The Ikebukuro Area Platform (Chairman: Hideyoshi Waki, Director and CEO of Sunshine City Co., Ltd., hereinafter referred to as "Eripla"), which consists of approximately 110 organizations including companies and government agencies around Ikebukuro Station, in which Tanseisha participates, will conduct the "Cool Place Project," a collaborative social experiment between industry, government, academia, and the public aimed at making summer walks around the city more comfortable in response to the increasingly severe urban heat waves that are becoming a major disaster each year, from July 31st (Friday) to August 3rd (Monday).
The logo that marks the cool place
Cooling Place Sketch Perspective
This project is a collaborative effort involving 24 organizations from industry, government, academia, and the private sector that participate in Elipla. Tanseisha served as Project Leader, responsible for planning, design, and promotion, construction of the cooling space, and event management support. The project was advanced by leveraging the company's expertise, including its Regional Revitalization Support Office and previous sustainability initiatives.
The project experimentally distributes "Cool Places," cool spots combining mist and spot coolers with "Tsunagi," a modular unit made of wood, at a total of seven locations including parks and plazas on the east and west sides of Ikebukuro Station. The wood used to make up "Tsunagi" comes from Nishikawa timber in the Irumagawa River basin, which is connected to Ikebukuro by railway lines. Some spots also incorporate "NOITA," a plywood made from small-diameter trees from the Kiso region of Nagano Prefecture, jointly developed by Tanseisha, incorporating features that encourage collaboration with the local community and raise awareness of the environment.
Furthermore, by utilizing a digital map that displays water refill spots, nearby restaurants, and places to cool off in the city, linked to location information, we will visualize the city's cool-down locations. Amid concerns that people will refrain from going out due to the heatwave, we will combine Eripla's network and expertise to verify the possibility of maintaining pedestrian flow during the heatwave. We will academically and quantitatively verify what changes occur in pedestrian flow and comfort levels by providing cool places, and the actual measurement data and insights obtained will be used to formulate future guidelines for the use of street spaces in the Ikebukuro area and to consider the introduction of future heat countermeasures infrastructure. As we are pressed to respond to climate change, we aim for Ikebukuro to become a model case for cities nationwide, realizing a "walkable city where everyone wants to walk."
News Release
■Project Features
1. Addressing local issues in Ikebukuro
Toshima City has one of the highest percentages of single-person households aged 65 and over in Japan (*), making heat countermeasures for the entire community, especially for the elderly who are at high risk of heatstroke, an urgent and significant local issue. In order to find a way to solve this problem within the context of urban development, 24 organizations from industry, government, academia, and the public that belong to the "Street Design Subcommittee" within Eripla will collaborate, leveraging each other's expertise, and conduct multiple experiments and surveys in parallel at various locations in Ikebukuro.
(*) Percentage of elderly people living alone / Reference: Toshima City "Toshima City Elderly Welfare Plan and 9th Term Long-Term Care Insurance Business Plan"
https://www.city.toshima.lg.jp/documents/1858/zentaiban_dai9kikaigohokenjigyoukeikaku.pdf
2. Seven different types of "cooling spots" will be installed in Ikebukuro, both east and west.
Various types of "cooling spots" will be installed on both the east and west sides of Ikebukuro Station. The base fixtures for the cooling spots will use "Tsunagi," a wooden unit manufactured by Nikken Sekkei Ltd., an ELIPL member. By using wood, the project will promote the absorption and sequestration of carbon dioxide, making it a sustainable social experiment that considers the global environment. The units, which combine "Tsunagi" with mist, spot coolers, and green plants, will become cool spots that passersby can freely stop by to escape the heat. In addition, different types with different specifications will be deployed according to the environment of the installation location, and the possibilities of heat countermeasures in diverse urban spaces will be verified. During the period, a "cooling map" linked to location information will be released, guiding users to the installed cooling spots, as well as water refill stations in the city, "Toshima Cooling Spots," and nearby restaurants, supporting actions to avoid the heat.
The cooling spaces will be installed in a total of seven locations, including public spaces in Ikebukuro.
Image of a cool place
3. Creating a walkable spatial network that utilizes the entire city.
By strategically placing seven "cooling spots" as intermediate points for visitors to explore, and using the entire city as the stage, we will verify the feasibility of real-world implementation. In addition, a digital "cooling map" linked to location information will guide visitors to various heat-relieving spots, such as the ward's indoor shelter, "Toshima Suzumidokoro." Through both real-world and digital approaches, we will strive to create a "walkable city" where people can explore on foot even in extreme heat.
Click here for the digital map "Ikebukuro Gurutto Map" website.
■ Overview of the "Cooling Place Project"
Period: July 31st (Fri) - August 3rd (Mon)
Location: A total of 7 locations at the east and west exits of Ikebukuro Station.
Content: This study examines the potential of urban heat countermeasures during extreme heat by installing cooling spaces in parks and plazas around Ikebukuro Station and utilizing digital maps.
Objective: To improve the walkability of the city during extreme heat and realize "walkable urban development" through collaboration between industry, government, academia, and the public.
Organized by: Ikebukuro Area Platform Street Design Committee
[Project Leader] Tanseisha Co., Ltd.
[Project Members]
Sunshine City Co., Ltd. / NTT Urban Solutions Research Laboratories, Inc. / NTT Urban Value Support Co., Ltd. / Ochanomizu University / Seibu Landscape Co., Ltd. / Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. / Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. / Urban Renaissance Agency / Toshima City / Toshima City Architectural Design Offices Association / Nikken Sekkei Ltd. / Nomura Co., Ltd. / Marble Design Co., Ltd.
In cooperation with: IT tower TOKYO / NTT Urban Value Support Co., Ltd. / Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre / Nippon Life Insurance Company
Goods provided by: SPACECOOL Co., Ltd.
Research collaboration: Research Exchange Subcommittee A of the City Planning Institute of Japan, "Research Group on Inclusive Spatial Design in the Age of Climate Change"
Sponsored by: Sunshine City Inc. / NTT Urban Solutions Research Institute, Inc. / Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd. / Seibu Landscape Co., Ltd. / Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. / Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. / Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. / Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. / Taisei Corporation / Tokyo Gas Real Estate Co., Ltd. / Hulic Co., Ltd. / Takenaka Corporation / Ikebukuro District Heating and Cooling Co., Ltd. / NKB Co., Ltd. / Tanseisha Co., Ltd. / Tobu Department Stores Inc. / Nishi-Ikebukuro Heat Supply Co., Ltd. / Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei Inc.
■ About the Ikebukuro Area Platform
The Ikebukuro Area Platform is a community comprised of approximately 110 organizations, primarily businesses, groups, schools, and government agencies in the Ikebukuro area, working together with industry, government, academia, and the public to promote urban development. In March 2024, the "Ikebukuro Future Vision," which outlines the future vision for the Ikebukuro area and the action guidelines for its members, was formulated and released in May. The urban development concept of the Ikebukuro Future Vision is "A City of Inspirational Harmony - Creating Together, Playing Together," and in order to make Ikebukuro an even more attractive city, the members of the Ikebukuro Area Platform, along with like-minded stakeholders, aim to realize three visions of the city: "A city so enjoyable that you forget the passage of time," "A city that inspires and excites the heart," and "A creative city overflowing with new discoveries."
Website: https://ikebukuro-areaplatform.jp/
Details of the "Ikebukuro Future Vision": https://sunshinecity.jp/file/official/pdf/ike-areaplat_miraivision.pdf
Related information
News Release > 2026.06.23 A collaborative project to recycle small-diameter timber from Shinshu into high-value-added plywood has been named "NOITA".
News Release > 2026.04.27 Kokuyo and Takizawa Veneer will participate in the "(tentative name) Shingohan" project.
News Release > 2025.09.25 "We have launched a collaborative project, tentatively named "Shingohan," to regenerate small-diameter timber into high-value-added building materials."
Please note that this may be subject to change without prior notice.