We aim to be a town where delicious beer brings people together.
Shinsuke Kajiwara, Representative Director, Kogane Brewery Co., Ltd.
KOGANE's beginnings date back to 2019.
At the time, I had no connection to Otemae-dori yet and was working in architectural design and running a co-working space in Himeji City.
If you would like, please bear with me as I explain why an architect decided to start a craft beer brewery.
It all started when I was invited to take part in the Otemae Street project.
Before I opened KOGANE, I was running an architectural design and a co-working space called mocco, and I was more interested in the people who lived and worked inside and outside the building than in the work of architecture that creates the hardware. As a concrete activity, I started to create a new flow of air in a specific area of Himeji that was being left behind by the times, by redesigning buildings that were no longer being used in the town with my friends and welcoming new store owners to closed stores.
As we continued these activities, we started to use subsidies for vacant storefronts more and more, and we started to have more interactions with government officials. Then, in 2018, we received a consultation from Himeji City.
" Would you like to participate in a project to make Otemae Street a more enjoyable place to walk?"
For me, who had only dealt with small buildings at the time, this was a huge deal. After all, Otemae-dori is the main street connecting Himeji Station and Himeji Castle. I never thought I would be invited to work on a project that would involve so many people in a field that everyone living in Himeji would know about, and I was almost an amateur in the field of urban planning. However, it is also true that I began to feel a sense of mission in accepting the invitation. After all, although Otemae-dori is very beautiful, wide, and impressive, it is hard to call it a pleasant street to walk on.
As a resident of Himeji, I intuitively felt that I had to accept this invitation, so I accepted. Later, I made a presentation to Himeji City with Heartbeat Plan, an urban consultant from Osaka who has shared the good times and the bad (Heartbeat came up with almost all of the content), and was successfully selected. This was the start of a five-year unknown challenge.
Social experiment, COVID-19, and opening
The project started in 2019. I joined without knowing anything at the time, so I just tried to keep up. I did land price surveys in the surrounding area, including in front of the station and Otemae Street, interviewed almost all the buildings and tenants along the road, planned and designed social experiments, managed the budget, did PR, etc. I remember running through it at the limit both physically and mentally, because I was doing this challenge in parallel with my existing job.
The concept of the future Otemae Street can be summed up in one sentence:
"By having the tenants along the road use it on a daily basis, pedestrians can enjoy their commute."
That is what it means.
The sidewalks on Otemae-dori are very wide, and the new construction separates cyclists and pedestrians, making it very easy to walk. There are wooden decks, flower beds, and sculptures on the sidewalks, and depending on how they are used, it looks like it could create a very fun atmosphere. However, even if events were held there every day, it would be difficult, so for most of the year it is just an empty road to travel. That is why it is important that the tenants along the road maintain and use it on a daily basis.
With this concept in mind, we launched a social experiment in November 2019 with many businesses along the road to create the future Otemae-dori street. This one-month experience, which we completed with the help of many people, was the catalyst for starting KOGANE.
Although it was held for a month, many people enjoyed it, and we were able to see many people who happened to pass by without knowing about this social experiment spending a relaxing time there.
"I hope this scene can be seen every day on Otemae Street."
I felt this way from the bottom of my heart. I was convinced that if the roads around the World Heritage site of Himeji Castle were such a fun space, Himeji would be something to be proud of. I wanted to make this happen, so I decided to open a shop in a vacant lot along the road, where people could make and drink my favorite beer. After that, I looked for people who would join me and started the project.
In 2020, the year after the social experiment, COVID-19 hit and my KOGANE project went ahead without coming to fruition. Finally, in 2022, we decided to start the store on a much smaller scale than originally planned, with minimal DIY.
Social experiment, COVID-19, and opening
After opening, we continued to raise funds through crowdfunding and other means, and spent a year and a half setting up brewing equipment, starting brewing in October 2023. Our current business model is almost complete. We now have seating on Otemae-dori, and have finally realized the scenery we envisioned back then. (Currently temporarily removed.)
Farewell and the future of KOGANE
KOGANE has overcome many obstacles to make it a reality, but at the end of September 2024, Iida and his assistant Satake, who have been in charge of cooking and brewing since the restaurant's launch, will be retiring. We asked them to do so many things and shared the good times and the bad with them, but due to their own thoughts and circumstances, they have decided to walk different paths. We would like to support the future of these two. We will also be welcoming new employees, and KOGANE will continue to progress in the future, so we hope you will continue to look forward to it.
