Works#Tohoku

The zelkova trees lining the streets are covered in fresh greenery, transforming Sendai into the most beautiful "City of Forests" in May. The Sendai Aoba Festival, a period festival showcasing the "stylishness of the Date clan," is held in May. This festival began in 1985, marking the 350th anniversary of the death of Date Masamune, as a revival of a festival held in the Sendai domain during the Edo period. The fourth festival, held in 1988, saw the creation of five Sendai Yamaboko floats, recreating the traditional Yamaboko procession. Five more were added the following year, and another was created in 1995, bringing the total to eleven. Our Tohoku Branch was involved in the creation of the floats from the early stages, and thanks to that connection, all branch staff continue to support the procession every year. In 2025, the 12th Yamaboko, the "Borrowful Harvest Yamaboko," will be added to the festival for the first time in 30 years. Creating a new Yamahoko requires a considerable amount of money. Furthermore, it requires the participation of more than 100 people, including the pullers and dancers, so the sponsor must be a fairly large local organization or group. In this situation, the new Yamahoko was realized with the cooperation of Iris Ohyama, which is based in Sendai, Miyagi. Our company has a long-standing relationship with the Sendai Aoba Festival, and was in charge of the concept design and production work. *Dates: 2 days, the third Sunday of May every year and the day before.

The Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo), which aims to restore regional medical care from the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and to build new medical care that can respond to large-scale information technology, is building a biobank that combines medical information and genome information. Until now, the differences between people who take the same medicine for the same disease and those who do not have been explained by vague words such as "constitution" because the details have not been clarified. However, since the completion of the human genome decoding, it has gradually become clear that small individual differences in genome sequence can create differences in "constitution". ToMMo has been conducting cohort surveys in Tohoku since 2013, in which many people provide various information and biological samples such as blood, and has also developed a genetic analysis tool called "Japonica Array®" that can analyze Japanese genome information with high accuracy and low cost. In order to create the next generation of medical care, it is necessary to collect even larger amounts of data with the cooperation of a wide range of generations. To raise awareness of such activities, ToMMo has set up a permanent displays in the "Life and Science - Wonder Science Room" on the third floor of the Sendai City Science Museum. Our company is in charge of planning and concept design displays. To make it easy for everyone to understand, we will introduce cells and genomes through story-based graphics and touch panel games in which visitors shrink and travel inside the human body, and introduce the next-generation medical care that ToMMo aims to provide, tailored to each individual. It also expresses a message to many people: "You are one of a kind in the world, so cherish your differences."

"REVERSE AREA" in the Maruhan Sendai Kudatake store, which opened in Sendai, is a new type of rest space where you can feel relaxed in contrast to the heat of the pachinko parlor. To evoke the combination of the heat of the parlor and the relaxing space, we focused on the flow of the sauna, cold bath, and open-air bath, and adopted content that has a healing and relaxing effect in the room. To maximize the healing power of water, we selected a device that shakes a water basin to project the ripples in the space, fresh forest aromas, original healing sounds, and reclining chairs and bowl-type chairs, creating a place where you can immerse yourself in "relaxation" with all your senses. Our company is in charge of planning and basic concept, design, layout, building execution, environmental features, and sign and graphic concept design.

The Ishikawa Takuboku Memorial Museum, which opened in 1970 with the aim of honoring and preserving the records of Ishikawa Takuboku, one of the most representative poets of modern Japan, will reopen in 2025 with the addition of the Tamayama History and Folklore Museum. The two museums are connected by the concept of the word "hometown" left by Takuboku, and the Takuboku Memorial Museum focuses on the Meiji period when Takuboku lived, while the History and Folklore Museum focuses on the 1950s and 1960s, allowing visitors to see the current Tamayama. The entire space of the Ishikawa Takuboku Memorial Museum is used to depict the 26 years of Takuboku's life and the people's activities to honor him from his death to the present day as a huge timeline. Below the timeline, you can see the collections for each era and Takuboku's words from that time. The central symbolic displays displays the organ that Takuboku actually played, and on the large screen in the background, you can choose to watch two original animations, "Takuboku's Life" and "Takuboku and Hometown." There is also a special displays room and a book browsing corner. Tamayama History and Folklore Museum displays folklore materials donated by local residents, as well as folk performing arts and natural scenes, which are preserved and can be viewed using video and information search systems. In the corridor connecting the two buildings, there is a multipurpose hall where lectures and workshops can be held, a shelf displays called "Tamayama Connecting" where mini special displays can be held, and a "visible storage room" where part of the storage room is made of glass. From the windows, you can see the Saito Family Residence where Takuboku once lived, and Shibutani Elementary School.

This facility is a showroom for condominium sales by Mitsui Fudosan Residential. It is located on the first floor of a building in the center of Sendai city, and taking advantage of its location that is easily visible from outside, the space was designed with the concept of "EN - A place that connects people with people, town with people, inside with outside, and connections" in mind, and was designed with the image of a "veranda" commonly seen in Japanese houses. In the presentation space in the center, a condominium model and video are used to welcome residents with an exciting displays. In the surrounding park-like space that connects to the outside, business negotiations about "living" can also be conducted. In order to promote diversity and inclusion, the company has introduced a paraart subscription service to some of the condominiums in the Sendai area, and is working to provide opportunities for people to support independence and thrive. In order to let many people know about this initiative, art is displayed in part of the meeting space, and a mini gallery introducing paraartists is also set up in a space that resembles a condominium balcony that can be seen immediately from the sidewalk.

This project was undertaken by Takekoma Shrine, one of Japan's three major Inari shrines, to create a lively atmosphere in the local community. Our company acted as the hub, forming a team that united the shrine, the local community, and the company. The team worked on five main areas: "development of the shrine forest," "installation of a cafe," "vitalization of the local community," "promotion," and "creating a new festival." Our company was responsible for the overall production of the project, including planning, logo concept design, design administration, landscaping concept design, construction, exterior construction, cafe opening support, cafe menu development, product development, video production, and PR. Our goal was to ensure that Takekoma Shrine would continue to be an indispensable part of the lives of the local residents and be passed on to the future in a sustainable way. ○ Contents of comprehensive production ① Extraction of customer issues ② Proposal of solutions to those issues ③ Consideration of implementation (operation) system ④ Creation of implementation (operation) system (leasing) ⑤ concept design based on opinions of the shrine and operators ⑥ Product development (food and drink menu, selection of products for sale) ⑦ Consideration of revitalization of the shrine as a whole ⑧ Creation of a promotional video for the entire shrine ⑨ Consideration of CAFÉ promotion ⑩ Opening ceremony planning ⑪ Attracting various media ⑫ Implementing PDCA after opening ⑬ Create a new festival ⑭ Global promotional video for overseas By seeking supporters from our network (mainly local companies), we were able to create a system that can operate independently.

Based on the concept of "NEXT HOME," this new office building project will be the foundation for the next generation for Yamaichi Jisho, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary since its founding. In response to the request from the company's president, Watanabe, that "we don't want a building that's just cool. We want a building that's alive," we held multiple workshops for all employees and the preparatory committee, and filled every corner of the new office with the thoughts of each employee, fostering a sense of it being "our office." Through this project, the motivation of each employee has changed, and new interactions have been created both inside and outside the company. An original "office for ourselves" has been born here, which will help Yamaichi Jisho solve the issues they expect from the company, such as communication, recruiting, and inheriting their DNA.

Built in 1973, the Okutadami Power Museum is a promotional facility for the Okutadami Dam (Electric Power Development Co., Ltd.), whose source is the Oze River. Located on a hill overlooking the dam, the museum's main target audience is tourists who come to explore Lake Okutadami and Oze, and groups of elementary school children. As the museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023, it has reopened as a power museum that makes full use of digital technology. The exhibits include a corner where you can learn about the four seasons of Okutadami and the history of the construction of the dam and power plant, and a corner where you can experience the past and present with digitally displays footage of the construction on a large screen and powerful drone footage, making it easier to learn about the Okutadami Dam, the mechanisms of hydroelectric power generation, and energy. You can also enjoy the Uonuma City Interaction Corner, displays of materials used in the Japan Academy Award-winning film "Whiteout," and a trick art corner of Otori Dam, known as the "phantom dam" because it is off-limits, where you can take immersive photos.

In order to improve the satisfaction of building tenants, we renovated the entrance and cafe space on the second floor of the Tokyo Tatemono Sendai Building. We were involved from the planning and basic concept stages, and were responsible for interiors and environmental design, sign and graphic concept design, environmental features, and construction.

This is a renovation project for Morioka City Library, including seismic retrofitting. After being closed for about two and a half years, the library reopened on April 2, 2024. The concept of the library is "A library where knowledge circulates and where people and the city grow freely." Like the ecosystem of Takamatsu Pond that spreads out before them, the library aims to be a place where Morioka's knowledge and people naturally gather, connect, and circulate back to the community. Our company was responsible for the planning, design, production, and construction of the interior space of the facility, as well as the VI such as the logo.

The concept is "symbiosis". This is a project to establish an exchange base in the Arahama area of Sendai City, which was affected by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Based on the concept of an ``inclusive society'' where people of all generations and with or without disabilities can gather, we have created an ``open space'' where you can enjoy activities and events and learn about disaster prevention and mitigation. The site area is 1.3 hectares. The site consists of three areas: a cafe and co-working space, a farm, and an inclusive facility where children with disabilities can play. The clubhouse uses VR equipment jointly developed by a major telecommunications company and a local university to become a place for children to learn about disaster prevention, where they can learn about the Arahama area before and after the earthquake and how to respond in the event of a disaster. I am. The project is part of Sendai City's project to utilize the site of a disaster prevention collective relocation site, and is funded by a subsidy from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Our company provided support for acquisition applications and completion reports. This time, we completed the clubhouse area as the first phase. Aiming to create facilities that take root in the community and grow together with them, parks and indoor facilities are planned to be developed in stages based on future projections in collaboration with local residents.

This showroom allows visitors to experience a new concept design proposal system called "life knit design," which allows people to develop attachment to their homes and continue living in them for a long time in this era of 100-year life spans. To embody the concept of "life knit design," which is "not superficial trends but matching the sensibilities of the residents, and living in a home as if knitting affection over time," we have created a sustainable space, used materials that are conscious of authenticity, a material corner with interior proposals for detached home owners, and scattered mechanisms to "create" the future together with customers.

This project was carried out to renovate the aging facility, which has a space pavilion and planetarium where items donated by JAXA were displays, into a facility where children can experience the "town of space." The first floor, which was a natural science museum, was renovated into the "Nobishiro Space Lab," and the entire building was unified into a space-themed facility. We were in charge of everything from design, layout of displays space to exhibit execution of the experience equipment, as well as construction.

This project involved rebuilding the new office of Usufuku Honten, which was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake. Usufuku Honten is a fishing company with over 130 years of history, founded in 1882. With the philosophy of "living with the sea," the company operates deep-sea tuna fishing and tuna longline fishing, and is responsible for the reconstruction of Kesennuma and the Tohoku region. The exterior concept design reproduces the copper plates used on the exterior walls of the former main house, which was washed away by the tsunami, and creates a new copper-plate scale wall. Over the years, the copper plate will change to the texture and color of the former main house. In addition, elements of tuna fishing boats have been extracted and curved windows and handrails have been incorporated into the architecture. concept design scope that we were in charge of included the exterior concept design, the first floor entrance, the second floor office, and the president's office and reception room on the third floor.

This is Japan's first permanent museum specializing in infectious diseases. With the theme of "connecting the past and present of infectious diseases to the future," this facility conveys the knowledge and experience humans have built up from the past to the present, as well as steps toward the future. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought back memories of the struggle between humans and infectious diseases, and it is expected that infectious diseases will continue to pose a threat to us in the future. In this context, the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum of Infectious Diseases is planned as a place where people can learn to "act correctly based on correct knowledge" regarding infectious diseases. The museum, which is a separate building from the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Hall, was renovated and made use of the track record of the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Foundation and the high level of expertise of the supervisors to differentiate it from the memorial hall. It consists of two displays rooms, and our company was involved in everything from architectural renovation to displays design and construction, as well as signage, content, and leaflet concept design.