“Nihonbashi is where Japan’s many local cultures meet.”
In Tokyo, where people and goods are always on the move and the city is constantly changing, a place’s distinctive atmosphere—its warmth, scents, and character—can be hard to discern. Yet Nihonbashi has long been a center of merchant and artisan culture. As the starting point of Japan’s five historic highways, it has welcomed people, goods, and traditions from across the country. At Staple, we see Nihonbashi as a meeting point between the city and the many local communities beyond it. We bring the people, things, and cultures we encounter in those places to Nihonbashi, then carry the new connections made here onward to other communities in turn.

“Shiomachi, a place to call home.”
It is an idea we have shared with our neighbors in Setoda. Staple first came to this island in 2017. With the ambition of putting Setoda on the global map, our work began with a workshop in 2019. Through SOIL Setoda, a film festival, and a marathon, we have been working toward a town that makes visitors think, “I’d like to live here one day.” As residents ourselves, we will continue looking beyond tourism to education and welfare, nurturing the everyday life that makes people want to keep calling this place home.

“From a single hot spring, relationships grow—between people, and with the town.”
Nagatoyumoto has a way of drawing visitors into its life, often before they realize it. This comes from years of patient work by local people, with public and private partners working together to care for the town around Onto, its communal bath. Here, residents and travelers meet naturally, and adults and children share the same waters. Through encounters with these everyday rituals and with local producers working closely with Yamaguchi’s natural landscape, Staple wants to offer time to rediscover what makes life truly rich. We are creating stays that invite travelers not simply to visit, but to become part of this place and help nurture the town.

“Port towns thrive on people coming and going.”
These were words we heard from someone in Hakodate. Long a northern gateway, the city has welcomed ships, people, and cultures from across Japan and beyond. That history of exchange is still felt in views of the harbor from its hillside streets, in the red-brick warehouses, and in the bustle of the morning market. Yet for those who remember a livelier city, today’s quieter streets can also bring a sense of loss. Staple is creating places where visitors and residents naturally cross paths, helping bring a renewed flow of people to this port city.

“You don’t need to make plans. Just go to C&C and you’ll run into someone.”
It is something we have begun to hear from people in Okayama. The Asahi River flows through the city, home to Korakuen, one of Japan’s three great gardens. Beneath streets that survived wartime air raids, old castle walls still lie buried. Museums and public art are part of the streetscape, as are the warm greetings exchanged with people who live here. This everyday richness is part of what makes Okayama itself. Known as the “Land of Sunshine,” its gentle climate seems to find an echo in the easygoing warmth of its people. Through culture, Staple is creating new meeting points, bringing people together and helping rekindle the city’s energy.

“There is something about Akiya you won’t find anywhere else.”
We heard this from local people, along with their frustration at the area being called “South Hayama.” It became the starting point for Staple’s work here. A short journey from Tokyo, Akiya sits between the mountains and the sea on the Miura Peninsula, where life moves at an unhurried pace. Even the long-loved view of Mount Fuji from Tateishi Park is part of the everyday. Like those who have moved here for this way of life, we are drawn to the richness particular to this place. By caring for the life already rooted here and sharing it with visitors, we are opening Akiya to Japan and the wider world as Akiya, on its own terms.