Hi everyone, my name is Aiba from D& DEPARTMENT.
I'd like to give a brief introduction of myself. I was born in Shiga prefecture and grew up in Osaka
There was also a S&DEPARTMENT store in Osaka
But it closed this year
After this store, I came to Tokyo to be in charge of the company.
We create carious stores in different areas including Tokyo
Is there anyone who has been there?
Oh, actually about half of the people here have been there.
Well today, as I think just by going to the stores
it is hard to tell what happens at the backend
So I would like to talk about what goes on that could easily be understood by everyone
Today, I would like to talk about 3 main things
The first is, since about 20 years ago, we have searched for design that lasts a long time around Japan
We would bring this and showcase it from our stores
We would try to tell the story behind the craftsmanship
We had set up places to sell in each location, and I'd like to get into some of the activities that we've gotten into
At the same time as having these places to sell, we also look into the characteristics and appeal of each prefecture
We actually also worked the designs of a tourism guidebook
I'd also like to talk more about this also.
But another one is, as mentioned earlier is in the 8th floor of the Hikarie building
We have created a museum for products in 47 prefectures
I'd like to get more into this.
All of these 3 are connected, and we have also progressed with these projects by doing some field work
We would have realizations like "this is the kind of society we've become" or "we need this kind of perspective"
while we progress through the project, and it would be nice if we can get into these things too
In 2000, we started our main store in Tokyo
Back then, there were a lot of hype on new design
New designs were being sought after, and they were thought to be very fun and exciting
In this kind of era, we had suddenly come in and start a store with about 661 sqm in size
We had it in Okusawa in Tokyo, and it was store filled with only second hand items
We had collected items from different recycle shops around Japan
There would be items that were being sold for 50 Yen in the recycle shops that were actually worth 5,000 Yen
This is something we can talk about if we get into the cost rate
But, the value of items is that
Just because something is new, it does not mean that it has quality
There can be your own judgement whether something is good
I think that the way of choosing is important when building up a store
In the store there is the shop area and the cafe area
On a daily basis, we have them use the things in the cafe
And these are the things that we choose
It does look normal when you look at it
But for example, within typical looking items in Japan and around the world
I think that good design exists in normal things
We also find that there are good products made through traditional industry
Also, in the actual operation, even in products where the design
is made from someone anonymous, there are many that can be used for a long time
There are also great recycled or second hand products
While we select the products we sell
We consider longevity as one of our standard when choosing a product
So, how do we actually decide which products have a design that allows it to be used for a long time
We've created criterias in choosing every product
There are 5 criteria, and let's take a look at each one of them
We only deal with items that we've witness all its production process
One thing is that we want to see its background
But we also what the producers to know what we are trying to do
There are these two reasons, and because we create a relationship, I think this is where we are able to send a message
I believe a lot of you also go to interior shops
Usually, they change products by the next year
With all the products that they handle, I doubt that the staff use most of the products
On the other hand, we have chosen to sell products for decades making sure that we actually use them
We only choose items that we think we can sell for 10 years 20 years
Most of the products we sell are being used by our staff
And we only select items that are really good
We would sometimes meet with the president of a manufacturer
and persistently ask them if they really have the intention to continue and produce the item
Of course, it has to be robust and also easy to fix
So, for example, our stores have very few electronic products
These items have model changes, and they continue to be improved
There are many that we cannot know how many years they will be used
There are also many manufacturers that do not have a proper warranty system
This is why we consider if the design is structures so that it is easy to fix or repair
We put great importance on this
Also, we also look for items that can be passed on to one person to another that may need it more
One criteria is also whether we can take the item back and resell it again
For this reason, if the items are no longer needed, we take back most of them
We also repair and resell the items again
The products displayed have black circles with number in them
What is this
This is how many years has passed since the design was born
It is the age of the item. This stove that many of you may know is already 80 years old.
Even after 80 years, there are those who think that it is new or is a good item.
To rephrase this, there are people who use this since 80 years ago.
We believe that there are really good design in long living products that is proven by time
This is our belief in long life design
So, how many years it has been around is an important factor
But, it doesn't mean that it is bad if it has only been around for a year or two
For items that are a year or two, we hope choose them with the hope for them to continue for decades in the future
This is the kind of things we do
When you see time tested designs, they all have some things in common.
We would filter out these commonalities and created 10 rules
We had come up with 10 things that we think the story behind a long life design
Let's look at each one of them, one is being able to repair it as we mentioned earlier.
Another is that when selling, it must be sold by people who will sell it in their store forever, or else it will not last long
Also, the creators must have love for what they make, there is also the usability and functionality
There is also the safety and whether it uses dangerous chemicals
Production planning is very important
When a product becomes popular
And production quantity increases, but if it doesn't sell
Production stops. This is how products disappear
Regardless of how much it sells for a certain period
The manufacturer's attitude that allows continuous production of a certain period os very important
If these elements do not exists, many will only deteriorate after it becomes popular
Ant the 8th is the user. The consumer that will use it must have the intention to use it
Of course, considering the environment is also key
The 10th is design. It must be beautiful.
Often we are ask how we choose a long life design
We choose using the 5 criteria we saw earlier
But many ask what it is in a form
And our conclusion is that it not just the shape or form
The form is only one element of many that we look into when choosing
We think that elements aside from the form of it is very important
There are elements that cannot be fit in the criteria that were mentioned
There are the selling and the users that we talked about earlier
The users and where it will be sold are important elements to make something long lasting
Thinking of how the places the items are sold
How can it be sold that it will sell for a long time
To think about these things, is why we started stores
There are also 47 prefectures
I think that it is necessary to have 1 in each prefecture
It is our activity to convey this way of thinking
Since we thought we would not be able to do this without setting up a lot of shops
Little by little we have been building shops in different areas
Both abroad and locally, we have about 11, 10, since we do not have it in Osaka anymore we have 10.
From Hokkaido to Okinawa in the South, and we have 1 in Seoul abroad.
One of the most famous shop is in Sapporo.
Here is says Hokkaido x Design company 3KG
What this is is that it is similar to a franchise
But we don't really feel like it is a franchise in that
It is an activity where we look for local partners
The reason is that, if it isn't ran by a person who feels strongly about the place
We don't think the business will last a very long time
If we go outside of Tokyo
To start a store
When the business doesn't go well, then we will close it down
But we keep on operating in this mindset, the stores will not last long
Of course, the message will not successfully be conveyed to the locals
And we wanted to have locals operate it as much as possible
We started the project with the concept where the local companies would be involved
And, many different people do this
In Hokkaido, a design company handles the store
In Toyama prefecture, the prefectural office get together to operate it
In Yamanashi, the broadcasting company YBS is the owner and the staff also involved in the store
In Kyoto, it is a university
The Kyoto University of Art and Design runs it
This store targets students
While they also created a curriculum for its students that seeks out what long life design is
We would also have student presentations inside the store
As you can see, the store theme also changes depending on the owner
We also have a store that is by a temple
We try to choose a location that will fit in to the atmosphere of the land
In Kagoshima, we are inside a department store
In each store
We try to find out ways on how to transcend our message to our customer
I would like to mention 3 things
First of all, we want them to learn about the producers, so we really conduct workshops
This is called Chuusen, and it is a way of dyeing clothes
We would have workshops of this
This is wax tree material, we also made candles using the wax tree material
By this, when the customers try to create with their own hands
Not only do they enjoy the products, but they become fans of the producers
One should really have the love in something to be able to continue using it
We really work on creating this feeling
Of course each store has things of other prefectures
For the people in the region, thanks to having D&Department in each region
There are also efforts made when other regions would work on together on similarities
Since there is a cafe, most of the food prepared here are chosen by us in person
We try to use and prepare ingredients that are usually hand picked
There are also interactions made between producers that has also become some kind of market in the store
When you go to each region, it isn't only materials and things that last long
But also festivals and other cultural aspects
This is a festival called Yamakasa in Fukuoka
Our store there is in the area where the Yamakasa is held, we are required to participate
As part of the tradition, we had to sacrifice we let one of our staff participate
Wearing a fundoshi and participating in the festival
We participate in these things and in each region
As our part in promoting something that has been around for a long time, we must adapt
We also do this inside the stores
The fact that we sell things that are made, we also have the responsibility
to have these products used for a long time
On the next event we have works on how to sharpen a knife and how to maintain them
There are also workshops on how to reupholster a chair
It is inevitable that our products get damaged
after 5 to 10 years
These things can be recycled again
We also make efforts in recycle and reuse
As mentioned earlier, we started as a recycle shop
We picked items that we thought had value from around the country and resell them
All the shopping bags we use in the stores are from recycled material
What this is is that the customers will always have excess shopping bags at home
Customers bring it in a bulk to us
We would put a tape around it and reuse it
We also change the top board of school desk from elementary schools
The reutilization is also something we work on
We visit different local cloths
Usually clothes are made to order
There will always be some excess
It is hard to sell them since they are ordered
by companies
So when their licenses expire what we do is
Since we get excess of half measures
When we go to the manufacturer there are a lot of left overs
We needed to do something
We turn them to toto bags to reuse
We would also have wool together
And put it together like this
Turn it into rugs, and reuse it in this way
Other than that, we also publish books and sell them
When it comes to the distribution ofbooks,
Maybe a lot of you are familiar with this
When it comes to the distribution of books, book stores work with no risk
What this is that if they aren't able to sell it they can return in to the publisher
They can give it back for free
There is a continuous flow of items going back
When this happens often
The books often get damaged in the process
What this is is that the books created by publishers with a lot love
becomes damages and loses its value, and as people who create
This is something we want to avoid. When we have damaged products
We put the recycle mark in it
And we sell it at the same price
The inside isn't damaged
The information hasn't aged yet
These are the sort of efforts we work on in re-distributing
There are many buyers that want to buy this over others even at the same price
With this, when there are shops in the region
There are many buyers who would choose to buy there
We are in an era where you can immediately purchase almost anything
What the background behind an item is something
an increasing number of people want to know about
This is something we observe while running the stores
To think of what the charm or uniqueness of land is
We create sightseeing guidebooks
We publish one for each prefecture. We now have 21
And we have conditions for selecting. The land must have a unique charm to it
The important message of the land must be conveyed
If the locals of the land are involved
With these critera
We pickup places based on these
Since the locals are the best sources
We have workshops with locals
All the content that was brought in there
We have the editors live in the area for 2 months to conduct interviews
Why is it for 2 months
If not live there and do field work for 2 months
We will not be able to see the real side of the land
We can do search on it
We are not able to see the beauty of living the land
So, we personally go and explore the area
To give more examples
There is a wine cafe that plans out to promote wine tourism in Yamanashi
Also efforts to rejuvenate traditional handcrafts
When we find these stores
There are shops that serve hunting cuisine with traditional chinas but in a new and refreshing way
Through telling the story of the land, we might introduce places that have accommodation
Even if we choose one place at time around Japan
We meet key persons that are active in each area
These people would make recommendations, and continue to ask on
It is the same information
But the way it was shared, by learning through empathizing with each other
This is a process that takes by staying in the area for 2 months
With typical tourist magazines, places that will be featured are preset
Through searching on the Internet
They decide where to go beforehand and then go into field work
I think that there are a lot of things that they cannot do
That is where I think we put importance
In a few categories, we only pick the places that were great and share them
When the book is done, we have a publishing party
Since we lived in the place for 2 months
We establish deeper friendships with the people we meet
The parties become very lively, and people who meet create lasting relationships
When we bring these books around the area
When people find out people know the book it we create great connections
At times we end up collaborating
And we think that it is becomes we created these that these things happen
It is something that we find very interesting
Through creating the book, we really got to see a lot of beautiful places
I think that a lot of you have been to many different places
But in all the places there is always a unique charm to the place
I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a place where you can see all these charms that the different places have
We wanted to plan according to this and decided to build a museum
This is a museum where you can see all 47 prefectures
It will be starting
But before this, in our D&DEPARMTMENT stores
we had a small exhibition for all 47 prefectures
We did this in the exhibition NIPPON VISION
While we collect the items from each local area, we used a part of the shop to put a big table with all 47 prefectures
An executive from Matsuya Ginza saw this
And had offered if we wanted to do this at their venue
When we reintroduced the exhibition dedicating 1 table to 1 prefecture
We felt that we were able to create 1 whole format
We wanted to find a place where we can permanently place this setup
We've created something like this in Shibuya Hikarie's 8th floor
This is the current museum that we have
This is the picture of the current exhibition
We go to the locals and borrow actual items from people we know
They really help us out in unimaginable ways
There was an Izakaya restaurant that lent their shop curtains
We would wonder what they use while they lend it to us
They probably came up with something
We think that we were able to borrow something this precious because of the relationship we established
This is an example of the things we do
Since the opening there has been 47 tables
We also do events for each region with different keywords
There is an exhibit for 47 young craft artists
There is also the exhibit for the craft brewery of 47 prefectures
Other than that, there are also events we organize with outside creators
This is a local supermarket
There are also supermarkets unique to the area
We made it so that you can experience this
I think many know what Good Design Show is
If we divided something like this into 47 prefectures, we can experiment on how it will be seen as
This is something we continue to do
We also do other events and create illustration book together
This is the graphic designers
There would be accessories
We see all 47 prefectures through different themes
This is our P to P store
We have a video here, so why don't we look at it
In terms of shopping, I think there are a lot of interest on the social contribution it creates
P to P store means problem to product
We collect products that were born from regional issues in the 47 prefectures
The buyers would buy the product together with these issues
For example, Yamagata prefecture is over 70% in proportion in forested land
Due to the demand in wood decreasing, there aren't many workers in the field
Which puts the mountains in a bad state
We would have tours in the mountains and use thinned wood to create products
By bringing in a design perspective, we turn something negative to positive and bring new value
Regional issues are actually very hard
How much we feel it close to us is the challenge
By bringing it to your homes, we hope that consumers can be connected to these issues for a long time
We want consumers to find a product they like and experience the charm of each item
We open exhibitions where we try to convey different messages of "long lasting" in each event
We also have an event where we investigate what would happen if we created a convenience store with products from all 47 prefectures
We created an actual convenience store inside the gallery
We also run a shop next to the museum
This is a tour we setup that we collaborated with people we met during the creation of D Design Travel
Since we've established a relationship where we lend each other various things
A lot of weird things are put here
A lot of things that tell the story of that land
Not only the products, but a lot of items that tell the background of the item
There are many things that visitors will find interesting
The staff also tell story behind them
And explain their background
A lot of people we've met would also visit
We also still continue to do workshops
Next to it is a cafeteria, it is a cafeteria for all 47 prefectures
We would personally go through the areas, and order each ingredient to make into a set menu
We really actually go ourselves
I have gone on a boat and saw the actual fish that would be sent to the cafeteria
It could be the vegetables or the seafood, and even the meat we use
We would also ask local mothers to teach us how to make local dishes
What really is happening to local dishes is that
It is slowly disappearing
In reality it has been diminishing
Even looking at local dishes sold, there are a lot of those with additives and chemical seasoning
We try to make a recipe that excludes these things
By replacing it with the original recipe
There are many in different techniques and tradition of regions that remains in food
We try to express this through the menu that we prepare in the store
This is also the set menu that is on the magazine
In the book, there is a page for the set dishes
We provide this experience of tasting the set dishes of each prefecture
There are also various other set meals
If you can see, the one on the bottom left, there is the Shizuoka set meal
This is the menu we have in Hikarie at Shibuya
We would always have a get together with the participants in the 47 prefectures
When we have these, from being a simple supplier and merchant relationship
The producers gains its network
The 47 prefectures unite with one theme, and their network expands
From this, a new business can also be born
I also thought that these are interesting things
when we conduct these activities
We currently have the Shizuoka exhibition until July 30th
If you have the time, we would love for you to visit
That is all, Thank you
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