1. What is Tsuruoka Science Park?

Since the Keio University Institute for Advanced Life Sciences opened in 2001, it has become a catalyst for the creation of numerous venture companies and a gathering place for companies and research institutions related to bioscience.

Inside the laboratory, dozens of mass spectrometers are lined up in rows.


A research facility with this many machines is extremely rare worldwide, and the presence of these machines accelerates cutting-edge research, making it the true “heart of the science park.”

Currently, 52 researchers are affiliated with the Keio University Institute for Advanced Life Sciences.

The entire science park has grown into a research facility employing over 780 people , including researchers, engineers, and corporate staff.

Additionally, the site also features HOTEL SUIDEN TERRASSE , a lodging facility floating above a rice field, and BahnFusion SORAI , an all-weather children’s education facility designed to foster children’s creativity.

It is attracting attention from across the country as a “new research base from Tsuruoka” that combines research, learning, and accommodation.

2. Notable Initiatives for 2025

From here, we will introduce cutting-edge research that is currently being carried out at Tsuruoka Science Park, which is close to the citizens of the prefecture and “useful in daily life.”

① “Saving lives with feces?” Japan’s first “feces donation room”

It may be a little surprising, but it has been discovered that the intestinal bacteria contained in feces actually protect human health.

In April 2025, the first fecal donation facility in Japan, the “Tsuruoka Fecal Donation Room,” opened within Tsuruoka Science Park.

・Intestinal bacteria from healthy people are used for treatment
“Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), in which intestinal bacteria are transplanted into patients, is attracting attention around the world.
In Tsuruoka, microbiota donors who have passed a doctor’s examination provide stool, which becomes the raw material for treatment.

・A bright and clean bowel movement room that makes you want to visit

A comfortable facility with private toilets and rest areas.

Healthy people aged 18 to 65 in the Shonai region are eligible to donate, and a contribution (up to 5,000 yen) will be paid for each stool donation.

For more information, click here (Chomusubi Tsuruoka)

・Message from the person in charge

“This initiative will not only help patients around the world, but may also have an impact on the health of the people of Shonai.
Why not join us in creating the medical care of the future?

② Technology from Tsuruoka is finally in cars

Spiber is a biomaterial manufacturer born from Tsuruoka Science Park.

Amazingly, our proprietary material, Brewed Protein™ fiber, has been chosen for the seats of the Land Cruiser Prado “NEWSCAPE,” scheduled for release in spring 2026. ( https://spiber.inc/en/news/brewed-protein-fiber-featured-in-a-production-vehicle-for-the-first-time)

Brewed Protein™ is a next-generation material made from plant-derived sugars through microbial fermentation, without relying on petroleum or animal resources.

The technology that began in the laboratory is finally spreading to major industries in society.

The research material born in Tsuruoka is finally making its “debut” in the automotive world.

Research at the Science Park is gradually changing the future of our lives.

3. Creating ingredients that the world has never seen before!? A national project has begun

In 2025, a large-scale food project began in Tsuruoka. It is called the Tsuruoka Gastronomic Innovation Project ( https://tgi-project.jp/ ).

The total project cost is a whopping 2.2 billion yen (of which 1.4 billion yen is in grant money) .

Over the next 10 years, we aim to create a “new food product that has never been seen before in the world.”

Examples of initiatives
● Development of powdered food using natto bacteria
● Research into high-value-added foods through metabolome analysis

By combining food culture and science, a new challenge to create a new future for food has begun in Yamagata!

4. Research to create the future of childhood cancer treatment from Tsuruoka

At the National Cancer Center’s Tsuruoka Collaborative Research Center, Dr. Akihiko Yokoyama is working to clarify the causes of childhood leukemia and develop new treatments.

Dr. Yokoyama has elucidated the previously unknown question of “which cells cause leukemia and how it develops.” A potential treatment drug based on this discovery is currently undergoing clinical trials.

Research born in Tsuruoka may save the lives of children around the world.
This is a project with great hopes.

Learn more

5. High school students make their laboratory debut! A town where young researchers grow

Tsuruoka Science Park is not just a research center for adults.

Located within the park, Keio University’s Institute of Advanced Life Sciences is running a unique initiative in Japan that allows high school students to participate in research.

In 2025, we accepted a record number of 40 local high school students.
・Special research students: 17 people
・High school research assistants: 23 people

Special research student
This system is aimed at high school and technical college students who aspire to become researchers in the future, and allows them to receive free support for advanced research activities with a view to obtaining a doctorate in the future.
This is a valuable system that allows local high school students to take on the challenge of “real research” for the future.

High school student research assistant
This is a part-time job system where you can actually work at cutting-edge research sites.
As an affiliate of the Keio University Institute of Advanced Life Sciences, you will also be paid an hourly wage.

We also host the national tournament “High School Bio Summit in Tsuruoka,” also known as the “Koshien of Bio.”

This is a conference where high school students from all over the country gather in Tsuruoka to present the results of their research over the past year.
Tsuruoka is now attracting attention from around the country as a “holy land” where young researchers can grow.

3. Events and tours (opportunities for the general public)

The Science Park has events that anyone can participate in.

・Annual “Tsuruoka Science Park Festival”
A special event that opens the entire Tsuruoka Science Park.
You can learn about various research projects and initiatives, as well as the future they envision, through fun events and experiences.

・Tsuruoka Science Park Inspection Seminar
We currently offer three paid plans to suit your needs.

・PARK TOUR ONLY: A walking tour of the research facility
・STANDARD: A plan to learn about and experience cutting-edge research and business
・PREMIUM: A plan that includes a “premium seminar” by founder and representative director Tomita

This program allows you to see, hear, and experience the world of Tsuruoka Science Park.

In addition to these plans, we also offer flexible tour and experience programs to meet your needs, such as school trips, extracurricular activities, and employee training.

For more information, please see the “Visitor Program” on the official website.
official website

4. Message

We have received a message from Shiho Maeda of the Public Relations Department of Tsuruoka Science Park General Incorporated Association to all readers of VISIT YAMAGATA.

“At Tsuruoka Science Park, research is being conducted to ‘make the future of humanity better’ in a variety of fields, including medicine, food, intestinal bacteria, and future materials.

We would like to continue to nurture these challenges together with the people of Tsuruoka and Yamagata Prefecture.

We will continue to work to ensure that the new value that can only be created in this region can be passed on to the future.

We offer flexible tour and experience programs to suit your needs and objectives, such as school trips, extracurricular activities, and employee training.

Please feel free to contact us.”

5. Summary

At Tsuruoka Science Park, cutting-edge research into areas that are connected to our daily lives, such as medicine, food, future materials, and intestinal bacteria, is being conducted every day.

If you love science, be sure to visit and get a feel for the atmosphere of this place.

I’m sure this will make research more accessible and exciting.

There are also opportunities for the public to participate in events and tours, so please feel free to come and visit.