Jotaro Sugiyama (3rd year, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies), a member of Professor Keiji Takeda's laboratory in the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, has been selected as a winner in the "Swift Student Challenge 2025," a global programming competition hosted by Apple.
The "Swift Student Challenge" is an Apple program that supports the next generation of student developers and creators, inviting submissions of app playgrounds from around the world that can be experienced within three minutes.
This year, outstanding works were evaluated based on innovation, creativity, social impact, and inclusion. 350 winners were selected worldwide, including three from Japan, one of whom was Mr. Sugiyama.
Comment from Jotaro Sugiyama
I am deeply honored to have been selected as a winner in the Swift Student Challenge 2025, following my first win in 2020. To be honest, I felt frustrated when I didn't win last year, but I used that experience as motivation to improve my development and expression skills. I am truly happy to have returned to this stage.
The winning app, "Kirigami," was developed with the goal of allowing many people to easily experience the simple joy of traditional Japanese paper cutting (kirigami) through an app. I focused on the surprise and beauty born from the simple steps of "folding," "cutting," and "opening," as well as the experience of "connection" that can be enjoyed across generations and cultures. As family and community ties have weakened in recent years, I wanted to deliver the value of "everyone being able to share a warm time through simple crafting" through this app.
In winning this award, the environment at SFC, where independent learning is respected, and the spirit of "learning while teaching, teaching while learning," which allowed me to receive feedback from seniors and many peers, were great strengths in creating a better work. I am sincerely grateful for the open atmosphere unique to SFC and the community where we can push each other to higher levels.
I have also started my own company and am working on an app development business. My studies and encounters at SFC serve as the driving force for my daily development and new challenges. Moving forward, I want to continue giving shape to my unique ideas while actively incorporating new technologies to create "exciting experiences" that no one has ever felt before, bringing surprises and smiles to people.
App Overview
"Kirigami" is an app that allows users to intuitively enjoy the charm of traditional Japanese kirigami culture on an iPad. On the home screen, various kirigami works such as seasonal flowers, leaves, and stars are arranged to flow lightly, creating a design that stimulates creativity just by looking at it.
In the main feature, "Kirigami Playground," users can simulate patterns just like "real kirigami" by actually folding paper on the screen and making cuts in free positions. The cutting process can be operated with a pen or lasso tool, and the number of folds and colors can also be changed. Since you can preview what kind of pattern will be created in real-time with every cut, you can experience the "excitement of the moment you open it" on your iPad.
Additionally, "Learn About Kirigami" introduces kirigami through easy-to-understand explanations and videos of the production process that I filmed myself. Users can experience the steps of "folding," "cutting," and "opening" on the screen while touching upon the depth of kirigami and various aspects of Japanese culture.
Valuing the essence of kirigami as something that "anyone can enjoy together across generations and cultures," the app provides a new experience with a playful UI/UX.
Faculty Profile: Keiji Takeda, Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
Source: Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office, General Affairs