Circular culture hub Sta.R opens with 1-day festival on 19 September

Sta.R, a circular culture creation hub located inside Hoshikawa Station on the Sagami Railway (Sotetsu) Main Line in Yokohama, will officially celebrate its grand opening this Saturday on 19 September.. The facility aims to embed circular economy concepts into everyday commuter journeys by offering a material library of local resource flows and a dedicated gallery space, and will hold a one-day community festival named R Fes for celebration.

The opening event will feature interactive workshops and showcases designed to introduce regional upcycling efforts to the public. Participants in a hands-on session can convert decommissioned firehoses into emergency preparedness pouches. In partnership with the Hodogaya Ward Office, a separate workshop invites visitors to craft decorative wreaths using ribbons reclaimed from a photo booth at last year’s ward festival, raising awareness for the upcoming GREEN×EXPO 2027. Local artist Miki Tomine will also offer colouring activities featuring the flora and fauna of the adjacent Katabira River to highlight local biodiversity.

A 90-minute Circular Material Showcase will present five local business leaders and creators who work with discarded resources. Speakers include

• Masato Emori, President of Hara Trading Co., Ltd., presenting on decarbonisation and reusable toner cartridges;
• Mayu Ito and Itsuki Funada of Kururi Kobo, an upcycling project operated by waste management firm TAKEMATSU Co., Ltd.;
• Tatsunori Tomimoto of Sachiumi Heroes, outlining ocean transformation through seaweed cultivation; and
• artist Minoru Inayoshi of nitehi works, who crafts spatial installations from reclaimed structural materials.

Concurrently, the hub’s exhibition space, Я gallery, will launch its inaugural solo exhibition, “circle to circle,” by artist and agricultural scientist Mikiko Kamada, running until 18 October. Expanding on her “flower compost” project featured at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the installation investigates biological and material cycles through video footage of floral decomposition and glass sculptures representing microbial life. The exhibition also displays collaborative artwork made from reclaimed municipal school gymnasium flooring. Kamada will host an artist talk at 5:00pm during the festival.

Sta.R is situated a one-minute walk from the Hoshikawa Station ticket gate. The facility is managed by the Creative Circular City Collective, a joint initiative between Artiql Inc. and Route Design LLC, in cooperation with the City of Yokohama Nigiwai Sports and Culture Bureau, Hodogaya Ward, and Sagami Railway Co., Ltd.