On August 8, 2025, our CEO Tetsuro Kondo appeared as a guest at the public recording and meetup of the podcast "Tokyo-to Kita-ku Design Kaigi" (東京都北区デザイン会議). The venue was ジェイトエル, a public facility of Kita City in Jujo, Tokyo.

About the show

"Tokyo-to Kita-ku Design Kaigi" invites creators and designers with ties to Kita-ku, as well as city staff, and explores what becomes possible when design thinking is applied to public themes the city is involved in. It is planned and produced by the general incorporated association 公共とデザイン (Kokyo to Design) and distributed in collaboration with Kita City's Shigoto Renkei Division. It started in July 2025 and continues today under the name "Tokyo-to Kita-ku Design Hosoushitsu" (東京都北区デザイン放送室).

Kondo is from Kita-ku.

What happened on the day

The event was held for design and creative practitioners and students with ties to Kita-ku. There were two guests: learning-environment designer Yusuke Yamauchi (株式会社図書館総合研究所) and Kondo.

  • In the first half, a talk session by the two guests was recorded in public
  • After that, participants split into tables and discussed "design we would like to practice in Kita-ku, Tokyo"
  • In the second half, a talk session looking back on the table conversations was recorded

Besides speaking as a guest, Kondo also served as the facilitator of the discussion.

The episodes

The recording is available as episodes 4 and 5 of the show (in Japanese).

Episode 4 (released September 7, 2025, about 51 minutes): "What we can do to loosen up 'design' (public recording, part 1)"

  • Why Kita City is working on design (remarks by the head of the Shigoto Renkei Division)
  • Guest introductions
  • A world where everyone becomes someone who makes things
  • Where the difficulty of design lies
  • Whether government tends to be cast as the villain
  • Design that does not aim for a finished form

Listen to episode 4 (Spotify, in Japanese)

Episode 5 (released October 13, 2025, about 34 minutes): "Let's start from small things that 'just got made' (public recording, part 2)"

  • Looking back on the table conversations at the venue
  • The potential of a "design kaigi" as a place
  • People with ties to Kita-ku are hidden in many places
  • The power of things that "just got made" out of small experiments

Listen to episode 5 (Spotify, in Japanese)

In the show, "Business Model 2.0 Visual Guide" is introduced as Kondo's book.

Event details

  • Name: Public recording and meetup of the podcast "Tokyo-to Kita-ku Design Kaigi"
  • Date: Friday, August 8, 2025, 18:00–20:30
  • Venue: Activity area, 3F, ジェイトエル (2-27-1 Kamijujo, Kita-ku, Tokyo)
  • Guests: Yusuke Yamauchi (株式会社図書館総合研究所) and Tetsuro Kondo (ZUKAI Inc.)
  • Show planning and production: 公共とデザイン (Kokyo to Design)
  • Event announcement (Kita City, in Japanese)
  • The show on Spotify (in Japanese)