Work Styles Centered on Individual Play Lacked a "Shared Sense of Feeling"

Pop-up stores have become so integrated into our daily lives that it's hardly an exaggeration to say there isn't a day they aren't held. News arrived at our editorial department that the concept had been adapted to create a "pop-up office."

This new initiative was undertaken by Maruwakaya Inc., headquartered in Aoyama, Tokyo. Based in Japan and France, the company engages in cutting-edge techniques and innovative projects across a wide spectrum, from traditional crafts to advanced industries, aiming to "provide surprise and joy to the lives of people living in the 21st century." This year, they opened "NAKANIWA" in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, to exhibit and sell beautiful Japanese goods.Opens "NAKANIWA"This autumn also marks the launch of an overseas project for Arita ware, which will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2016.

"The original reason I wanted to try a pop-up office was to tune the five senses of our employees," says CEO Hirotoshi Maruwaka.

In today's era, where one can work from anywhere as long as they have a PC and network connection, many readers likely work outside the confines of a traditional company office. This is also true for Maruwakaya, where each employee handles different projects. For instance, Mr. Maruwaka spends more than half of his month working outside of Tokyo.


So, they headed to Naka Town, Tokushima Prefecture. As if to leverage the fact that anyone can work anywhere, the entire staff relocated their office to a completely different location. They also anticipated the impact of a short, one-week deadline.

Thus, Maruwakaya's "Pop-up Office in Naka Town, Tokushima Prefecture" was born.

Naka Town, Classified as a Remote Village, and What Tokyo Lacked

Naka Town is located in the southwestern part of Tokushima Prefecture. While it is a large town, accounting for approximately 17% of the prefecture's total area of 414,510 km², it is surrounded by mountains over 1,000 meters high, with forests covering over 90% of the region. The current population is about 10,000. By 2020, the proportion of the elderly population aged 65 and over had increased to 48.6%, and it is predicted that about half of the residents will be elderly.

In this context, in addition to agriculture, the primary industry is forestry. Traditional crafts such as handmade Japanese paper and Tōfu-ori, woven from the bark fibers of the kozo plant used as a raw material for paper, have been passed down through generations.

Naka Town is also characterized by its administrative efforts to create a new town under the keyword "A town full of charm for residents and visitors." While maintaining fiscal surplus, the town implements initiatives for its residents, including earthquake-resistant measures for disaster preparedness, measures for the elderly, and enhancements to childcare support. It also strives to vitalize interaction with urban residents by improving support for relocation and returning to one's hometown. The active outreach to those outside the town is also unique to Naka Town.

The welcoming atmosphere for outsiders has permeated the townspeople. The planning, coordination with various parties, and arrangements for office and living spaces for this pop-up office proceeded smoothly in a short period.


On days other than Friday, the space was used as an office, and lunches were arranged featuring local cuisine prepared with local ingredients, such as chirashizushi made with yuzu vinegar and venison dishes.

Even after the pop-up office was established, the projects they were working on remained the same. Communication with clients via phone and email also continued as usual. However, the view from the office, the refreshing scent of the surrounding greenery, and the warm atmosphere emanating from the people of Naka Town were simply different from their everyday lives.

The "Now" in Tokyo and the "Now" in Naka Town. The World Exists Simultaneously, Always.

"It's that everyone started acting on their impulses. Of course, some members were already like that before the visit, but not everyone was. In essence, by working in a new environment, the 'current place' and 'another place' ceased to be isolated. The everyday, Naka Town, and other places all exist simultaneously in this world. Freed from the 'time' that seemed to exist between them, we became able to act the moment we thought of it, anywhere in the world. Our work speed has dramatically increased."

If we apply this to ourselves, isn't it true that such barriers exist not just across the distance between Tokyo and Tokushima, but even within a five-meter radius of our daily lives? For example, between colleagues. Between old friends. Between parents and partners. What they perceived as 'time' might manifest in our lives as pretense or pride.

If we could be freed from things that deviate from the essence of communication, beyond mere greetings like "good morning" or "hello," wouldn't we become more liberated?

The unexpected gift brought by the "Pop-up Office in Naka Town, Tokushima Prefecture" resonated with the anecdote of how the townspeople treated them as if they were locals, prompting such thoughts.

Tokyo's Aoyama and Tokushima's Naka Intersect, Creating a Bridge to New Traditions This November

Finally, we asked Mr. Maruwaka about Maruwakaya's future endeavors, as they pursue universal "beauty" and the "present moment."


One such exploration is an event planned for this autumn during Designers' Week. Maruwakaya will invite hamadawashi from Ihō Town, Kōchi Prefecture, which continues the tradition of Tosa Tengu-jōshi paper, and BUAISOU., a young unit from Kamiita Town, Tokushima Prefecture, specializing in indigo dyeing, to an event produced by "NAKANIWA," Maruwakaya's exhibition and sales space for Japanese goods in Paris.

"From now on, I want to focus not only on the generation above me but also on my peers and even younger generations. When you have knowledge that has been supported for many years, the first instinct is to accept things, even if something happens. But younger generations, when they encounter something inexplicable or mysterious, tend to explore it with 'Why? Why?' I want to combine this spirit of inquiry with the beautiful things of Japan," says Mr. Maruwaka.

The pop-up office feels like a sprinter reaching the starting line of a new stage. From an everyday existence transcending "time," traditions that connect to the future will surely be born.


Pop-up Office in Naka Town, Tokushima Prefecture
Date and Time: August 18 (Mon) - August 25 (Mon)
Location: Imoto Paper Mill, Yutōan Cafe "Kuruku," and other locations in Naka Town, Tokushima Prefecture
Participating Organizations: Maruwakaya, Kamide Chōemon Kiln, Forest Bank, BUAISOU., etc.
Cooperation: Tokushima Prefecture, Naka Town, Yutōan, Kuruku, Awa Rural Stage Association, Niodani Seiryūza, Yano Pottery Garden
*hamadawashi from Ihō Town, Kōchi Prefecture, will also visit during the period.

NAKANIWA Pop-up Shop "Artisans' Courtyard - ARTISANS -"
Dates: November 2 (Sun), 3 (Mon, holiday)
Venue: valveat 81 Gallery
4-21-26 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Artisans: hamadawashi / BUAISOU.
Organizer: Maruwakaya Inc.
Co-organizer: MarchingBandCompany.
Sponsors: valveat 81 / Red Bull / USM Modular Furniture / Coedo Beer, etc.

Maruwakaya
Tel. 03-6427-9675
info@maru-waka.com
http://www.maru-waka.com
http://www.facebook.com/maruwakaya