For the more than 60 years following World War II, Japan's industry has been bolstered by industrial production. The Japanese archipelago has been used as a factory and the vision of the "Pacific Belt Zone" is still the foundation of industry in Japan. This zone encompasses Keihin [including Tokyo, Kawasaki, Yokohama as one industrial region], Chukyo [Tokai's most urban area, centered on Nagoya], Hanshin [including Osaka and Kobe], Setouchi [the Inland Sea coasts in Chugoku's southern and Shikoku's northern areas] and Kitakyushu [including Fukuoka and Kitakyushu]. We import resources, process them in industrial complexes, manufacture products in factories, and ship them overseas from seaports. But it's high time that we look to the innate charm of our archipelago. 
Mountains and woods cover large areas of our land and we have numerous rivers. Our archipelago has inland seas rich in greenery and water, and the four seasons are distinct. We have scarce resources of oil and minerals, but there are hot springs everywhere.
We believe that by reevaluating the charm of this country, blessed with nature, we can progress as a new nation of tourism and hospitality, attracting visitors from abroad by grace of our aesthetic resources: refinement, civility, precision and simplicity. 
We now feel the possibilities of both hospitality design that strives to welcome our guests and experience design whose goal is to launch experiences. Examples such as navigation design for the Setouchi International Art Festival and art direction for a hotel are projects that mark this beginning.

Jun 12, 2011