Announcement August 27, 2026

Sta.R (Station R), a Creative Hub Centered on Creativity, Circularity, and Culture, Opens in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama

Artiql Inc. (Minato, Tokyo; Co-CEOs: Yu Kato, Hideyuki Arifuku, Daijiro Kake), which operates the circular city transition platform “Circular Yokohama” in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Route Design LLC (Fujimi, Nagano; Representative: Kao Tsuda), which operates “PILE,” a coworking space for creatives, have announced that their joint collaborative body, the Creative Circular City Collective, is partnering with the City of Yokohama, Sagami Railway Co., Ltd., Sotetsu Urban Creates Co., Ltd., and Sotetsu Building Management Co., Ltd. to open a new creative hub for circular culture, “Sta.R (Station R),” starting Monday, August 24.

What Is Sta.R (Station R)?

Sta.R (Station R) is a creative hub for circular culture built around the concepts of Creativity, Circularity, and Culture, located inside the Sotetsu Main Line’s “Hoshikawa” station in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama. The facility is designated as one of the City of Yokohama’s creative hubs—part of its Creative City policy initiative—and marks the first such hub to be established outside the central waterfront area.

Background

As a wide range of environmental and social challenges come to the fore—including the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and resource-driven conflicts—Yokohama, a major consumption hub with a population of approximately 3.7 million, is called upon to transition toward a circular city (circular economy city) rooted in a more sustainable lifestyle, going beyond industry and technological innovation to effect change at the cultural level. At the same time, in addressing these deeply intertwined challenges and realizing a more sustainable urban future, the creativity of each individual citizen, community connections, and the arts—which bring new perspectives to people—serve as powerful drivers of transformation. With this in mind, the Creative Circular City Collective has set its vision on a “Creative Circular City” at the intersection of the creative city and the circular city. The collective aims to build a culture in which every person and every resource is valued, with each individual connected to Yokohama channeling their own creativity to spread kindness and excitement throughout the city. It is this vision that led to the establishment of Sta.R as a place that embodies these ideals.

The name “Sta.R (Station R)” carries the aspiration to redefine the value of a station—from a high-convenience transit point to a convivial destination—through the “R” that symbolizes circularity (Respect, Repair, Remake, Recycle, and more), and to create a place that shines a light on the creativity within each citizen, like the “star (星, hoshi)” in Hoshikawa.

Three Core Functions of Sta.R

Sta.R will permanently house three facilities: a “Material Library” collecting waste materials and circular materials from the local area, including bio-based and recycled resources; “Я gallery,” a gallery where visitors can view and present artworks themed around circularity; and “Re:store,” a shop featuring circular goods, items, and works from the local community. Going forward, the hub will also host talk events and school programs on themes such as circularity, sustainability, culture and the arts, design, and creativity, as well as workshops for upcycling and repairing waste materials, art festivals, and more.

Material Library

The Material Library is a library of materials—collecting waste materials from the local community as well as circular materials such as bio-based and recycled resources. It brings together unique materials that can be used for upcycling, crafting, independent research projects, and more. Through encounters with materials that blur the line between waste and resource and spontaneously spark the urge to create, the library generates new cycles of resources and excitement within the community.

Я gallery

Я gallery is a gallery that offers perspectives for “rethinking things”—through Rethink, Research, Respond, React, Reveal, and more—in response to the circular “R” practices championed by the Material Library: Reuse, Remake, Recycle, Respect, and Regenerate. The reversed “R” of “Я” embodies the meaning of looking anew at existing values, social structures, and our relationships with materials, and discovering new possibilities. Realizing a circular society requires not only the actual circulation of resources, but also a questioning of the underlying ideas and values that make it possible. Я gallery will develop programming that critically examines existing concepts through art, design, and research, generating new perspectives and dialogue in society.

Re:store

Re:store features circular goods, upcycled products, and artworks created in various communities, primarily within Yokohama. It offers creative items that make it easy and enjoyable to incorporate a circular lifestyle into everyday life.

Sta.R Facility Overview

・Name: Sta.R (Station R)
・Opening Date: Monday, August 24, 2026
・Opening Hours: Weekdays: 11:00–20:00, Weekends: 10:00–19:00
・Closed: Public holidays, every Tuesday, and year-end/New Year period (Opening hours and closed days are subject to change due to events and exhibition schedules. Please check the official website before visiting.)
・Address: 2F, Hoshiten qlay Zone B, 1-1-1 Hoshikawa, Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa (across from qlaytion gallery)
・Access: Directly connected to “Hoshikawa Station” on the Sotetsu Main Line (approx. 1 minute walk from the ticket gates)
・Operating Organization: Creative Circular City Collective (Artiql Inc. / Route Design LLC)
・Official Website: https://stationr.yokohama
・Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/station_r_hoshikawa/
・Partners: City of Yokohama, Sagami Railway Co., Ltd., Sotetsu Urban Creates Co., Ltd., Sotetsu Building Management Co., Ltd.

The Sta.R Space

The Sta.R space, themed around circularity, culture, and creativity, was realized through the collaboration of various partners both inside and outside Yokohama. In designing and constructing the space and its furnishings, the team combined waste materials and deadstock items gathered from within and beyond the local area with DIY elements, striving to minimize environmental impact while maximizing circularity.

Design: ON design partners (Naka Ward, Yokohama)
Construction: Fukuzawa Co., Ltd. (Asahi Ward, Yokohama)
Furniture & Interior Design: Yuta Matsuda (Creative Director)
Circular Collaboration Partners:
・City of Yokohama: Upcycled gymnasium flooring “REYO,” and more
・Shimizu Shoko Co., Ltd. (Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama): Upcycled fire hose curtains
・Shonan Boeki Co., Ltd. (Nishi Ward, Yokohama): Upcycled furniture made from plastic bottle caps
・Takematsu Shoji Co., Ltd. (Naka Ward, Yokohama): Reused furniture
・Nite Hi Works (General Incorporated Association, Naka Ward, Yokohama): Upcycled art from everyday objects
・Well99 Co., Ltd. (Kohoku Ward, Yokohama): Reused handrails and timber
・Jizoku Kano na Suwa Shigen Junkan Kenkyukai [Self-Sustaining Suwa Resource Circulation Study Group] (Suwa, Nagano): Reused glass (Я gallery)
・ELAB / fog Co., Ltd. (Taito, Tokyo): Reused furniture
・Nikko Co., Ltd. (Hakusan, Ishikawa): Deadstock tiles
・Green Flag Co., Ltd. (Nishinomiya, Hyogo): Recycled fiber felt board made from waste textiles

Comments on the Opening of Sta.R

Yu Kato, Representative Director, Artiql Inc.

“I am truly delighted that, with the support of so many people—including the City of Yokohama and Sagami Railway—we have been able to open ‘Sta.R’ together with the team at Route Design, who have been creating a new creative scene in Yokohama from their base at ‘PILE’ in Tenmachi. In working toward a circular society where every resource and every person is valued, I have always felt that what matters most is the creativity of each individual—the ability to shift one’s perspective and find ways to make reality better with what already exists—places where diverse people can meet and rediscover each other’s value, and the power of culture to spread these values beyond mere economic rationality. In that sense, Sta.R, with its concepts of creativity, circularity, and culture, is precisely the place that embodies the future we want to realize. I look forward wholeheartedly to building, together with people from within and beyond the community, spaces, neighborhoods, and a city where connections form between people, between people and nature, and between the present and the future—through art, upcycling, and more—and where kindness and excitement circulate freely.”

Kao Tsuda, Representative, Route Design LLC

“It was in 2023 that we launched ‘PILE,’ a coworking space for creatives, on the Tenmachi station side of Hoshiten qlay. Since opening, artists and creatives centered in Yokohama have gathered there, and through daily trial and error, a wealth of creative projects and communities have taken root.

Now, at the neighboring Hoshikawa Station, we have been able to realize ‘Sta.R’ together with the Artiql team—a new facility featuring a ‘Material Library’ where visitors can encounter materials and products that stimulate creativity, and ‘Я gallery,’ a space for sharing works and ideas. I feel that this adds a new dimension of meaning to the line connecting the two stations: a new flow of creativity.

I hope that both PILE and Sta.R will grow not only into places that spark new forms of expression and connection for creatives, but also into ‘creative departure and arrival points’ for all citizens—places that bring fresh perspectives and discoveries to everyday life through encounters with materials, products, and art.”

Osamu Nishida, Representative, ON design partners Co., Ltd.

“Sta.R, opening along the Sotetsu Line corridor of ‘Hoshiten qlay’ that connects Yokohama’s waterfront with its inland areas, is a hub for thinking about the circular society of the future. Named a ‘station,’ this place encompasses exchange, learning, exhibition, production, and encounter—a complex facility for implementation and experimentation. I look forward to co-creating the future of Sta.R: a crossroads that unravels the cycles of society, connects Yokohama’s coast and suburbs, and sparks new creation.”

Opening Celebration Events

Sta.R will host a series of opening celebration events following the hub’s launch on Monday, August 24. We hope to see you there.

Saturday, August 29, 11:00–16:00: Sta.R Opening Celebration – Furniture-Making Workshop

To celebrate the opening of Sta.R, we will hold an upcycling workshop where local community members can join us in making furnishings for the hub using waste materials.

※ An event registration page will be published on Peatix from August 10 onward.

Tuesday, September 1, 15:00–21:00: Sta.R Opening Celebration – Talk Event

To celebrate the opening of Sta.R, we will host a talk event to introduce the new hub and express our gratitude to everyone who was involved in its establishment.

※ An event registration page will be published on Peatix from August 10 onward.

Saturday, September 19: Sta.R Fes & Я gallery 1st Exhibition

On September 19, under the banner of “Sta.R Fes,” we will hold events and workshops exploring the products and circular materials available at Sta.R alongside their makers, as well as the inaugural exhibition of artist works at Я gallery.

Я gallery 1st Exhibition “circle to circle” by Mikiko Kamada

Mikiko Kamada—who successfully presented work at the signature pavilion “Adventure of Life Circulating” at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai—presents “circle to circle,” an exhibition expressing the processes of material circulation, developed as GREEN EXPO approaches next year. This exhibition will inaugurate Я gallery, which opens in 2026 as a relay point in the EXPO to EXPO journey (Osaka → Yokohama).

– ARTIST PROFILE –
Mikiko Kamada
Artist / Plants Director / Ph.D. (Agriculture)
Representative, Rokkakuke LLC.
Official: https://mikikokamada.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikiko_kamada/

Kamada completed her doctoral program at the Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University. Drawing on a background in life sciences, she moved from a product development role in manufacturing into practice as a plants director, leveraging her academic expertise. In 2015, she unveiled “Tanicushion.”—a cushion reproducing the appeal of succulents as an indoor greening tool—and “Iwai-bana,” a cushion expressing celebratory floral arrangements. She currently researches the reconstruction of the relationship between plants and people, and the importance of soil and plants in urban environments, while working toward the creation of nature-positive urban environments. She also continues expressive activities as part of this ongoing inquiry. At the art fair “GRADATION Daikanyama” held in 2019, her installation “officce utopia”—which transformed an office into a space of plants, for plants—attracted widespread attention. In 2020, she held her first solo exhibition, “(in)visible forest,” at Art for Thought gallery in Ginza, realizing an attempt to make invisible life forms visible. In 2021, she held the participatory exhibition “flower compost” at TRUNK (HOTEL), designed to instill in participants an understanding of Earth’s cycles and a heightened awareness of circularity. She also exhibited “TIMELESS⇄flowercompost” at “END Exhibition: Death × Technology × Future = ?” held at ANB Tokyo in Roppongi—a spatial work that visualizes the steps of decomposition as flowers are broken down by microorganisms, while being designed so that viewers, as living beings in a state of positive change, inevitably appear within the piece. At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, she exhibited “Mugen Metamorphose” at the signature pavilion “Adventure of Life Circulating,” a work expressing the interconnectedness of life on Earth and the processes of material circulation, which was warmly received by many visitors.

About the Creative Circular City Collective

The Creative Circular City Collective is a collaborative body formed by Artiql Inc. and Route Design LLC. As a partner organization of the City of Yokohama, it operates “Sta.R (Station R)”—the first creative hub to be established outside the central waterfront area.

About Artiql Inc.

Artiql Inc. is a future design company (B Corp) operating three business divisions: a media division (IDEAS FOR GOOD, Circular Economy Hub, Zenbird, and others), a futures design division (Futures Design Lab), and a place division (operating Sta.R). In collaboration with partners across Japan and around the world, Artiql develops information dissemination, design, and co-creation programs in the fields of sustainability and social innovation. In Yokohama, it has operated the circular city transition media platform “Circular Yokohama” since 2020. In 2025, it received the Grand Prize in the Corporate Category at the 31st Yokohama Environmental Activity Award. In 2026, it received the “2nd Kanagawa Decarbonization Grand Prize” from Kanagawa Prefecture. It holds Superior status under the City of Yokohama’s SDGs certification program “Y-SDGs.”

Company Overview

Company Name: Artiql Inc.
Registered Address: Room 302, 3F, Moto-Akasaka East, 1-7-18 Moto-Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo
Representative Directors: Yu Kato / Hideyuki Arifuku / Daijiro Kake
Official URL: https://artiql.jp

About Route Design LLC

Route Design LLC is a project design team operating from two bases: the Yatsugatake area of Nagano Prefecture and Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Positioning its social mission as “charting an ‘alternative route’ unconstrained by existing conventions and common sense,” the team takes a comprehensive approach to the diverse challenges faced by communities and cities, individuals and organizations alike—from vision development to service design and creative direction. Through operating the coworking spaces “Fujimi Mori no Office” (Fujimi, Nagano) and “PILE -a collaborative studio-” (Yokohama, Kanagawa), the team forms project groups with skilled individuals and brings a wide variety of projects to life. Beyond client work, it actively pursues projects that take action on themes essential for the future, including work styles, health, and environmental issues.

Official URL: https://routedesign.net/
PILE -a collaborative studio- URL: https://pile.yokohama/