The KADOKAWA Group works on various initiatives to broadly promote and pass down Japanese culture and art as well as to live in harmony with the local community and residents and to contribute to the growth of rich local society.
Various Cultural Facilities in TOKOROZAWA SAKURA TOWN
TOKOROZAWA SAKURA TOWN, which opened in Higashitokorozawa, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture in 2020, is home to facilities that realize various cultural initiatives such as the Bookshelf Theater, Kadokawa Culture Museum, Musashino Woods Park, and Musashino Reiwa Shrine. The Bookshelf Theater houses approximately 60,000 academic titles and complete collections of authors donated by Genyoshi Kadokawa, founder of KADOKAWA SHOTEN, and Japan’s famous literary critic Kenkichi Yamamoto. Kadokawa Culture Museum features multiple galleries for holding a wide variety of art events. Musashino Woods Park, which integrates modern art by teamLab with trees of Musashino, is a destination of rest and relaxation for local residents. Musashino Reiwa Shrine enshrines the “Kotodama no Okami,” which is a divine authority that resides in all content and symbolizes community coexistence. TOKOROZAWA SAKURA TOWN is a site that realizes the sustainable integration of human activity, knowledge, history, and nature. As a symbol of the KADOKAWA Group’s unique sustainability activities, these cultural facilities closely coordinate with each business of the Group and promote the KADOKAWA Group’s ambitious activities domestically and overseas.
Archiving of Book Materials
The KADOKAWA office in Iidabashi,Tokyo features the Kadokawa Japanese Culture Library and Kadokawa Library. The Kadokawa Japanese Culture Library operated by the KADOKAWA Culture Promotion Foundation was opened in January 1991 for the purpose of preserving books related to regional histories which were collected in the course of creating Kadokawa Nihon Chimei Daijiten [The Kadokawa Geographical Dictionary of Japan] and assisting researchers in their research and studies. Since its opening, the library stores books and materials on literature, history, motion picture films, and video, including materials related to the KADOKAWA Group and the Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation in addition to donated private collections of books, and the library carries out activities to contribute to the growth of studies in each respective field (viewing the books and materials is limited to researchers in the facility only). On the other hand, Kadokawa Library, which opened in 2000 and is home to more than 40,000 mainly new titles of the KADOKAWA Group, is open to the general public. Some of the magazines and video software published by the KADOKAWA Group are also available for browsing and viewing in the library.
Offering Learning Opportunities in Kadokawa Culture Museum
People, corporations, and various organizations that engage in creative activities are indispensable for the KADOKAWA Group’s business activities. The Kadokawa Culture Museum offers opportunities to pass down talent and knowledge to children, who are the bearers of the future of Japanese culture, and those who seek rich cultural lives and to create something together. One example is the workshops and learning opportunities organized by the KADOKAWA Culture Promotion Foundation. In a workshop planned by collaborative artists Ken + Julia Yonetani, children floated lanterns decorated with their own illustrations of endangered species of Musashino on a stream to increase the awareness of protecting the local environment. Moreover, Kadokawa Academy - The School in the Forest offers seminars by writers and cultural figures for the diffusion of intelligence to a wide range of generations. We offer unique lectures and classes by taking advantage of the extensive network and wide variety of knowledge of KADOKAWA. Popular seminars include writer Motohiko Izawa’s historical theory of Musashino and haiku poet Takashi Hoshino’s lecture about the bond between renowned Japanese poet Kyoshi Takahama and Musashino. Kadokawa Academy - The School in the Forest will continue to offer similar classes and lectures covering the human studies, natural sciences, and social sciences genres on a regular basis.
