JINS Maebashi Kojimata Store

Sustainable JINS Maebashi Kojimata Store

The JINS Maebashi Kojimata store, which opened on January 14, 2022 in Kojimatamachi, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, is a store that aims to be a pioneer in promoting JINS sustainability, such as consideration for the environment and building new relationships with the community, and it’s accelerate initiatives such as ESG (Environment, Society, Corporate Governance) and SDGs.

Approximately 1,100 eye glasses are available at the store, and the business hours are from 10 am to 8 pm, and the parking lot can park approximately 200 cars.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions with solar panels

For the first time in a JINS store, a solar panel will be installed on the roof of the JINS Maebashi Kojimata store, and about 70% of the electricity used in the store will be supplied by solar power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, wooden construction is used to build the store, and the interior space surrounded by wood also conveys warmth to customers.

Various kinds of plants were planted on the premises to create a park-like structure with high migratory properties. As a new initiative, The store sell various vegetables cultivated by JINS’s affiliate “JINS norma“, which is an affiliate of JINS, which operates agriculture in Gunma prefecture, unattended. JINS aim to build new relationships with local customers through locally grown vegetables.

Kenichi Obana from Gunma is in charge of space design

In designing the interior space of this store, the JINS company requested Mr. Kenichi Obana, an artist from Gunma prefecture who is working on “Kazeotoko (Windy Man)”, a work inspired by the sky of Gunma.

The area where the store is located is exactly where you can feel the windy of Gunma. The sculpture “Kazeotoko” is placed at the entrance, and the drawings of “Kazeotoko” are drawn everywhere on the wall of the store. It is a space where visitors can feel the characteristics of the land called “Maebashi” through the experience of seeing them.

Born in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture in 1981. Completed the Department of Western Painting, Graduate School of Arts, University of Tsukuba in 2006. I create drawings and sculptures created from people’s activities, folklore, landscapes and history of the land, and explore works that let you experience the story while going back and forth between fiction and reality. Major exhibitions in recent years include “200 Years of Life” Akita City Cultural Creation Center (2021, Akita), “Oku Noto International Art Festival 2020+” Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture (2021, Ishikawa), “VOCA2021” Ueno Royal Museum (2021, Tokyo), “Ecology of Expression” Arts Maebashi (2019, Gunma), etc. In addition, the awards include the VOCA Award (2021), the Tokyo Midtown Award 2015 Excellence Award (2015), and the LUMIN meets ART AWARD Semi-Grand Prix Award (2014).

Kenichi Obana
Official Website

Message from Kenichi Obana

The story of the character “Kazeotoko” is drawn in the JINS Maebashi Kojimata store. “Kazeotoko” is like an incarnation of the wind or a fairy. We are observing our lives, standing quietly near us and surrendering to the occasional breeze.

Gunma is the sky breeze. I remember when I was a high school student, I was desperately going to school while riding a bicycle in the strong and cold wind blowing down from Mt. Akagi. This scene, which is commonplace when living in Gunma, is a natural phenomenon that can be felt only because we live close to the mountains. Every time I go home and get a strong cold wind, I still feel nostalgic.

Since entering the eyewear business in 2001, JINS has continued to grow by providing new value such as a price system that breaks the conventional wisdom, high design, and product development with added value other than vision correction.

In 2021, the company formulated a common vision for sustainability and specific sustainability goals (milestones 2050 and 2030) in order to further promote efforts to realize a sustainable society as a company. JINS is promoting various initiatives such as opening a new facility “JINS PARK” aiming for coexistence with the community and developing circular eyewear.

JINS creates important themes centered on global issues such as ESG (Environment, Society, Corporate Governance) and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Click here for details.

JINS is considering the adoption of various methods such as the purchase of renewable energy in addition to the installation of new solar panels in future store operations. The company will continue to aim to realize a more prosperous society by creating stores that can coexist with the local community and return value to society and the environment.

日本語ページはこちら