The reason a new business connecting with the community was born in Takanawa Gateway City

What kind of business is fitting for a new town that will continue into a spiritually rich future 100 years from now?

Takanawa Gateway City held its grand opening as a new town on March 27, 2025. Within the station's event space "Machiai," the store "earth song," which creates a new cycle for the region and its resources, opened on May 13, 2025 (running until June 15, 2025). How did this store, themed around an unprecedented "system where the region and flowers circulate," come to be?

We spoke with Hiroya Taguchi, Unit Leader of the New Business Strategy Unit in the New Business Strategy Department at JR East Cross Station Development Company (JR-Cross), who spearheaded the project; Yoshiyoshi Miyoshi from the same department; Sōzō Kikuchi, a planner at Dentsu Inc. who supported the project; and Tsunekazu Matsuura from Dentsu Live Inc.

(From left, center) JR East Cross Station Development Company: Mr. Taguchi, Mr. Miyoshi; Dentsu Live Inc.: Mr. Matsuura; Dentsu Inc.: Mr. Kikuchi

What's needed to enjoy "flowers" 100 years from now, just as we do today

──First, please tell us what kind of shop "earth song" is.

Miyoshi: It's a store centered around two keywords: "loss flowers" and "slow flowers." The concept of the newly born Takanawa Gateway City is "a testing ground for enriching lives 100 years from now." "earth song" was born while exploring new ventures fitting for this city.

"Loss flowers" refers to flowers that are still beautiful but are discarded for various reasons. Our company operates numerous JR East station concourse retail spaces, primarily selling bento boxes and sweets, so we've long addressed food loss issues. Flowers, like food, are discarded after fulfilling their purpose, and how they are handled is increasingly recognized as a social problem.

Slow Flower is an initiative to cultivate flowers sustainably, without burdening the environment—using no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, growing outdoors instead of in greenhouses. Countries around the world experience extreme heat or cold year-round. Growing flowers unsuited to these climates requires enormous energy, and transporting them consumes vast amounts of energy too. Instead, just like the Slow Food movement in food, the idea is to enjoy flowers grown naturally through local production for local consumption. Flowers add color to our lives and bring moments of richness to both mind and body. Thinking ahead to a spiritually rich future 100 years from now, we decided to start a shop based on an environmentally conscious concept now, so that we can enjoy flowers just as we do today.

Kikuchi: Slow flowers take longer to grow because we don't use growth enhancers. But that's precisely why they become so vibrant and full of life, right?

Miyoshi: At "earth song," we sell Slow Flowers as fresh blooms, and we also offer various products like candles and pouches made from local waste flowers.

Candles made from lost flowers and fabric dyed with lost flowers

What does community involvement look like for Takanawa Gateway City?

──What led you to focus on "flowers"?

Taguchi:As mentioned in the previous article, the concept "Open Up, Station Interior"—developed while advancing new ventures born from the "ÉCUTE Akihabara" initiative—served as the foundation. The core idea was to create a place open to the community and society, unlocking human potential.

Kikuchi: From there, we discussed the idea of an upcycling business creating new cycles for local resources. Given the station context, we explored how to circulate unused resources emerging in Takanawa or overlooked items, potentially creating new societal flows.

While food waste flowers might be gaining some recognition, in terms of considering circulation, concepts like slow flowers—thinking about earth-friendly cycles from production sites not yet widely known in society—are also valuable. Wanting to create a place where people could encounter these in daily life led to the idea of "a shop creating new circulation between the community and flowers."

Miyoshi: JR East Japan strongly emphasizes involving local communities. We've previously run projects like growing hops and brewing beer together with local residents, and our "Town Opening" event in March, where we invited community members, was a huge success. When JR-Cross considered community engagement, we felt "flowers," deeply connected to this area, were a perfect fit.

Taguchi: Takanawa is close to Ota Market, Japan's largest flower market, and many floral manufacturers have their headquarters in the Shinagawa/Takanawa area. There are also numerous hotels and wedding venues, making it an area where a significant amount of flowers inevitably end up discarded. We imagined that flowers could embody the connection with the city.

Furthermore, flower shops hold the diverse thoughts and stories of people who "choose, buy, and give flowers." We thought that by adding the story of local resource circulation to these customer narratives, we could create new value.

Matsuura: Once the broad framework was set, I mainly focused on the actual store creation process. I prioritized visiting local florists and hotels directly to hear their firsthand voices. I believed it was crucial to understand what local stakeholders were thinking, to absorb their genuine feelings, and to create something that truly aligned with them.

The key point was the courage to step forward and say, "This is what I want to try!"

──In terms of being a development company, selling physical goods is a new venture for you. How did the company react internally?

Taguchi: When we presented the project in an internal meeting, we received strong support and encouragement, feeling that this challenge was welcomed. Hearing comments like, "Ideally, this could become a new business venture launched by the New Business Strategy Department, with a structured framework," made me feel the weight of responsibility as a major, forward-looking project was about to begin.

Kikuchi: What particularly stood out to me was the meeting when we decided on the flower upcycling proposal. Among the several ideas, it was a challenging type of project, and I imagine there were concerns about whether it could be viable as a business. But the JR-Cross team made the decisive leap, saying, "This is the one we want to try!" I remember thinking, "Wow, I'm witnessing something really great!"

──What hurdles did you encounter while advancing the project?

Miyoshi: Since we aren't florists ourselves, our first challenge was figuring out how to collect the surplus flowers. To gather them, we approached our existing suppliers and companies handling flowers in the surrounding areas, as mentioned earlier, asking, "Would you like to join us on this project?" While some readily agreed, we also faced quite a few refusals, which definitely felt like a hurdle.

Looking back, when we started tackling food loss issues, we also faced refusals. I think there was inevitably some reluctance among companies, given their branding efforts, to have the fact that they were generating waste known. However, regarding food, awareness of food loss issues has grown, leading to a recognition that confronting the problem actually contributes to branding. With flowers, I felt the difference lies in the fact that awareness of lost flowers is generally still not as advanced as it is for food.

Kikuchi: If initiatives for loss flowers spread and utilizing them becomes commonplace in the Takanawa area, that would be wonderful for a town aiming to last 100 years.

Taguchi: Among the independently owned florists in the Takanawa area that Matsuura-san visited, many expressed wanting to utilize loss flowers but feeling unsure about how to take action. This time, we were able to secure the cooperation of four independently owned florists. By continuing these efforts, I believe the mindset will shift, and utilizing loss flowers will become the norm.

Matsuura: That's right. Visiting many florists, I saw small movements happening. Many seem troubled by the issue that while they want to use loss flowers, frankly, it's not profitable. In this context, I feel it's crucial for companies like JR-Cross, which can impact society, to take on loss flower initiatives. I believe creating societal trends is what shapes the next era.

What matters more than being right is whether it makes customers' hearts flutter

──Could you share the specifics of "earth song"?

Miyoshi: First, we offer Slow Flowers as fresh floral arrangements. We also carry original goods like candles and pouches made from surplus flowers collected from local florists. However, since this is an experimental initiative with limited flower availability over a set period, we also carry products from manufacturers already selling surplus flower-based goods.

Furthermore, if Slow Flowers unfortunately remain unsold during business hours, we plan to utilize them as loss flowers. We're also considering installing flower compost bins in-store to create compost. Our goal is to establish a cycle where we collect flowers that have served their purpose in-store or at customers' homes, turn them into compost, and return it to flower farmers.

Flower Compost for Turning Lost Flowers into Compost

Matsuura: We have Ms. Nao Hayasaka, the ETHICAL Project Director, serving as our store's overall advisor. We're moving forward while receiving her advice on how to present products and communicate our message.

Ethical themes can easily become overly academic or condescending, making them seem distant to the general public. We were determined to create something accessible to many people—something they would find appealing, even cool—while incorporating expert perspectives.

For the presentation of flowers, we've received advice from floral artist Yuki Maeda. We're building the store while consulting her on flower selection and arrangement, so I believe we're progressing by covering both the ethical message and the floral aesthetic.

(From left) ETHICAL Project Director Nao Hayasaka and floral artist Yuki Maeda

Kikuchi: Throughout the store development, I strongly sensed that JR-Cross always prioritizes the "customer perspective." Given their extensive experience managing commercial facilities, I understood they believe "no matter how correct something is, what truly matters is whether it makes the customer's heart flutter when they see it." We discussed this daily.

Miyoshi: Perhaps that's just something JR-Cross employees naturally embody. So hearing you say that makes me realize it, and I feel relieved thinking, "I'm glad we're doing it right" (laughs).

Taguchi: First, it's crucial for people to understand what loss flowers are, so conveying that as our initial message is key. When they're turned into products like candles or sachets, they feel more familiar and people develop an attachment to them. That's why we were particular about offering multiple original products.

What's needed to establish this is monetization

──Finally, could you share any insights gained from this initiative and your future outlook?

Kikuchi: I sensed many florists are already making candles from loss flowers or implementing small innovations. By bundling everyone's efforts into a unified, powerful message, I believe we can create the future many people desire. In sustainability, I realized it's actually more important to amplify and communicate everyone's shared vision than to start from scratch.

Matsuura: I agree. Even things that can't be advanced by one person alone can shift significantly when a leading company creates momentum or shapes the situation. So it would be wonderful if this initiative became that opportunity.

Miyoshi: Even though food waste is a similar social issue, the approach in food and flowers was completely different. This made me realize there might still be things we can do in the flower industry. On the other hand, since this isn't charity, making it viable as a business is crucial for sustainability. After this initiative, we want to thoroughly review and iterate on updates.

Taguchi: Takanawa Gateway Station is used not only by residents living nearby but also by many tourists and international visitors. First, we want to convey our message to as many customers as possible. Then, as Miyoshi mentioned, we aim to establish a revenue model and consider broader possibilities, such as expanding to other stations.

──Thank you for sharing your valuable insights today.