"Show your T-CARD to bring smiles to children in disaster-stricken areas."We will be launching the "Let's Create a Playground for Children" project on July 18th.

2012.07.18 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.

—40.93 million T-POINT donations × Architect Toyo Ito—

Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Muneaki Masuda; hereinafter "CCC"), which operates "T-POINT," Japan's largest common point service, is launching "Show your T-CARD to bring smiles to children in disaster-stricken areas." As part of the "[Project Name]", we are pleased to announce that, in collaboration with world-renowned architect Toyo Ito, we will be implementing the "Let's Create Children's Playgrounds" project starting July 18, 2012, funded by "T-POINT donations" from our 40.93 million T-CARD members who use their cards daily.

Last year, CCC collaborated with T-POINT alliance companies to build children's centers in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake for the children who will shape the future. We carried out the "[Project Name]" and constructed children's centers in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture and Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture. From April 2, 2012, as part of continued support for the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, the campaign "Show your T-CARD to bring smiles to children in the disaster-stricken areas" was launched to support children and community spaces in the affected regions. We are working on the "[project name]" project. Meanwhile, Toyo Ito is currently working on the "Minna no Ie" (Everyone's House) project, which he launched with the desire to provide a more humane and comfortable place for people who have lost their homes and are continuing to live in harsh conditions in impersonal temporary housing.
Recognizing that their respective approaches to supporting areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake are the same, CCC and Toyo Ito will collaborate on "Let's Create a Playground for Children," a project to build facilities that will serve as a "place" where children can play with smiles on their faces, a "place" for the weakened community ties of local residents, which were lost as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The construction site has been decided as Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture, and the facility's design and construction will be handled by Toyo Ito. The construction costs will be covered by donations from T-POINT members, and we will begin accepting donations for "Let's build a playground for children" on the T-SITE on July 18th.

CCC will continue to strive to be "a point system for everyone, connecting people and society," by providing ongoing support that connects the network of 88 T-POINT alliance companies with the network of 40.93 million customers who use T-CARDs every day.

"Show your T-CARD to bring smiles to children in disaster-stricken areas." Project Overview: "Let's Create a Playground for Children"

■Implementation Period: July 18, 2012 (Wed) - March 31, 2013 (Sun)
■Facility name: Children's House
■Construction site: Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture

*It will be constructed on the site of the temporary housing.

■Construction cost: 7.5 million yen

*We also plan to receive support in the form of construction materials and construction work by volunteer staff.

■Number of construction projects: 1
■Design and Construction: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects
■ How to support: T-POINT donation

*Donations can be made starting from 1 point.

■ Donation Process: Donated T-POINTs will be converted at a rate of 1 point = 1 yen, and our company will use the entire donation amount for construction-related expenses. The constructed facility will then be donated to the local government.
■ Expected completion image

■Profile of Toyo Ito
Born in 1941. Graduated from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo in 1965. Urban Robot was founded in 1971. In 1979, the company was renamed Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects. His major works include "Sendai Mediatheque," "Tama Art University Library (Hachioji Campus)," and "2009 Kaohsiung World Games Main Stadium (Taiwan)." Currently, projects such as "Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos (Gifu City)" and "Taichung Metropolitan Opera House (Taiwan)" are underway. He has received numerous awards, including the Architectural Institute of Japan Award for Architectural Design, the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Asahi Prize, and the Praemium Imperiale. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, one of his representative works, "Sendai Mediatheque," was damaged, and his involvement in its restoration led him to become actively involved in reconstruction activities in various regions. He will serve as the commissioner of the Japan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which will be held this summer. "A House for Everyone" was actually constructed in a disaster-stricken area, and the entire process of thought and discussion involved is presented in the exhibition, prompting the question, "What is architecture?"

■Comments from Toyo Ito
A year has passed since 3.11, and those unimaginable images are gradually fading from our memories. However, reconstruction is not progressing at all, and the people in the disaster-stricken areas are still forced to live in harsh conditions. For the sake of people like these, we have continued our movement to create "community homes." This project aims to create small, yet heartwarming, homes in drab temporary housing areas and disaster-stricken shopping districts where people can gather, sit around a large table, drink, eat, and talk. T-POINT has been providing children's centers for children in the disaster-stricken areas since immediately after the earthquake. And now, they are proposing to raise funds through T-POINTs to create a "community home for children." Many children who have lost their homes and schools are forced to live separately from their former friends, spending their days in lonely conditions in cramped temporary housing. I want to provide these children with a place where they can gather with their friends, talk to each other, and connect with one another on a deeper level. And I hope these children will become the main players in building their own town in the future. Please lend us your support for this wonderful project.

■Everyone's House Project
In response to the devastation caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, five architects—Toyo Ito, Riken Yamamoto, Hiroshi Naito, Kengo Kuma, and Kazuyo Sejima—formed the "Kishin-kai" (Returning Heart Association) to explore what architects can do. With over 100,000 people having lost their homes and enduring harsh living conditions in sterile temporary housing, the "Everyone's Home" project was proposed with the desire to provide a more humane and comfortable place for everyone. "Minna no Ie" (Everyone's House) is (1) a communal hut where people who have lost their homes can gather, talk, and find peace of mind; (2) a hut built by the people who live in it and the people who build it working together; and (3) a place that serves as a base for people who use it to talk about reconstruction. The aim is for this to become a place where people can gather, share ideas, and create something, serving as a community hub. The facilities will be constructed primarily in temporary housing areas in the disaster-stricken regions of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures, as well as in damaged shopping districts, fishing and agricultural centers, and within damaged residential areas. The first "Minna no Ie" (Everyone's House) was completed at the end of October 2011 in Miyagino Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. The second was completed in Hirata district, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture in May 2012, and the third was completed in a shopping district in Kamaishi City in June. Construction has also been decided for Rikuzentakata City in Iwate Prefecture.

Documents related to this matter

"Show your T-CARD to bring smiles to children in disaster-stricken areas." We will be launching the "Let's Create a Playground for Children" project on July 18th.

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.
T-POINT & Alliance Company, Public Relations Representative: Ando
TEL: 03-6800-4464