Works#Social Good

The Kumamoto Earthquake in April 2016 also damaged the castle tower of Kumamoto Castle. In response to people's longing for the symbolic castle tower to return to its original form, the city of Kumamoto set a policy of early restoration of the tower. The building was completed in March 2021 with the latest earthquake-resistant technology. It carries on the wishes of the people who repaired the castle after repeated disasters over the 400 years since its construction, and contains messages from the people of Kumamoto living in the present for the next 100 to 400 years. displays organized the theme from the basement to the top floor in chronological order to create a corresponding space concept design, and created an easy-to-understand and impressive space using models, images, and wall concept design. It focuses on the castle tower, not the castle as a whole, and conveys the history of the castle construction, its architectural design, its defensive function, the castle and town development, and the thoughts and history of the people who restored the castle after every disaster. [Social Issues/Customer Issues/Requests] ・ Disseminate the historical, architectural and spiritual significance of the keep, which is a symbol of recovery from the Kumamoto Earthquake. In addition, it should be reported that Kumamoto Castle, which has historically suffered from numerous natural disasters, was revived by the recent earthquake. ・ Focus not on the whole of Kumamoto Castle, but on the "Kumamoto Castle keep," and try to share roles, collaborate and complement displays contents of the surrounding facilities. ・ Since there are many restrictions on the preservation environment in the castle tower, basically displays of actual materials should not be done, and the history displays of the keep of Kumamoto Castle after the Seinan War should be added, which was not done before. ・ From the perspective of Universal concept design, we will introduce touch displays and multilingual voice guides so that a wide range of people can enjoy displays. I received the above request. [Solution] With the castle tower as the main character, we organized the story along the timeline from the castle's construction to the present, and set a theme for each time period on each floor. The story is arranged so that you can follow the period from the lower floor to the upper floor. The first floor is the period of Kiyomasa Kato, who built the castle, the Hosokawa period, who became the lord of the domain after that, the modern period, which experienced a complete fire and reconstruction, and the present day, when the Kumamoto earthquake and recovery efforts were made.In addition to the building of the castle tower, we focused on the strong will of the people who repaired it every time after repeated disasters since the Edo period to convey the "I want to restore Kumamoto Castle and pass it on to future generations." Furthermore, to cater to a wide range of visitors, multilingual audio guides and palpable models of the keep were planned and realized. [Customer Comments] displays has been well received by visitors for its easy-to-understand and engaging methods, including explanations using models and projection mapping, and multilingual audio guides using the title sign app. < our company Project Members > 【 Development 】 Masashiro Yokoyama 【 Sales/Project Management 】 Masashiro Yokoyama, Haruka Amano, Annin Sawada 【 design, layout 】 Mitsuyo Ashida, Yuichiro Tsutsumi, Toshie Makigara, Nanako Wajun, Yoichi Honda, Naoya Fujiwara 【 Shape 】 Nobuyuki Endo 【 Production/construction 】 Takashi Ikegaya, Yoshikazu Kimura

"Koniwa House" A place where babies can spend relaxing time with their families and friends. The interior, which feels like a picture book, has a diaper changing space, a nursing space, and a kitchen and living room where you can feed your baby milk and baby food, making it a space that makes you feel like you are visiting a friend's house. "Komorira no Mori" A play area where babies, kids, and families can spend their time in peace and relaxation. It is divided into an area where babies and families can relax in peace, and an area with exciting play mechanisms for children who are starting to become active. In the center of the spacious space, there is also a base camp corner where parents with children of different ages can have a panoramic view of the whole area. [Social Issues / Customer Issues / Requests] The request was to create a space for parents and children that goes one step further than the achievements of LaLaport Hiratsuka, so that people with children in Numazu City and Shizuoka Prefecture can have a relaxing day as well as shopping. [Solution] We planned and concept design the space with the intention of creating a space where childcare could be shared regardless of gender or age, rather than just for mothers to look after their children. In addition to creating an extraordinary concept design that would make it enjoyable for both adults and children to come here, we also took care to ensure that families with children of different ages could find a place for siblings and ensure their safety while looking after the baby. <Our project members> [Sales] Ikuta Hidefumi, Mitsui Hiroshi [Planning] Team M: Matsumoto Mari, Nishimoto Aya [Design] Matsuzawa Kei [construction] Yamada Yusuke

HERALBONY Co., Ltd. is a company that defines art drawn by artists with intellectual disabilities as "unique" and applies it to various things, events, and places in society. In collaboration with Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo, located on Namiki-dori in Ginza, we cooperated in concept design and construction of guest rooms. [Social issues / Customer issues / Requests] HERALBONY's fashion brand "HERALBONY" has a vision to dissolve the invisible boundaries between "welfare" and "disabilities," which are difficult to relate to in everyday life, and consumers, and to expand its field as a "lifestyle brand" to create a new lifestyle based on welfare. This time, we directed concept design of the collaboration room as the first step in the lifestyle brand's coloring of the space. Not only did we decorate the hotel guest rooms, but we also used this space as a starting point to create an opportunity for art to blend into everyday lifestyles. [Solution] We wove together a space that allows guests to experience a rich time in their guest rooms, as if they were immersed in an ever-expanding world of art. This makes the guest room a hub for the experience, inviting guests to imagine stories in which art blends into the time spent at home. We envisioned a space in which many conversations and discoveries would be sparked as guests looked at the art that was integrated throughout the hotel. <Our project members> [Sales and project management] Uedate Chisato [concept design] Yamaguchi Akane, Onishi Ryo, Yoshimura Mineto, Kato Kei [Production and construction] Hatano Atsushi, Yoshida Risa, Oda Satoshi ~Related links~ [Release] ・ NOMURA, Ltd. cooperates in spatial concept design. Exhibition "HERALBONY/Unconventional Future" currently being held to great acclaim ・ NOMURA 's social good activities: Case study of Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo HERALBONY ART ROOM Changing society through the resonance of art and spatial concept design [nomlog] ・Changing society through the resonance of art and spatial concept design- HYATT CENTRIC GINZA TOKYO HERALBONY ART ROOM

COLOPL, Inc. has been creating new experiences under the mission of "Entertainment in Real Life - Making everyday life more fun and wonderful". In order to continue providing new experiences to people during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the infection continues to spread, we believe that it is important to create an office environment where people can work safely and communicate easily, so we created an office with the aim of creating a "scientifically based, cutting-edge office specialized in infectious disease countermeasures". We aim to streamline operations in line with the new era and create original ideas, creating an environment where employees can increase their productivity and thrive. Linoleum, an antiviral natural material and carbon neutral material, is used for the flooring and fixtures, contributing to the realization of a sustainable society that takes SDGs and ESG into consideration. We aim to improve the motivation and productivity of creators by providing mechanisms to encourage communication such as standing meeting spaces, a game corner for use in research and development, and a bear library with a wide range of books. DE-SIGN Inc. was in charge of the overall project management, SIGNAL Inc. was in charge of the concept design, and our company was mainly in charge of interiors, fixtures, and sign graphics construction. <Our project members> [Sales/Project Management] Kaori Murakami [Production/ construction] Katsuya Banno, Nozomi Iwashita, Ikuho Oiwa

In the Sawtooth Mountain area of Chiba Prefecture, known as a scenic tourist destination since the Edo period and selected as a candidate area for Japanese Heritage, the decrease in overnight and round-trip tourism (increase in one-day car trips) following the opening of the Tokyo Bay Aqualine and Tateyama Expressway, damage caused by Typhoons No. 15 and 19 in 2019 and the new Corona have caused a blow Reactivation of each tourist center is an issue. In the midst of this difficult environment, five businesses, including Kinokuniya Corporation, prepared a revitalization plan for tourism in the Sawtooth Mountain area and applied for the 2021 Japan Tourism Agency's "Project for Promoting Revitalization and High Value-Addition of Existing Tourism Bases," and as part of this project, two demonstration experiments were conducted. 1. Beach Sauna Event "Sea and Sauna" A demonstration experiment of a beach sauna event as a measure to effectively utilize the beach sauna during the winter season, when tourism use is scarce, in order to revitalize the beaches that were once a tourism hub. We were commissioned to serve as the secretariat for the application to the Japan Tourism Agency, and promoted a series of initiatives ranging from overall and individual planning, promotion of the beach sauna event demonstration experiment (planning, concept design, setup, operation, and promotion), verification of effectiveness, and reporting. 2. "Jyobus!", a trip overflowing with my favorite things This was a demonstration event for a sightseeing tour bus (secondary transportation) that connects various tourist attractions across city borders, which had long been an issue for consideration. We were commissioned to serve as the secretariat for the application to the Japan Tourism Agency, and promoted a series of initiatives from overall and individual planning to preparation for the demonstration, verification of effectiveness, and reporting. 1. Beach Sauna Event "Sea and Sauna" [Social Issues/Customer Issues/Requests] The diversification of the leisure industry in society and the shift to day-trip car tourism in the Sawtooth Mountain area not only led to a decline in the number of beach-bathing recreationists who had led the region, but also to a decline in related tourism businesses and a decline in visual and experiential vitality. It has also led to a decline in the visual and experiential vitality of the area. Although the situation remained challenging due to the combination of damage from a major typhoon and the new Corona, the premise was to make the event an easy-to-understand way to convey the charms of the Sawtooth Mountain area. The event was also to be an experiment to cultivate knowledge on the possibility of commercializing the "sauna users" that Kinokuniya is considering as a new target customer segment, and to conduct a more effective and efficient beach sauna event in the future. SOLUTION: The sauna event experiment was to energize both the community and the business, but was implemented at the same level as the main launch. Naming and artwork based on brand strategy, multifaceted media plan including news release/ SNS/ use of influencers and other measures in response to the response, introduction of web and electronic tickets, operations manual including measures against the new Corona, food marché and sauna that conveyed local attractions, local environmental design featuring local artists, and a step-by-step questionnaire survey in anticipation of reservation cancellations due to the new Corona, as one event project. 2. "Jyobus!", a trip overflowing with my favorite things. Social Issues/Customer Issues/Requests] As day-trip sightseeing by car has become the mainstream, "shorter stay time," "limited tour destinations," and "non-motorized users are moving away from sightseeing," the tourism economy has felt the downturn, but resources were lacking to quantitatively understand and analyze the situation. In addition, it was difficult to secure resources and establish a procedure to demonstrate the potential and ideas of how to promote tourism to the Tokyo metropolitan area and how to develop a sightseeing tour course. In response to the above requests, the challenge for this project was how to solidify the foothold to connect the demonstration operation to the full-scale operation, while giving shape to the ideas that the customers had in their minds. SOLUTION: Although this was a demonstration project, we followed procedures that were designed for a full-scale operation. The following were implemented: naming and artwork based on the brand strategy; development of a media plan and analysis of the response approximately one month prior to the 36-day operation period from January 4 to February 8, 2022; introduction of web and electronic ticketing on a trial basis and preparation of a response manual for the crew; introduction of a digital stamp rally to promote excursion and to understand the behavioral patterns of the riders; and introduction of a new Corona. The demonstration tour was designed as an event project, including the introduction of a digital stamp rally, a questionnaire survey in stages, assuming the cancellation of reservations by the new Corona. Sea and Sauna" and "Jyobus! We compiled the results of each of these demonstrations so that the report itself could serve as a guideline and be utilized in future discussions with related parties. ＜The results of each demonstration experiment were compiled into a report that could be used as a guideline for future discussions with related parties. 2. Beach sauna event "Sea and Sauna" [Development] Akihiko Nishimura [Sales and project management] Kenji Nakano [design, layout] Hiroshi Inoue, Akane Yamaguchi [Production and construction] Noriyuki Takahashi [Research and planning] Taketoshi Takahashi, Kayoko Koike, Kazuhiro Suzuki 2. My favorite trip "Jyobus! Development and project management] Akihiko Nishimura [Sales] Kenji Nakano [Research and planning] Taketoshi Takahashi, Kayoko Koike, Kazuhiro Suzuki - Related Links - [nomlog] ・Vitalization project for Kyonan Town, Chiba Prefecture

This project is to relocate and build the Ishinomaki Cultural Center, a museum in Ishinomaki City that was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. After the disaster, Ishinomaki City planned to build a complex of cultural facilities, including a theater and a museum, that would become a new cultural hub in the city, and the Ishinomaki City Museum, which would take over from the Ishinomaki Cultural Center, was developed. The concept of the Ishinomaki City Museum is "a museum that disseminates the rich history of Ishinomaki, nurtured by the great rivers and the sea," and it consists of a history and culture displays room, a Mori Collection displays room, a Takahashi Eikichi Works displays Room, displays room for ancestors connected to Ishinomaki, and a special displays room. displays space experience is characterized by displays that focuses on "landscape" as a new way of being for a history museum, displays that shares "history = time" in collaboration with contemporary artist Yamagami Yukihiro, displays space concept design that resonates with the architectural design of the complex cultural facility, and hands-on displays that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the real thing, imagine the site, and learn about history, and there are many ideas in place to draw out the interest and curiosity of visitors from various angles. In addition, exhibitions will be held in the special displays room, which meets the requirements of a "publicly approved facility" that allows valuable materials to be borrowed and made public.

We were in charge of planning, design, layout and construction of the employee cafeteria "Yao Daiichi Shokudo Isshoku" that opened at the Yao Works of Sharp Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Sharp") on November 1, 2021. In proposing the plan, we were conscious of not just creating a stylish space, but of "proposals that only Nomura can make," and proposed a cafeteria as an inner branding space where customers can discover the "SHARP-ness" across organizational boundaries and generations, as well as an outer branding space that can be experienced by business partners and affiliated companies who visit the company. We created three zones, lunch, work and salon, and devised a space that can be used not only as an employee cafeteria, but also as a place to relax, hold meetings with internal and external guests, and where people can connect and communicate. The single red line (Sharp Red) that runs through the cafeteria represents Sharp's history and future. For this project, we came up with concept design that would retain the characteristics of the Yao Works, which has a history of about 65 years as a production base for white goods, while also ensuring hygiene. In addition, the mezzanine floor, which was previously used for the production line, was used as an displays space for past products that symbolize SHARP, reducing waste and removal costs, an initiative that takes the SDGs into consideration. [Social Issues/Customer Issues/Requests] As communication between divisions was weak, the customer requested that the space be made more active in encouraging internal connections. [Solution] We proposed that the space be used not just as a place to eat, but as a place to work and relax, and also proposed displays past products as a place to encourage communication between employees and experience and discover Sharp's history. <Our project members> [Sales/Project Management] Takahashi Yui [design, layout] Umedani Shota, Yamato Suzuha, Nakamura Yusuke, Miura Ayaka [Production Management] Mukaiyama Yoshitsugu ~Related Links~ [Announcements] ・ NOMURA 's social good activities: Case study of Yao Daiichi Shokudo Isshoku at Sharp's Yao facility

"EXPRESS WORK" is a new workplace for JR Central's EX service (Express Reservation and Smart EX) members*1. Located in the Marunouchi Chuo Building, it consists of two sections: the drop-in "EXPRESS WORK-Lounge" and the small rental office "EXPRESS WORK-Office." We have been involved since the concept formulation stage, and were in charge of project management, space concept design, and construction. "EXPRESS WORK-Lounge" and "EXPRESS WORK-Office" are directly connected to Tokyo Station and are in an excellent location, making them extremely convenient environments, especially for business users who use the Shinkansen. The space is a socially good space that reflects JR Central's efforts to protect the global environment and revitalize the local area. interiors materials are made from upcycled*2 aluminum (hereafter referred to as recycled aluminum) from the 700-series Tokaido Shinkansen train cars, and FUJI HINOKI MADE wood, a brand of Fuji cypress provided by Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, along the Tokaido Shinkansen line, giving off a faint cypress scent and creating a soothing space for business users. *1 How to use the "EXPRESS WORK-Lounge": In addition to being an EX Service member, you must also register as an "EXPRESS WORK" member. *2 Upcycling: The process of giving waste that would otherwise be thrown away new life by upgrading it into a new product by adding new added value such as concept design or ideas. (Source: IDEAS FOR GOOD)

Founded in 1965 by Dr. Yutaka Nakamura, known as the father of sports for people with disabilities in Japan, Taiyo no Ie is a facility that supports the independence of people with disabilities through life, work and sports, with the philosophy of "No Charity, but a Chance". Looking back on the founder, Dr. Yutaka Nakamura, the history of welfare for people with disabilities in Japan and Taiyo no Ie, the legacy of the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games and the history of sports for people with disabilities, the establishment of the Taiyo Museum was planned as a place where people with physical, intellectual, mental and developmental disabilities who still find it difficult to live can have dreams and hopes. The concept of this museum is "learn," "experience," and "be moved," and visitors can view materials and archives, see tools that support the lives of people with disabilities, and experience sports for people with disabilities. The Taiyo Museum is also a place for local exchange and a base for continuing to disseminate information toward a society of coexistence in the future. We want people to discover their own potential and create a society where everyone can live as they are. We aim to expand the circle of activities toward the realization of a truly symbiotic society from Beppu to Japan and overseas.

Marunouchi Street Park, which began in 2019, is a social experiment project to examine the future state and utilization of Marunouchi Nakadori. In the summer, the spatial concept was "Let's connect, summer street," and each of the three blocks spanning approximately 300 meters was developed with a different theme, while keeping in mind the connections between culture, regions, and people that are unique to Marunouchi. Block 1 in front of the Maru Building is themed on "Sports & Relax," and is planned as a wellness street where you can move your body and relax while refreshing yourself, with a ping-pong counter where you can enjoy table tennis and a deck with balance balls. Block 2 is themed on "Enjoy Eating Out," and offers the fun of eating in a parklet space surrounded by fairwood while enjoying outdoor live painting by artists based on the concept of SDGs and street piano. Block 3 is themed on "PARKcation," and was well received for its grass-surrounded workplace and cycle counter that represent the grassy hills swaying in the wind, and a summer beach resort scene using coral sand from Okinawa. In terms of safety and health, we also implemented special infection control measures such as measures against strong winds from typhoons and building winds, and spraying the entire building with an anti-viral coating. (Dates: August 2, 2021 to September 12, 2021) Fair Wood Initiatives For fixtures such as the counters, Nishikawa cedar and larch wood thinned in Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture is used. The design took advantage of the grain and color characteristics of the distinctive cedar heartwood known as the "black heart" and structural plywood. After the event, some of the wood used will be reused, and when it has completed its usefulness, it will be returned to nature and recycled into seedlings, reforestation, and forestry. <Our project members> [Project Director] Suzuki Echiyo [Sales Promotion] Ishiyama Shigeyuki, Yamamoto Hitomi [design, layout] Matsubara Miwa, Kaizawa Ayuko, Sudo Ryo, Sakuma Tonoeki [Planning] CIC: Saito Yusuke [Operation Management] CIC: Ando Kaoru [Production] Marumori Yukio, Yamaguchi Yuta, Yoshida Takuto ~Related Links~ [Notice] ・"Marunouchi Street Park Illumination Tour!" sponsored by NOMURA [Related Achievements] ・Marunouchi Street Park 2021 Winter

HIRODEN etto, a tourist and commercial facility operated by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Group, opened in April of the same year on a site adjacent to the Miyajimaguchi Passenger Terminal, which began service in February 2020 as part of the Miyajimaguchi Area Port Improvement Project promoted by Hiroshima Prefecture. Under the concept of "DISCOVER MIYAJIMAGUCHI," the facility consists of 16 stores, mainly owned and operated by companies headquartered in the prefecture. The facility offers both everyday (local) and extraordinary (sightseeing) pleasures with Hiroshima's unique flavor, and provides a "fun, delicious, and new Hiroshima" experience to tourists and local residents alike. The new urban planning road was proposed as a measure to alleviate the chronic traffic congestion on National Route 2, which is the main route of daily life for local residents. In conjunction with this plan, it was decided to redevelop the aging passenger terminal by expanding the reclaimed land, and relocate the tourist product facility directly operated by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Group and the Hiroden Miyajima-guchi Station building/track. We were asked to create a scenario for a medium- to long-term phased development and to make a proposal for a new facility to be built by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Group on the land adjacent to the passenger terminal, which would be a suitable prologue and epilogue to the Miyajima Pilgrimage. We thought it was important to develop a development strategy from a regional branding perspective to give Miyajima-guchi, which is a transit point to Miyajima, "the power of the place". We also wanted to create a place and space that would add a new identity to Miyajimaguchi, which has no colors, through a naming and VI plan (*). The project took both a soft and hard approach to the creation of a place and space that would add color to the first phase of the Miyajima-guchi Town Opening. This approach has created new employment opportunities and contributed to the economic cycle in Miyajima-guchi by providing a new place of business, especially for local businesses. In addition, as a model case of regional development through private-sector involvement in a government-led redevelopment project, the project embodied the Hiroshima Electric Railway Group's management vision of "Connecting people with people to create an attractive future for the region," and fostered a sense of anticipation for later development. (*)VI: Visual Identity. It refers to the design of a logo or symbol mark. We were able to create a facility that meets our concept thanks to the tremendous cooperation we received from both the software and hardware aspects, from the conceptualization stage to the specific facility planning. We look forward to its growth as a facility suitable for the prologue and epilogue of a pilgrimage to Miyajima. ＜Sales and project management] Ichiro Morimoto [Consulting, planning, and soft direction] Mayo Amma [Leasing] Takaaki Hiraki, Eri Morita [design, layout] Kazumi Doi, Yukari Ozaki [Production, construction] Katsunori Sugino [Preliminary internal supervision, furniture and fixture manufacturing] Toshimichi Suzuki [Branding] Yuri Watamoto [Opening Promotion/PR] Daisuke Karube, Hikaru Oura -Related Links- [Notice] ・Announcement of "The 54th Japan Sign concept design Awards" Silver Prize and other awards

This is a concept shop of "Okomeburan" by Shinmei Group, one of the largest long-established rice wholesalers in Japan. Okomeburan is a rice bran specialty store brand with the vision of "organizing your daily life." This store aims to be a new urban store consisting of three spaces: "FACTORY SHOP," "EAT IN CAFÉ," and "KITCHEN LAB." All of Okomeburan's products are made with the utmost care from the manufacturing process to the transportation process. In order to maximize the appeal of the products, we devised a "FACTORY SHOP" that adds displays function to the conventional sales and cafe functions. We added an displays function that clearly conveys the manufacturing process, and a function that allows you to touch and learn about brown rice, rice husks, white rice, rice bran, and the scenery of the production area for each brand. In addition, we have concept design a "KITCHEN LAB" that visualizes the kitchen and office, and will hold workshops, as well as a space that will convey the product development process that you cannot usually see. Our company has been involved in Okome Buran since its first store (Lucua Osaka), which opened in February 2021, and in addition to designing and construction the stores, we have been providing general support, including rebranding to set the brand name and vision, and supervising logo and packaging concept design, as well as product and cafe menu development.

This is a new tourist information center built in the public passageway of JR Kokura Station, the gateway to Kitakyushu City. In order to improve the satisfaction of tourists, including foreign tourists, who will continue to increase in number, and to promote sightseeing around the city, the existing information center, which was built about 15 years ago, was closed and moved to a new location within the same station premises and expanded. [Social issues / Customer issues / Requests] The requests included creating a space that is easy for travelers to use and comfortable, preparing the hardware and software of a digital signage system with updateable content so that travelers themselves can search for tourist information, setting up a facility that takes into consideration the installation of foreign currency exchange machines and other equipment for foreign travelers, and creating an information center that meets the highest standard of "Category 3" *2 certified by JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) *1. [Solution] In addition to meeting the above requests, we proposed a plan with the goal of creating an information center that can be used even in the with-COVID era. Based on the concept of "Kyushu's gateway where you can experience Japan," we proposed a design that expresses the advanced spirit of Kitakyushu, a mecca for manufacturing, while also incorporating the traditional concept design of the castle town of Kokura, and carefully selected interiors materials to maintain a safe and clean concept design. The proposed functions include a non-contact face-to-face system using monitors, a system that allows travelers to upload and publish travel information using SNS, and an arrangement in which the entire glass surface of the exterior wall becomes a signage that promotes the attractions of Kitakyushu at night, and these were all adopted. The innovative concept design is unified with Kitakyushu's signature design and a clean white color, and the entire glass wall creates a bright, open, and welcoming atmosphere. While the concept design blends in with the modern station premises with a gray base, it also asserts itself as an information center by incorporating concept design inspired by Kokura weaving and elements of bustle. At JR Kokura Station, the gateway to Kitakyushu, the concept design is symbolic of the city, conveying the charm of Kitakyushu to customers both in and out of Japan and raising expectations for the trip. [Customer feedback] concept design reflected the space that the city wanted to create as a tourist information center, based on the services to be provided, and they created a tourist information center worthy of being the "gateway to Kitakyushu City." Despite the constraints of being located inside a station, they were able to solve many issues with their rich imagination and high technical skills. We hope that this facility will be used by more tourists visiting the city than ever before. *1. About the JNTO-certified foreign tourist information center certification system: JNTO has been operating a foreign tourist information center certification system since fiscal 2012, based on the "Guidelines for the establishment and operation of foreign tourist information centers (established in January 2012, revised in April 2018)" established by the Japan Tourism Agency. This certification system certifies information centers into three categories and partner facilities based on location, functions, etc. The certification is renewed every three years, and by providing support services such as interpretation services and training sessions by JNTO, we aim to enhance the functions and quality of JNTO-certified foreign tourist information centers nationwide. *2. The highest standard, "Category 3," means: English support is available at all times. Additionally, there is a system in place that allows guidance to be provided in two or more languages other than English at all times. National-level tourist information is provided. Open all year round in principle. Wi-Fi is available. Located in a gateway or location with many foreign visitors. <From the Japan National Tourism Organization website> <Our project members> [Development] Soeda Satoru [Sales and project management] Soeda Satoru [Planning, design, layout] Nishimura Chieri [Production and construction] Hijikuro Kazuya

Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei, the first Hotel Okura brand in Japan in about 20 years, opened on January 20, 2022. Our spatial concept design team "RENS" provided the overall direction of the interior and was responsible for the interiors construction and FF&E construction. Kyoto is home to many world-renowned traditional crafts created by artisans using techniques that have been passed down since ancient times. We have created a hotel that connects these traditional crafts to the future and allows you to feel their further potential. In collaboration with "GO ON," a project unit consisting of six successors of Kyoto's traditional crafts, we have created a small, luxurious space filled with new crafts. This hotel is reminiscent of an adult hideaway and offers a tranquil moment, allowing you to enjoy a soothing stay in the beauty of modern Kyoto.

The former Suzuki residence, a large mansion consisting of a main house and three storehouses in the Toi district of Nishiizu, has been loved as a central presence in the area since the Edo period. With the "value of spending time with ancient beauty" in mind, we renovated each building and exterior structure to create an auberge with two accommodation rooms. The main house's closed-in layout was revised to expand the space up, down, left and right to ensure modern comfort. We wanted to preserve the atmosphere of the past by taking advantage of the spatial individuality of each of the three storehouses and adding minimal concept design, so we renovated two of them into accommodation buildings with luxurious outdoor open-air baths, and one of them functions as a lounge and spa. By combining it with the surrounding accommodation facilities, we have realized an auberge that blends into the local community and is loved by everyone. [Social issues / Customer issues / Requests] Toi has long been popular as a hot spring inn town, but there is a small variety of restaurants, and there are no cafes that serve as tourist bases or tourist content that makes use of Nishiizu's food resources, so the lack of tourist spending by tourists has been a long-standing issue. The company's request was that the development of this facility should not be prioritized for profitability, but rather for it to be beneficial to the region, and that it should be accepted and loved by tourists and local residents alike. [Solution] We felt that we needed to respect the time that the buildings had accumulated on this land, find the unique character of each building, and create concept design that could transform it into an attractive feature. We reviewed the layout while taking into consideration the structural burden of the existing unsuitable buildings, and respected the unique character of each building, such as the deep trusswork of the main building, the roughly painted plastered walls of the first storehouse, which served as a lounge, the dynamic one-room space of the second storehouse, and the vertical expanse of the second storehouse with its clay walls hidden behind the wooden walls. By respecting the unique character of each building, it became the very charm of each facility. [Customer's comments] As a result of the extremely high-quality concept design and construction techniques used to renovate the former Suzuki residence, which represents the history of Toi, in a short delivery period, not only tourists who come to "LOQUAT Nishiizu" but also local residents visit the facility almost every day, and it has become a place of relaxation that provides a little richness in their daily lives. Not only the accommodation building, but also the restaurant, bakery and gelateria are busy and full to capacity every day. <Our project members> [Sales/Project Management] Shinya Hiratsuka, Nobuyuki Yagi [Planning] Saki Ninomiya [design, layout] Norio Koito, Hiroshi Inoue, Tadahiro Nakajima, Ryotaro Tezuka [Production/ construction] Jun Endo, Takayuki Inoue, Nohara Kikuchi