What can we do now to create a city that creates new value?
At NTT Urban Development, we are sincerely addressing this question.
We have launched a new initiative.
It is an attempt to anticipate social changes and carve out a path to the future through design.
Three keywords derived from our "design vision"
About "Community," "History and Culture," and "Life and Work"
A dialogue between leading figures from various fields.
We will publish the details here.
The first installment of this commemorative series is a conversation on "community" between Tomoaki Kageyama, owner of Kurumido Coffee, who is working to create communities rooted in everyday life, and Yohei Sadoshima, editor and CEO of Cork, which manages online fan communities. They explore the types of communities that are needed today and the possibilities for new urban development.
Tomoaki Kageyama
(Kageyama Tomoaki)
Yohei Sadojima
(Yohei Sadoshima)
The first installment of this commemorative series is a conversation on "community" between Tomoaki Kageyama, owner of Kurumido Coffee, who is working to create communities rooted in everyday life, and Yohei Sadoshima, editor and CEO of Cork, which manages online fan communities. They explore the types of communities that are needed today and the possibilities for new urban development.
Tomoaki Kageyama
Owner of Kurumido Coffee and Kurumido Cafe. Born in Nishi-Kokubunji, Tokyo in 1973. After working at McKinsey & Company, he participated in the founding of a venture capital firm, and then founded Festina Rente Co., Ltd. In 2008, he built the multi-generational shared house Mage Nishi-Kokubunji on the land of his childhood home, and opened Kurumido Coffee on the first floor. In March 2017, he opened Kurumido Cafe in Kokubunji, and in July he opened the learning space "Kotojuku." His books include "Slow, Hurry" (Yamato Shobo). http://kurumed.jp/
Yohei Sadoshima
Editor and CEO of Cork Co., Ltd. Born in Tokyo in 1979. Joined the editorial department of Kodansha's Weekly Morning in 2002, where he was responsible for works such as Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond, Norifusa Mita's Dragon Zakura, and Moyoco Anno's Working Man. In 2012, he founded the author agency Cork, and helped develop Chuya Koyama's Space Brothers into a mega-hit that has sold over 16 million copies, leading to its adaptation into an anime TV series and a live-action film. He is also responsible for serializing novels such as Keiichiro Hirano's Matinee no Owari ni. http://corkagency.com
Items that symbolize each "community"
Items that symbolize each "community"
--Today, you have each brought three things that symbolize "community" to you. First, Kageyama-san, please explain each one.
--Today, you have each brought three things that symbolize "community" to you. First, Kageyama-san, please explain each one.
Kageyama
The first is a pop-up picture book that depicts my life as a child. Kurumido Coffee is located on the site of the house where I was born and raised, and picture book author Fumiko Daikoku has recreated that house in a 3D picture book. From the scenery inside the house to playing kick the can in the surrounding forest, it is a reflection of my inner self and also symbolizes the community.
Kageyama
The second DVD is by the New York-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (*1). It's an orchestra without a conductor, with all 26 members acting as leaders. It's fascinating to see how each member's insistence on how they want to play effectively "fights" with each other, eventually resulting in harmony. Naturally, no one is "being told to play." It's a kind of ideal community, and this DVD is packed with methodologies for creating something exceptional within a flat organization.
Finally, there is "Bunji" (*2), a local currency that can be used in Kokubunji. By writing a message in the speech bubble on the back of the ticket, you can express your gratitude to the other person. This creates an exchange between people who work with others in mind, like giving a gift, and those who receive it, and the intention is that this interaction will lead to town development in which each member of the community can become a protagonist. Even without special facilities or programs, we feel that if the exchange of money, work, and other things that surround us every day could be made more pleasant, our way of life would change dramatically. (*1) Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Official Website (English) http://orpheusnyc.org
(*2) Bunji Local Currency / Bunji Shopping District Association https://bunjis.jimdo.com
(*1) Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Official Website (English) http://orpheusnyc.org
(*2) Bunji Local Currency / Bunji Shopping District Association https://bunjis.jimdo.com
3D picture book by Fumiko Daikoku
"The House Across from the Sumo Forest"
(Kageyama's personal belongings)
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra DVD "Orpheus Chamber Orchestra" (Japanese subtitled version / sold by Geneon Entertainment / personal property of Mr. Kageyama)
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra DVD "Orpheus Chamber Orchestra" (Japanese subtitled version / sold by Geneon Entertainment / personal property of Mr. Kageyama)
──An orchestra in which everyone is a conductor is connected to the idea of decentralizing the center, and this local currency also seems like a new attempt to circulate feelings by writing messages on the back. Next, what item did you bring with you, Mr. Sadoshima?
──An orchestra in which everyone is a conductor is connected to the idea of decentralizing the center, and this local currency also seems like a new attempt to circulate feelings by writing messages on the back. Next, what item did you bring with you, Mr. Sadoshima?
Sado Island
The first is a tenugui towel modelled on the one given to customers by Kiyoha, the prostitute and protagonist of Anno Moyoco's work "Sakuran" (*3). Most conventional goods have pictures pasted onto them, but this is an attempt to create something that can actually be picked up from the story, and to communicate in a new way with the "Sakuran" fan community. Anno Moyoco Official Website "Sakuran" http://annomoyoco.com/comics/sakuran/ Anno Moyoco Official Website "Sakuran" http://annomoyoco.com/comics/sakuran/
Next up is the "SERIKA FUND" (*5), a project related to the manga "Space Brothers" (*4). ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a well-known incurable disease, attacks the nerves, causing loss of freedom of movement and eventually leading to death. However, due to the small number of patients, drug development has not progressed. In "Space Brothers," a female astronaut named "Serika" conducts experiments to treat ALS on the ISS (International Space Station). This fund was established to replicate this movement in real life. T-shirts and other merchandise are sold, with proceeds donated to researchers developing ALS treatments. If a new drug were to be developed in 2029, the same year as in the manga, it would be wonderful, as it would mean the world depicted by the author has become a reality.
Finally, there's a commemorative set packed in a cardboard box with the new Space Brothers book and merchandise. For example, since this volume is set on the moon's surface, the set includes a lunar surface-themed leisure mat. Readers can recreate the episode in which the main character, Mutta, stumbles while trying to take a giant step on the moon, leaving behind handprints instead of footprints (laughs). Furthermore, there's a doll of a character whose catchphrase is "Sorry to keep you waiting," which, if ordered, will be purposely delayed. Any Space Brothers fan would likely place the doll in their room, happily saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting." In other words, we're thinking of ways to create excitement within the community. (※4) Chuya Koyama's "Space Brothers" official website https://koyamachuya.com
(※5) Serika Fund Official Website https://landing-page.koyamachuya.com/serikafund
(※4) Chuya Koyama's "Space Brothers" official website https://koyamachuya.com
(※5) Serika Fund Official Website https://landing-page.koyamachuya.com/serikafund
A hand towel modeled after the one given to customers by Kiyoha, the main character of Moyoco Anno's "Sakuran"
(Planned and sold by Cork)
A hand towel modeled after the one given to customers by Kiyoha, the main character of Moyoco Anno's "Sakuran"
(Planned and sold by Cork)
T-shirts and silicone bands from the charity goods of the Serika Fund, an ALS awareness project inspired by an anecdote from a character in Space Brothers (sold by the Serika Fund)
T-shirts and silicone bands from the charity goods of the Serika Fund, an ALS awareness project inspired by an anecdote from a character in Space Brothers (sold by the Serika Fund)
──Everyone spends their days immersed in their favorite works, such as music or novels, and these works serve as a guide for those who belong to the community of that work to connect with themselves.
──Everyone spends their days immersed in their favorite works, such as music or novels, and these works serve as a guide for those who belong to the community of that work to connect with themselves.
RELATED PROJECTS
Harajuku Station Front Project
(Scheduled to open in 2020 / Design: Takenaka Corporation + Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects)
NTT Urban Development is planning to create a place in front of Harajuku Station called "A Hangout Spot Spinning into the Future," where people can interact and make unprecedented discoveries and experiences.
In 2020, Harajuku will evolve even further as a place to present new culture and creativity to the world.
Harajuku Station Front Project
(Scheduled to open in 2020 / Design: Takenaka Corporation + Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects)
NTT Urban Development is planning to create a place in front of Harajuku Station called "A Hangout Spot Spinning into the Future," where people can interact and make unprecedented discoveries and experiences.
In 2020, Harajuku will evolve even further as a place to present new culture and creativity to the world.
Tomoaki Kageyama
(Kageyama Tomoaki)
Owner of Kurumido Coffee and Kurumido Cafe. Born in Nishi-Kokubunji, Tokyo in 1973. After working at McKinsey & Company, he participated in the founding of a venture capital firm, and then founded Festina Rente Co., Ltd. In 2008, he built the multi-generational shared house Mage Nishi-Kokubunji on the land of his childhood home, and opened Kurumido Coffee on the first floor. In March 2017, he opened Kurumido Cafe in Kokubunji, and in July he opened the learning space "Kotojuku." His books include "Slow, Hurry" (Yamato Shobo). http://kurumed.jp/
Yohei Sadojima
(Yohei Sadoshima)
Editor and CEO of Cork Co., Ltd. Born in Tokyo in 1979. Joined the editorial department of Kodansha's Weekly Morning in 2002, where he was responsible for works such as Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond, Norifusa Mita's Dragon Zakura, and Moyoco Anno's Working Man. In 2012, he founded the author agency Cork, and helped develop Chuya Koyama's Space Brothers into a mega-hit that has sold over 16 million copies, leading to its adaptation into an anime TV series and a live-action film. He is also responsible for serializing novels such as Keiichiro Hirano's Matinee no Owari ni. http://corkagency.com