citizens, combining library, museum, and civic activity functions under the concept of 'gathering, learning, and creating.'

• Higashine City Library

  A 1,886 m² library with approximately 200,000 volumes, integrating the former Sakuranbo Library. Features general books, children's books, teens' corner, story room, study rooms, reading terrace, kids' terrace, automated lending/return machines, and a 24-hour pickup box.

• Higashine City Museum of Art

  The city's first art museum, with 1,541 m². Includes a citizens' gallery and a special exhibition room designed as open spaces without pillars. A curator is assigned to organize special exhibitions.

• Higashine City Civic Activity Support Center

  Provides rooms for study sessions and workshops, and offers printing equipment for loan.

• Boulangerie Café Oitti Marchand

  A bakery café operated by Yamagata Building Service.

• Manabia Park

  An urban park developed on the south side of the facility site.

1. 1東根市公益文化施設まなびあテラスmanabiaterrace.jp
2. 2まなびあテラスについて｜東根市公益文化施設まなびあテラスmanabiaterrace.jp
3. 3機関紙ライブラリ｜まなびあテラスについて｜東根市公益文化施設まなびあテラスmanabiaterrace.jp
4. 4まなびあテラスサポーターズクラブ｜まなびあテラスについて｜東根市公益文化施設まなびあテラスmanabiaterrace.jp
5. 5Manabia Terrace - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6まなびあテラス - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org