A special talk event commemorating the opening of Sta.R. Exploring the future of Yokohama as a creative city through the themes of “circulation” and “culture.”
On August 24, “Sta.R (Station R)” will open inside Hoshikawa Station on the Sotetsu Main Line. Sta.R is the first creative hub in the urban waterfront area established as part of the City of Yokohama’s creative city policy.
Sta.R (Station R) is a circular culture creation hub built on the concept of Creativity × Circularity × Culture. A corner of the station that had long sat unused will be transformed into a space where visitors can enjoy art, design, upcycling, and more. Sta.R aims to build a culture in which every person and every resource is valued — one where each individual connected to the community draws on their own creativity to circulate kindness and excitement throughout the city.
The “Hoshiten Meguru Art Festival 2026,” held in March 2026 in the Sta.R space prior to construction
To celebrate the opening of Sta.R, we will be hosting a talk event on September 1. The event will begin with an introduction to the background behind Sta.R’s establishment and an overview of its functions and facilities, followed by a special guest panel talk session on the themes of creativity, circularity, and culture and the arts. A networking reception will also be held to give attendees the opportunity to connect with one another. Sta.R is not a finished hub — it is a place we hope to build and grow together with the local community. We warmly invite you to join us for the launch of this new space.
*Those wishing to attend the talk event are asked to register in advance on this page (free admission; single ticket valid for both Part 1 and Part 2).
Event Overview
・Event name: Creative Circular City – Envisioning the Future of Yokohama from the Intersection of Creativity, Circularity, and Culture –
・Date & time: Tuesday, September 1, 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Doors open at 3:30 PM)
・Venue: Sta.R (Station R)
・Address: 1-1-1 Hoshikawa, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Hoshiten qlay Zone B, 2nd Floor
・Access: Directly connected to Hoshikawa Station on the Sotetsu Main Line, 1-minute walk (Exit through the ticket gates, turn left, and walk straight ahead. The space will be visible on your left at the end of the corridor.)
・Capacity: 50 people
・Admission: Free (Panel talks require advance registration. Please register on this page.)
・Organizer: Creative Circular City Collective (Artiql Inc. / Route Design LLC)
※ Please note: Photos and videos will be taken inside the venue for documentation purposes. These may be used in promotional materials and on social media. If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform a staff member on the day.
Day-of Schedule
3:30 PM: Doors open
4:00 PM: Opening
4:10 PM: Opening remarks (City of Yokohama / Hodogaya Ward)
4:20 PM: Introduction to Sta.R (Creative Circular City Collective)
4:40 PM: Part 1 – Panel Talk “Creativity × Circularity: How Can Sta.R Create Circulation?”
Speakers:
・City of Yokohama, Vitality, Sports and Culture Bureau
・Tsukasa Nishida (Representative, ON design partners)
・Yoshio Tsuda (Representative, Route Design LLC / Managing Representative, PILE -A collaborative studio-)
・Moderator: Yuko Nagano (Chief Design Officer, Artiql Inc.)
5:40 PM: Break
6:00 PM: Part 2 – Panel Talk “Creativity × Culture: How Can Sta.R Create Culture?”
Speakers:
・Taro Yasuzawa (Co-founder & Director, Cultars / Representative Director, Koinobori Co., Ltd.)
・Kei Fujieda (Co-founder & Representative Director, Cultars / Representative Director, Banryu Co., Ltd.)
・Yu Kato (Representative, Artiql Inc.)
・Moderator: Yoshio Tsuda (Representative, Route Design LLC / Managing Representative, PILE -A collaborative studio-)
7:00 PM: Closing
7:10 PM: Group photo
7:15 PM: Part 3 – Networking Reception
8:00 PM: End
8:30 PM: Full venue clearance
Featured Speakers
Daisuke Sonoda (City of Yokohama, Vitality, Sports and Culture Bureau, Creative City Promotion Division, Section Chief)
In his current role since fiscal year 2023, Sonoda oversees the expansion of the City of Yokohama’s creative city initiatives — which have primarily been concentrated in the urban waterfront area — into suburban districts. As a pioneering effort in this direction, he has been leading the exploration of how to utilize the administrative district around Hoshikawa Station on the Sotetsu Line, working to enhance the appeal of the area by leveraging local resources and the power of culture and the arts.
Tsukasa Nishida (Representative, ON design partners)
Born in 1976. Representative of ON design partners, which elevates users’ creativity through dialogue-based methods and pursues open, flat design across a wide range of architectural and public space projects. Nishida conducts experiments to explore the current state of places where people gather in cities and buildings. Notable projects include “Yokohama Apartment” (JIA New Face Award; Special Jury Award at the Venice Biennale), “Enoshima Yacht House” (Architectural Institute of Japan Works Selection Award), the community learning hub “Oki Kuni Learning Center” in Ama-cho, Shimane Prefecture, the post-disaster urban revitalization project “ISHINOMAKI 2.0” (Special Award, Regional Revitalization Grand Prize), and “THE BAYS and the Community Ballpark Vision.” He is also an Associate Professor at Tokyo University of Science, a Special Visiting Professor at Meiji University, publisher of Beyond Architecture, and a partner at Sotonoba. His books include Kenchiku wo, Hiraku (Opening Up Architecture) and ON design no Jikken (The ON design Experiment).
Taro Yasuzawa (Co-founder & Director, Cultars / Representative Director, Koinobori Co., Ltd.)
After working in management at a major event production company and a modeling agency, Yasuzawa founded Koinobori Co., Ltd. in 2006. That same year, he launched the outdoor music festival TAICOCLUB in Kiso-mura, Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture, organizing the event until 2018 and growing it into a festival beloved by the local community.
Today, he is involved in culture from a variety of angles, including supporting artists in their activities and production, and co-founding Cultars.
Kei Fujieda (Co-founder & Representative Director, Cultars / Representative Director, Banryu Co., Ltd.)
In 2021, Fujieda co-founded Cultars and serves as its Representative Director. While researching the relationship between culture and business, he is developing a “Cultural Impact Assessment for Corporate Practices” — an assessment framework for evaluating the cultural contributions of private companies. After working at Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, he spent several years helping to launch the strategic design firm BIOTOPE before going independent and founding Banryu Co., Ltd. in 2019. He works across management and business strategy formulation, brand revitalization, and new business development.
Yoshio Tsuda (Representative, Route Design LLC / Service Designer · Managing Representative, Fujimi Mori no Office · Managing Representative, PILE -A collaborative studio-)
From 2001, Tsuda worked as a planner in the digital communications field at advertising agency Tokyu Agency, contributing to digital promotion planning and services for a wide range of domestic clients.
At the end of 2011, he joined Sony as a planner specializing in cloud-based service development, prototype design, and UX design.
In May 2015, he relocated to Fujimi-machi, Nagano Prefecture, and founded his own planning and design firm, Route Design LLC.
As part of the town’s migration promotion initiatives, he launched the coworking space “Fujimi Mori no Office” and continues to serve as its managing representative.
While fostering community at the coworking space, he works across a broad range of projects — from brand communications and new business support for client companies to social and community design.
In April 2023, he launched “PILE -A collaborative studio-,” a coworking space for creatives in Yokohama — his hometown — where he engages in collaborative projects with diverse members and artists, supports emerging artists, and contributes to local community projects.
Drawing on community-building expertise cultivated through two coworking spaces, he is involved in the design of a wide variety of projects.
Yuko Nagano (Chief Design Officer, Artiql Inc.)
After studying design at Tokyo University of the Arts, Nagano joined Hakuhodo Inc. in 2016. Working as an art director, she has been involved not only in advertising communications but also broadly in branding and service development. Her work has been guided by the theme of “design that is loved for a long time, rather than consumed quickly.” Going forward, she aims to use the power of design to contribute further toward a society in which all beings — including those who find it difficult to speak up, as well as animals — are respected. Keenly aware of the significant influence media has on society, she is also dedicated to amplifying that influence through design. She was appointed Chief Design Officer in October 2024.
Yu Kato (Representative, Artiql Inc.)
Kato founded Artiql Inc. (formerly Harch Inc.) in December 2015. He is the founder of IDEAS FOR GOOD, a magazine showcasing ideas from around the world for a better society. In Yokohama, he leads Circular Yokohama, a platform for the city’s transition to a circular economy. He also serves as a Coordinator at the Yokohama SDGs Design Center, an Outside Director at Nikko Co., Ltd., Director of the Circular Futures Design Center and specially appointed Associate Professor at Shizen University (Daigakuin Daigaku Shizen-kan), and a graduate of the Sustainable Marketing, Media and Creative programme at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He holds a degree from the Faculty of Education at the University of Tokyo.
Who Should Attend
・Those interested in the City of Yokohama’s creative city policies and practices
・Those interested in the City of Yokohama’s circular city policies and practices
・Those with an interest in culture and the arts / design / architecture / sustainability
・Those who want to get involved with or collaborate with Sta.R
What Is Sta.R (Station R)?
Sta.R (Station R) is a City of Yokohama creative hub located inside Hoshikawa Station on the Sotetsu Main Line, built on the concept of Creativity × Circularity × Culture. The hub features permanent installations including a “Material Library” where visitors can engage with local materials, a “Я gallery (R Gallery)” for viewing and presenting artworks on the theme of circularity, and a “Re:Store” selling locally sourced circular goods. It also plans to host events and exhibitions on the themes of circularity, art, and design, as well as repair, upcycling, and workshop programs and school programs. Sta.R is operated by Creative Circular City Collective (Artiql Inc. / Route Design LLC) in partnership with the City of Yokohama and Sagami Railway Co., Ltd.
・Official website: https://stationr.yokohama/
・Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/station_r_hoshikawa/
Registration
Please register via Peatix.
