Born in 1974 in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. Oyakawa has worked for various projects since he was a teenager. He began participating in a silicon business for a recycling project (a raw material for solar cell modules), and established his own brand “Japan Solar” after accumulating experiences in trading with foreign companies. Based on a philosophy of “Link with the future: executing things that lead to the future”, he progressively expanded his businesses, such as the electricity retail business “Japan Electric Power”, and the biomass/biogas power generation business “Japan Bio”. Overseas subsidiaries are established in the U.S. and the Philippines. The company is growing as a general energy company, focusing on renewable energies. In July 2017, the largest crystal-type solar cell module manufacturing plant in Japan was opened in Naraha Town in Futaba District, Fukushima Prefecture.

Began designing in Japan and Milano from 1969. Since then, Kita has designed many best-seller products from European and Japanese manufacturers world-wide. Many of his works are selected for permanent collections in world famous museums such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), etc. He is also very active in revitalizing and promoting local Japanese traditional crafts and industries as well. Producer of the international trade fair for home and lifestyle renovation “Living & Design” and a proponent of Japanese lifestyle renovation, the “RENOVETTA” project. Professor of The Osaka University of Arts. He was awarded the prize “ADI carrier internazionale of Compasso d’Oro” of Italy in 2011. In 2016, he served as The International Jury of Compasso d’Oro, Italy. His recent publications include “Power of Design”, “Local Industry + Design”, “Venture for Design”, and many more.

Born in Osaka (Japan), in 1971. Kohki Hiranuma Architect & Associates was established in ‘99, after attending AA School in London. His representative works include “The University of Tokyo Space Lab” - an environmental architecture developed using sustainable timber (from thinning) that was set inside the Komaba Campus of The University of Tokyo, and "D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT" - a conversion project to explore the way how to sustain long life design / recycle store through creating a new value on the architecture that exist in the area. He has received many awards, such as Grand Design International Architecture Award (England), German Design Award (Germany), Innovative Architecture International Building Award (Italy), and Wood Architecture Award (North America). He held his own exhibition in National Museum of Art, Osaka (Japan), and His participation was remarkable in Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition held last year. Currently, He teaches at Osaka University, at the same time He leads a Non-Profit Organization / Art & Architect Festa (NPO/AAF).

Born in 1981. After earning credits for a Doctoral Degree, he quit the Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School in 2014. He established “studio[42]” during his Doctoral coursework. Receiving the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM, he studied abroad at the Stuttgart Academy of Art, Department of Architecture from 2005 to 2006. He currently runs “studio[42]” and co-owns “bask design”.

Born in 1985 in Yamanashi Prefecture, Maeshima graduated from Musashi Institute of Technology (today’s Tokyo City University) in 2008, and obtained his Master’s Degree there in 2010. After working at TORAFU ARCHITECTS in 2011, and at Shinichi Ogawa & Associates from 2012 to 2016, he initiated his own independent design works. His works received the Toyo Ito Prize at the Under 35 Architects Exhibition 2016 and the award for excellence at the Under 35 Glass Architecture Competition 2016. Representative works include “Warehouse in a Vegetable Garden”, “Backyard House (renovation of an old private house)", and “SONY SQUARE SHIBUYA PROJECT (sakumaeshima)”. His current activity base is in Tokyo. Ongoing projects include “House of the O Family”, “Exhibition in Tottori”, and “Renovation Plan for J Clinic”.

User-friendliness and branding. They are intimately related although they may seem the opposite things at the first sight.
I was the chief editor of “Modern Living” for 13 years from 2003 to 2016 and there were many ups and downs. Modern Living has become a leading magazine of the genre because it made a success in “branding”, which is now most necessary for both individuals and companies. I will talk the relationships between housings and interior and what I consider of “branding”.

Profile:
In the former Fujin Gaho Co. (today’s Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd.), Shimoda worked in the editorial departments for books and the magazine “Vingtaine”, and then became the chief editor of the magazine “Modern Living” from 2003 to March 2016. Since April 2016, she has supervised the entire brand of “Modern Living” as a publisher. First published in 1951, "Modern Living" has been proposing beautiful Japanese lifestyles for 66 years as a luxurious housing magazine. Shimoda also enjoys everyday life based on her philosophy that “living is an everyday project”, and transmits her ideas through SNS, seminars, and lectures. She is the author of “Comfortable Life: 109 Small Interior Ideas” (by Yuika Shimoda, Kodansha Ltd.). Comfortable Life: 109 Small Interior Ideas”, Yuika Shimoda, Book, Retailer, Amazon.