The D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT is a community store and network that discovers local long-lasting designs and communicates their local character. We are pleased to announce the opening of our first Tohoku base in the Tourist Information Center at JR Koriyama Station in Fukushima Prefecture. The Fukushima store's partner is Helvetica Design Corporation, which is also committed to urban development through design rooted in Fukushima. We will discover and introduce long-lasting designs from Fukushima Prefecture and the Tohoku region, as well as Koriyama City. At the same time, we are proposing a new style of travel that uses Koriyama City as a starting point for industrial tourism to learn about local manufacturing and experience the local character. In addition, we will work with the local community to organize study sessions and workshops, and develop a variety of design activities.
Monday, June 5, 2023, 11:00 a.m. Grand opening!
Opening hours: 10:00 - 20:00 ( no holiday )
Address: Koriyama Station 2F, Tourist Information Center, 195 Hiuchida, Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/VYuzW6BGerHfeNQe8
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d_d_fukushima/
FROM FUKUSHIMA -Tetsuya Sato, President, Helvetica Design
Koriyama City is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture and is known as the "Gateway to the Tohoku Region. It is a transportation hub that connects various regions in all directions, from east to west, north to south, and in all directions, and is also a hub that weaves relationships between people. D&DEPARTMENT FUKUSHIMA by KORIYAMA CITY", the first store to be opened in the Tohoku region, will be opened in cooperation with the "Koriyama Tourist Information Center" at JR Koriyama Station under the theme of "travel", connecting people with the region. We would like to communicate Tohoku's long-lasting design from various perspectives, such as micro-tourism, open factories, and agricultural experiences, so that visitors can experience the long-lived history and culture of Fukushima Prefecture and other parts of Tohoku from the station. We sincerely hope that each of our activities will enrich the travel experience of each and every one of you.
FROM TOKYO -Mitsuko Matsuzoe,
President, D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT
We first met Helvetica Design at the d47 MUSEUM exhibition "47 People of NIPPON 2015 GRAPHIC DESIGN" in 2015. We introduced them as a design company that aims to coexist with the local community to better communicate the good things about Fukushima. Seven years later, they were also the ones who helped us launch "d design travel FUKUSHIMA". They told us: "This travel guide is absolutely necessary for Fukushima. Their activities deepened and expanded from their hometown of Koriyama to outside the prefecture. After the completion of the Fukushima issue, they decided to open a store, saying, "We want to leave this connection within the prefecture in some form," and this opening became a reality. We would like to run side by side with Helvetica Design as we learn how the new d that will be developed from the Tourist Information Center will evolve with Helvetica Design's love for Fukushima. We look forward to your support.
Long-lasting designs from Fukushima Prefecture and the Tohoku region, as well as original D&DEPARTMENT products, await your visit! Some products are only available in the store.
The Fukushima store will also have a gallery space. Through a variety of exhibits that explore the crafts and culture of Fukushima Prefecture and the Tohoku region, we will propose a new kind of regional tourism that makes visitors feel like they are embarking on a journey with Koriyama City as its axis.
Prior to the opening of the Fukushima store, the gallery is currently holding its first project, "d design travel FUKUSHIMA Exhibition," from March 26 (Sun.). Starting from the Fukushima issue, which was published in May 2022 as the 30th issue of "d design travel", the editorial staff stayed in Fukushima for about two months as if they were living there, and through various conversations and experiences with local residents, they condensed and presented memories of "the uniqueness of Fukushima" that they found. The exhibition will continue to change every three months.
