Hokuhoku Financial Group's Hokuriku Bank (head office: Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture) is collaborating with Okitakubo Construction Co., Ltd. (head office: Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture), whose business base is in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture, to build a three-story rental house (2025 units) called "(tentative) Cretaceous Dyna-so" for students of the Dinosaur Department of Fukui Prefectural University, which will open in April 4, as part of a Katsuyama support project. Occupancy will begin in April 3, and there will be parking for students for 10 cars, the same number as the number of units. Hokuriku Bank's Katsuyama branch will open on the first floor.
The Fukui Prefectural University Dinosaur Department will be the first of its kind in Japan, opening in April 2025. First-year students will study at the Eiheiji Campus (Eiheiji-cho, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture), while second-year students and above will study at the Katsuyama Campus (Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture), which is home to the Katsuyama Dinosaur Forest. As of 4:1 p.m. on February 2, 2025, the first half of the second general selection for the 2 entrance exam for the Dinosaur Department had 5 applicants (17 of which were from outside Fukui Prefecture) for a 2025-fold increase from the 2 available spots, while the second half had 15 applicants (102 of which were from outside Fukui Prefecture) for a 99-fold increase from the 6.8 available spots, making it an extremely popular option.
Hokuriku Bank and Okitakubo Construction saw the opening of the dinosaur department as a golden opportunity to attract more young people, and after repeated discussions to revitalize the town, they decided to build the "(tentative) Cretaceous Dinosaur House." The cost will be covered by a subsidy from Katsuyama City called the "Fukui Prefectural University Dinosaur Department Students Rental Apartment Construction Subsidy," and Okitakubo Construction will build the house at the current location of the Hokuriku Bank Katsuyama branch.
reference:[Hokuriku Bank] Katsuyama Support Project - Contributing to the local community by building a new student apartment building with a bank branch - (PDF)
[Fukui Prefectural University] Application for the 7 General Selection (Early and Late Schedule)
