TENTO

TENTO is a shared office built with thinning trees in Yamakita machi, the westernmost part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It is located in the shared workplace “mass × mass*” in Naka-Ku, Yokohama City.

The name “TENTO” means the place where entrepreneurs attempting to solve social problems through business methods can gather. They eat, exchange information, and socialize together in a mountain lodge, TENTO.

One of the features of TENTO is that the booths are made of locally grown thinned wood. Wouldn’t it be nice to save the forest and the water in the local area by working in Yokohama? To keep the forest healthy and maintain vital water sources, the TENTO office is made of thinning trees in Yamakita machi, which is the source of Yokohama’s water.

The residents of the office can visit Yamakita machi too. By stepping into the forest, they will be able to inspirations for new ideas and interact with other shared office residents through events such as camping and barbecues.

As of 2021, there is another TENTO base in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, called “Numashin COMPASS | TENTO Numazu,” built with the nearest thinned wood in Mt. Shidaka as well.

*mass × mass (Kannai Future Center) is a shared workplace operated by Kannai Innovation Initiative Co.. It functions as a community platform with co-working space and workshop studio all in one.

1. Reforestation through the use of thinning wood

Thinning is essential for maintaining a healthy forest environment. By allowing adequate sunlight into the forest, plants can grow in the understory, and an appropriate density of trees can be maintained. TENTO effectively utilizes waste wood in Yamakita-machi and conserves and regenerates forest resources to preserve the water source.

2.Minimizing and reusing the materials

TENTO booths are made from thinning wood which is cut into boards of the exact dimensions. You can quickly build a wall by inserting a few planks of lumber into steel racks set up in the four corners without using nails. It has a characteristic of circular design that the boards can be used without making holes, so they can be reused to make new product after use.

3. Creating new links with other people through the office

TENTO is designed to loosely connect with other residents but also allows to have their own space at the same time. Sharing the space with other people creates opportunities for communication and stimulation for innovations. In addition, TENTO will enable people to connect to other areas in the prefecture, such as Yokohama and Yamakita machi, and it creates an opportunity to visit different places. TENTO gives good opportunities to engage with residents and to solve local problems.