The city remains the stage for continued connections. Daikanyama T-SITE x Nomura Kogeisha present "Daikanyama Cooling Festival"
Located in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, Daikanyama is a town where culture is seamlessly integrated into daily life. We introduce the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival". (Updated 2026.5.20)
Nomura Co., Ltd.
Nomura Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Nomura Co., Ltd.) is a spatial design and production company founded in 1892. We handle everything from research, planning, and consulting to design, construction, and operation management for a wide range of spaces, including commercial facilities, hotels, corporate PR facilities, workplaces, exhibitions, and museums. In 2020, we established our in-house research and development organization, the "Future Creation Institute," where we collaborate with external creators, companies, universities, and others to conduct research and implementation that updates the value of space, starting with the creativity of each individual.
Working together with the town to create a vibrant atmosphere
Daikanyama T-SITE is a 5-minute walk from Daikanyama Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line. This place, which can be reached by walking down a small path from Daikanyama Station (a local train station), wouldn't attract customers unless it was a "town worth making a special trip to."That's why Daikanyama T-SITE has always considered it its mission to enhance the appeal of not just its stores, but the entire neighborhood. The first step in realizing that vision was an initiative to re-examine the way summer festivals are held.
Kawaguchi: Daikanyama T-SITE has been open for 15 years and has grown into a store loved by many customers. However, if people don't visit the town, there will be no opportunities to meet new customers. Therefore, I came to believe that it is necessary to work together with the town to enhance the region's appeal and expand that circle of support.
The "Daikanyama T-SITE Summer Festival," which was held at the store until 2019, was originally an event limited to Daikanyama T-SITE. However, in 2022, while considering the resumption of events after the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that children attending nearby elementary schools had lost their "summer memories."Therefore, with the cooperation of the PTA, we decided to resume the festival.
Rather than simply resuming the traditional "Daikanyama T-SITE Summer Festival," we felt it was important to create it together with the children and to make it a success for the entire community. Therefore, we changed the name to "Daikanyama Cooling Festival" and re-examined the significance of the festival's existence.
Simply reopening would only create excitement within TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE itself. Instead, we want to develop it into a festival that involves the entire community and becomes a symbol of the town. With these thoughts in mind, the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival" was newly launched.
Thus, in 2022, with the cooperation of local residents, including the PTAs of nearby schools, a new type of festival was born, held in collaboration with the community. Subsequently, from 2023 onwards, it expanded to surrounding facilities such as Hillside Terrace, steadily increasing in scale and content by 2024.
The new theme of sustainability and my encounter with Nomura Co., Ltd.
The turning point came when I visited "NOMURA OPEN LAB," an event organized by Nomura Co., Ltd.'s Future Creation Institute that explores the future of space and spatial experiences. That's where I met Yoshihisa Goto of Nomura Co., Ltd.'s Institute for Future Creation. Mr. Goto's approach of posing questions to society from a sustainability perspective and aiming to create new value through spatial design resonated with the thinking of Daikanyama T-SITE, which was re-examining its own values under the theme of "creating sustainable communities."Through repeated dialogues between the two parties, the possibility of new initiatives centered on sustainability has become apparent.
Kawaguchi: Our shop was recognized for "forming a sustainable community in the Daikanyama area," but we weren't consciously working on sustainability initiatives. As I listened to Mr. Goto's presentation together with the museum director, and learned about advanced examples of sustainability both domestically and internationally, as well as the lab's initiatives, I naturally began to feel that "there might be something we can co-create with the Institute for Future Creation."Because Tsutaya Bookstore is a hub for cultural dissemination, we believe that by making sustainability the central theme of our projects, we can realize unprecedented sustainable and innovative initiatives. That's how I came to think about it, and I consulted with Mr. Goto.
Mr. Goto: Our Institute for Future Creation conducts research on various spaces and experiences, including events, and we were looking for a good opportunity to verify the effectiveness of our research. Daikanyama Tsutaya Bookstore has a fertile ground for embracing new cultures, and everyone who works there enjoys taking on new challenges. I felt that during my conversation with Ms. Kawaguchi, and I became convinced that Daikanyama Tsutaya Bookstore is a place where we can share our ideas and bring them to life together. We decided to involve local residents and start working on sustainability initiatives in the high-quality setting of TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE.
Thus, the theme for the 2025 Daikanyama Cooling Festival was decided: "TSUNAGU" (Tsunaga). We aim to provide projects and experiences that connect people, communities, and the future, and to make people love this town even more through festivals. With the shared aspirations of both parties, a new "Daikanyama Cooling Festival" has begun.
Nomura Co., Ltd.'s research comes to fruition at the Daikanyama Summer Festival.
At the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival," we offered numerous activities that allowed people to experience sustainability not as an obligation, but as something they could enjoy. This section introduces the research and experimental projects undertaken by Nomura Co., Ltd.'s Institute for Future Creation, which have been realized at Daikanyama Tsutaya Bookstore.
SCRAPTURE
In bookstores, we've collaborated with "Yamanami Kobo" to include origami and other items that offer a glimpse into the artist's creativity.
noon by material record
Six speakers incorporating various sustainable materials, such as construction waste, plastic fragments washed ashore, and denim scraps, were installed inside the bookstore. The differences in materials are reflected in the unique sound, which has given us an opportunity to pay attention to resources.
Plant-powered illumination
A prototype of lighting that uses a small amount of electricity generated from the work of plants and microorganisms was tested outdoors at Daikanyama T-SITE. Small illuminations, designed to bring people and plants closer together, fostering interaction and conversation, lit up the Tsutaya Bookstore at night with a gentle glow.
Introduction of Material Flow Analysis
To create a sustainable festival, a resource hub will be set up within the venue, viewing waste not merely as discarded items, but as "resources."This year, for the first time, we introduced a framework to quantitatively grasp CO2 emissions and waste generated by the festival, and to objectively evaluate its environmental impact.
SOUND SEEK powered by oto rea
A walking tour experience using audio MR
Napping Chair
Installation of nap chairs for children
Pillar bench, casually
Installation of benches made from Nishikawa Forestry timber from Hannō City, Saitama Prefecture.
Overall efforts of the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival"
In addition to collaborative content with Nomura Co., Ltd., we offered a variety of programs that allowed visitors to fully enjoy the charm of the region.
Wearing sustainable uniforms
The uniforms worn by the staff during the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival" are products that comply with "P-FACTS," a circular infrastructure that allows everyone to easily feel like they are contributing to the environment.
"P-FACTS" is a circular infrastructure spearheaded by Piecrex, a partner of the Daikanyama Cooling Festival, that handles everything from the collection of apparel and textile products to their composting.
These uniforms, after being worn for a long time, will be collected and composted by "P-FACTS".
End of Summer Grand Raffle
This is a popular annual raffle with over 100 participating shops in the Daikanyama area.
It has been held at "Forest Gate Daikanyama" since last year, and more than 1,500 customers have participated.
Daikanyama Rakugo Show
Children's Skin Check Experience Session
Hillside Market Nagatsuki Market
A collaborative project with the Shibuya Future Studies program, an inquiry-based learning program for students of Sarugaku Elementary School in Shibuya Ward.
We collaborated with the students of Sarugaku Elementary School to carry out a special project in conjunction with their inquiry-based learning class, "Shibuya Future Studies."
・Fifth graders will hold a "Children's Festival"
・Fourth graders will be making upcycled goods from school lunch straws.
・Third-year students will be creating "public relations posters".
Decorating the town with lanterns and noren curtains
"fair
Small fireworks display
Daily talk events
Regional co-creation born from "emulsification"
The success of the Cool Summer Festival wasn't solely due to the abundance of content. A major factor in our success was that we held four meetups with various stakeholders, including local shopping associations, participating businesses, and school principals, which served as a platform to connect people and build relationships.
Mr. Goto: There are many local initiatives, but the difficult part is always how to blend new ideas with the businesses that are already established in the community. An initiative that is not accepted by the people who have lived there for a long time is meaningless, like oil and water. Daikanyama Tsutaya Bookstore never cuts corners when it comes to that "emulsification" process. What was particularly impressive was that they held four meetups (social gatherings) with numerous stakeholders, including exhibiting companies and school principals, starting six months before the festival. It wasn't just a place for sharing information; it functioned carefully as a space for connecting people and fostering relationships. I believe that the careful and thorough communication, built up through careful dialogue, is what created the lively atmosphere on the day of the event. On the day of the event, the participants had already become comfortable with each other, and an atmosphere had developed where everyone was proactively taking action without being told what to do. I felt that in the process of revitalizing the Daikanyama area, they became a hub for the community and embodied the essence of regional design. As a result, companies connected directly with each other, and new initiatives emerged, both with and without Tsutaya Bookstore.
Kawaguchi: At the meetup (social gathering), we all watched a video of Repair Cafe that Mr. Goto had introduced. This community initiative originated in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where local residents repair broken items for each other free of charge. The story of how repairing objects can heal people's hearts also helped all participants align their perspectives on sustainability. I think that the feeling of doing it for enjoyment, rather than out of a sense of obligation, naturally developed.
Kawaguchi: As a result of the event, I feel that the landscape has changed above all else. I was very impressed by how much the participants seemed to enjoy themselves and how actively they were involved. While the increase in visitor numbers is certainly one achievement, I believe that the biggest factor contributing to the change in the festival's atmosphere is the growing number of people who join us in making the festival a success. The very fact that I was able to experience those changes firsthand was a very enjoyable experience.
Culture is born through play. To the next Cool Summer Festival
The ideas that emerged from the dialogue between Daikanyama Tsutaya Bookstore and Nomura Kogeisha culminated in the planning and realization of the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival," and this initiative further developed into a case study presentation at "NOMURA OPEN LAB 2026."In fiscal year 2026, we plan to further expand the scale and hold the event for 10 days.
Kawaguchi: The theme has evolved from "TSUNAGU" to "playing."We aim for a cycle where culture is born from play, leading to new values and communities. The goal is to connect with others through play, to enjoy the festival together as a community, and to continue holding it in a sustainable way. That is what we aim for. Rather than forcibly expanding the scale, we value a way of life where everyone can freely interact within the broad framework of "playing," and where things naturally expand as a result.
We believe that continuing to work with this attitude will lead to a sustainable summer festival that local residents can take ownership of.
Mr. Goto: I want Daikanyama T-SITE to be as playful as possible. This is not meant lightly; it means that we want this to remain a free and open platform where everyone can make the most of their individuality. I hope this bookstore will always remain a place where you can see the faces of the people who run it, a place where cultures and individualities intersect. Furthermore, it is precisely because of such an environment that we believe we can continue to challenge ourselves with new things together.
Connecting cities and people, and passing on culture to the future. Daikanyama T-SITE will continue to work with Nomura Kogeisha to create a unique form of co-creation in this town through the "Daikanyama Cooling Festival."
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