Future Creation Institute displays sustainable initiatives at "Daikanyama Cooling Festival 2025" | Held at Daikanyama T-SITE from September 20th

NOMURA Co.,Ltd. 's research and development organization, the Institute for Future Creation, will be holding a "Sustainable Festival" as part of the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival 2025," which will be held at Daikanyama T-SITE from September 20th (Sat) to 28th (Sun), 2025.

The Daikanyama Soryo Festival 2025 is now in its fourth year, hosted by the Daikanyama Shopping Association, which includes Daikanyama T-SITE, and the Daikanyama Soryo Festival Executive Committee. This year, the theme is "TSUNAGU (connecting)," incorporating kindness and evolving into a festival that connects people, the community, and the future. Furthermore, while cherishing Daikanyama's culture and values, we will be implementing various sustainable initiatives to ensure that the festival can continue into the future as a local festival that nurtures children's smiles and the future of the town.

The Institute for Future Creation is also working on the possibilities of sustainable concept design in spaces through its R&D activities. In support of the purpose of this event, we will be exhibiting sustainable initiatives themed on "local community" and "circularity," such as illuminations powered by plant energy, a stamp rally displays sounds from Daikanyama, the installation of speakers made from recycled materials, and the measurement of CO₂ emissions from the festival.

Our exhibit details

■What you can do with a little electricity
Through collaboration with Green Display's botanical light technology, this project aims to create a future where plants and people interact with each other, creating richer spaces. As part of this initiative, we will be conducting a demonstration experiment using a prototype light that uses a small amount of electricity generated by the activity of plants and microorganisms. We hope you will enjoy these small illuminations, which will bring people and plants closer together, encourage interaction, and spark conversation.

■SOUND SEEK powered by oto rea
This is an experience using "oto rea," an audio MR (mixed reality) platform service jointly developed by NOMURA Co.,Ltd. and GATARI. Using a smartphone and headphones, you will walk around the city and search for sounds placed in a virtual space. In a three-dimensional sound environment, you will collect sounds that evoke the feeling of "festival" and "summer" scattered throughout the various venues of the Cool Summer Festival. A souvenir will be provided to those who complete the entire experience.

■SCRAPTURE(SCRAP MATERIAL UPCYCLE PROJECT)
As a medium that connects through discarding, this product was created as message art that appeals to emotions and memories by making interiors related waste, which is usually hidden from view, feel more familiar. By upcycling it into new interiors materials for the next generation and expanding the circle of co-creation, it aims to be a practical and sustainable way of conveying a message, different from the traditional message of scrap and build, and to serve as a catalyst for thinking about a better future. Winner of the Gold Award at the "Sky Design Awards 2023" (Multimedia & Visual included Exhibition category), the Gold Award and the Yui Tezuka Award at the "57th Japan Sign concept design Awards," and others.

■noon by material record
"noon by material record" is a set of six speakers and a vacuum tube amplifier that incorporate a variety of sustainable materials. The differences in the materials, such as construction waste, pieces of plastic washed up on the beach, denim offcuts, discarded candy packaging, and discarded green peas, are reflected in the individual sounds, creating an opportunity to focus attention on the stories behind the materials and resources.

■ Napping Chair
The Napping Chair was developed primarily for children aged 4-6 who have outgrown strollers, allowing them to easily take naps while out and about. Children of this age can recover their energy even with just a short nap, but there are few chairs large enough to lie down in, and letting them sleep on benches is often frowned upon. Therefore, this chair was concept design with a focus on "napping" rather than "sitting." We hope that this item will become widespread in communities as a way to make family outings more enjoyable.

■Mori/ Machi: Wood concept design Created with Local Producers
NOMURA Co.,Ltd. Ltd. is collaborating with the Nishikawa Forestry Area in Hannō City, Saitama Prefecture, to promote the economic cycle of local production areas and contribute to the future of forestry by creating rich spaces using timber from nearby production areas. They also hold production area experience events and conduct "Hand Design" activities where concept design are conceived from the materials themselves. This time, they will be exhibiting Nishikawa Baum's "Pillar Bench," which uses semi-dried pillar timber and replaces the pillars once they are dry. Please come and experience the fresh scent of cypress wood.

■ Proposing delicious, fun and sustainable food
For a limited time, we will be selling sustainable shaved ice made with original syrup using non-standard fruit that would have been discarded. The Food Loss Group of the Nomura Medias Social Good Council, which works under the theme of "Saving Food in a Fun Way," worked with Anjin to create the syrup. We are spreading environmentally friendly ideas, starting with simple steps, so that you can contribute to reducing food waste while enjoying delicious food.