Travel and restaurants Japan

Revitalising Japan’s neighbourhoods from the ground up

There’s the cosy wine bar for an after-work tipple, the playful park-side café with a communal air and the boutique hotel enlivening a former bank.

Japanese developer Staple is sowing the seeds for urban regeneration from its home in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. From the northern city of Hakodate to the tiny island of Ikuchijima in the Seto Inland Sea, Staple takes pride in celebrating the unique character of each locale, while nurturing deeper connections between people, nature and the urban environment.

This approach not only allows new ideas to circulate throughout the neighbourhoods but also drives the creation of “soft infrastructure”, ranging from hotels and community hubs to public bathhouses and regional festivals. These landmark destinations also work to raise an area’s profile and enhance local life, drawing the attention of curious travellers and future residents alike.

By building walkable networks and nurturing neighbourhoods from the ground up, Staple is helping to fight depopulation and reintroducing a worldly dynamism to local communities. As these regions continue to thrive, the company aims to replicate its successful approach across the globe.

Community focus

Nihonbashi is just one example of Staple’s thoughtful approach to regeneration. From Nagato’s cute little onsen town within a beautiful mountain setting to the historic port of Hakodate, neighbourhoods across Japan are developing and thriving thanks to the company’s bottom-up, people-first approach to creating soft infrastructure and revitalising local communities. The result is a network of engaged residents and layered destinations that are built to last.