
University student entrepreneur moves into Hirosaki snack bar building, renovating 50-year-old building
On December 23rd, "Corapis", an IT company founded by university students, moved into the former snack bar space in Grand Palace Building 2 (Okeyacho, Hirosaki City).
Grand Palace No. 2 is a three-story snack bar building that is over 50 years old and was formerly home to the adult movie theater "Theatre Hirosaki," which closed in March 2024. It is connected to "Grand Palace No. 1," and all floors used to be filled with snack bars and disco halls, but now only the first floor has snack bars and bars in operation.
The current owner is real estate company Kinki Estate (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture). Buildings 1 and 2 were acquired in 2019. In 2020, the GOOD OLD HOTEL, a snack bar that has been converted into accommodation, opened on the second floor of Building 1. Kinki Estate Sales Manager Shohei Nomura said, "We wanted to turn this snack bar building, which retains a Showa retro atmosphere, into an interesting place."
The former site of "Theatre Hirosaki" is currently being renovated as an event hall with a cafe, scheduled to open in April. The idea to use the vacant snack bar as a new space was to create a startup space where entrepreneurs could gather. "I started commuting from Osaka to Hirosaki, and discovered that Hirosaki is a city with many students. I hope it will become a place where young people can take on new challenges," says Nomura.
"Corapis" was founded in February 2024 by three students enrolled in Hirosaki University School of Medicine. They develop and sell new products and services that utilize new technologies such as VR, AR, and drones. President Akira Mineta recalls, "When we needed an office, they introduced us to the former snack bar at the Grand Palace. There was no suitable place for a startup in Hirosaki." He also said, "I was also happy that they waived rent for six months."
According to Nomura, the remaining 13 snack bar sites will be used by more student entrepreneurs, as well as rental studios, offices, private gyms, etc. "We hope to create a space where people can work and play, with the theme of a 'futuristic secret base,'" Nomura said.