
Exploring Creative Iterators in Japan’s Local Regions
From Interviews to Editing in "AAA City Art & Lifestyle Journal Vol.8" Cover Story
Outline
The modern world is experiencing rapid changes and constant iterations, where humanity is being driven to adapt quickly while simultaneously creating change.
The AAA City Art & Lifestyle Journal acts as a platform for the JUT Group, a Taiwan-based enterprise focusing on real estate development, to engage in dialogue with the public. Each year, the journal curates a specific thematic focus to delve into urban art and culture, aesthetic trends, cultural heritage, and local issues.
This year's AAA City Art & Lifestyle Journal vol.8, titled “Innovation Iterators,” explores individuals across various industries in the city who actively take on the role of "iterators." This year’s edition delves into how these iterators continuously establish new orders and systems in an era full of uncertainties. Additionally, it examines how these creative iterators navigate a diverse future where humanity, society, and technology intertwine. (Excerpt from the foreword of AAA City Art & Lifestyle Journal vol. 8)
Loftwork has a long track record of approaching local issues through the lens of design thinking; in the process, the company has accumulated extensive experience in regional revitalization, industrial upgrades, and brand reinvention projects across Japan. Loftwork also plays a pivotal role in fostering communication and connections between Taiwan and Japan.
As a core part of the production team for this project, Loftwork managed interviews, writing, and editing. The cover story "Editing Elsewhere: For Here and To Go" showcases the stories of four local iterators from Japan. These narratives draw from Loftwork’s own case studies and the regional revitalization experiences of its partners.
Outputs
Local Creative Iterators
The cover story of AAA City Art & Lifestyle Journal vol.8, titled “Editing Elsewhere: For Here and To Go,” highlights the stories of several Japanese entrepreneurs. These creative iterators craft unique narratives for their local regions (“for here”) while simultaneously creating memories, business models, and knowledge that can be carried beyond (“to go”).(Excerpt from the foreword of AAA City Art & Lifestyle Journal vol. 8)
Interviewing entrepreneurs who transition from urban areas to local regions
These entrepreneurs have temporarily stepped away from urban life, embarking on an unconventional career path by relocating to non-metropolitan areas. Their mission is to bridge the gap between cities and rural regions, leveraging design thinking to draw people in and encourage them to stay. While considering regional sustainability and diversity, they aim to create new possibilities for local revitalization.
Loftwork interviewed four of these entrepreneurs to understand how they continuously establish new orders and systems in their communities.

Photography by: Noam Levinger.
The Four Entrepreneurs as Interviewees
Driving Local Revitalization – DOSO
The Path to Revitalization of the Old Textile Town in Fujiyoshida
Interviewee: Tsuyoshi Yagi, Founder/CEO of DOSO
“Bears Will Dance in the Forests of Hida” – Hidakuma
An Urban Creator Creating a Sustainable Forestry Ecosystem
Interviewee: Kotaro Iwaokami, CEO of Hidakuma
Nurturing Regional Entrepreneurship – Q0
Listening to Local Rhythms, Connecting Urban and Rural from Scratch
Interviewee: Chiaki Hayashi, Co-founder of Loftwork, Founder/CEO of Q0
Cross-disciplinary Brewing Artisan – Mitosaya
A Publisher’s Distillery: The Modern Alchemist
Interviewee: Hiroshi Eguchi, Founder of Mitosaya
Approach
From Challenges to Ecosystems: Insights into the Interviewees from Four Perspectives

Before the formal interviews, Loftwork analyzed and gained a deeper understanding of the interviewees through four key perspectives: Challenges, Protagonist, Impact, and Ecosystem. These preparatory efforts aimed to identify the critical aspects of how the interviewees create new orders and systems in local contexts. This approach not only shaped the direction of the interviews and article writing but also ensured thorough preparation for effective communication with the interviewees.
Challenge
Explores the local difficulties and problems the interviewees aim to address in their work. This includes challenges related to natural resources, social issues, economic dynamics, gender equality, and entrepreneurship rates.
Protagonist
Focuses on the interviewees’ background, experiences, and motivations for transitioning from urban to local work.
Impact
Examines the projects and actions initiated by the interviewees and their tangible impacts on the local community.
Ecosystem
Highlights the networks and ecosystems the interviewees have built in their regions, serving as fundamental structures for driving local change.
Building a community ecosystem: learning from case studies
Loftwork has long connected various creative communities and played a vital role in bridging different industries. In this round of interviews and editorial work, Loftwork specifically explored the ecosystem-building processes of the featured cases from the perspective of community organization.
These entrepreneurs have built their business networks and ecosystems by connecting resources from the public, private, and academic sectors, while grounding their efforts in local cultural wisdom and community engagement. This approach has effectively strengthened industry linkages.
In this cover story, Loftwork focuses on the ecosystems established by these four business cases in their respective regions, complemented by graphical representations to help readers gain a clearer and more intuitive understanding.


Information
Book Overview
- Title: AAA City Art & Lifestyle Journal Vol.8 – Innovation Iterators
- Cover Story: “Editing Elsewhere: For Here and To Go”
- Publication Date: May 31, 2024
- ISBN: 9786269862108
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 90
- Dimensions: 20.5 x 26 x 1.3 cm
- Edition: Standard
- Printing: Full color
- Publisher: JUT Group
- Publishing House: Garden City Publishers
- Place of Publication: Taiwan
Project Overview
Client Name: JUT Group Tomorrow Studio AABT
Project Duration: January 2024 – April 2024
Project Team:
- Project Director: Tim Wong (Loftwork Taiwan)
- Project Management: Allison Lee (Loftwork Tokyo)
- Interview Execution: Judit Moreno (Loftwork Tokyo)
- Writing: AAA Editorial Team, Loftwork Editorial Team, Chung-Lan Cheng
- Editing & Translation: Yu-Chun Wang, Yu-Chien Hung (Loftwork Taiwan)
- Interview Photography: Noam Levinger
- Illustration: Joséphine Grenier