is a Japanese sustainable infrastructure company based in Tokyo. It is active in real estate,

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

asset management Asset management is a systematic approach to the governance and realization of value from the things that a group or entity is responsible for, over their whole life cycles. It may apply both to tangible assets (physical objects such as buildings ...

, boutique hotels, precision agriculture, anime production and other businesses. Ichigo's sustainable infrastructure businesses share a common goal of promoting socially and environmentally sound development. In real estate, Ichigo specializes in the renovation and improvement of existing buildings, an approach that challenges the demolition and redevelopment prevalent in Japan's real estate industry. The company also manages publicly listed funds investing in offices, hotels, and solar power plants. As of 2019, Ichigo and its subsidiaries own and manage some 520 billion yen worth of real estate, centered on the Tokyo metropolitan area. In 2019, Ichigo became a top partner of the

J.League The , officially is Japan's professional football league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League of the Japanese association football league system. J1 League is one of the most successfu ...

, Japan's professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

league, in an agreement that will allow Ichigo to renovate and manage stadiums. In renewable energy, it is one of Japan's largest independent solar power producers, owning or operating 60 solar and wind plants across Japan as of February 2020, including the largest solar plant in the

Kanto region Kantō (Japanese) Kanto is a simplified spelling of , a Japanese word, only omitting the diacritics. In Japan Kantō may refer to: *Kantō Plain *Kantō region *Kantō-kai, organized crime group *Kanto (Pokémon), a geographical region in the ' ...

around Tokyo. It is building a wind farm near Fukushima, and also operates floating solar plants. In 2017, Ichigo opened one of the first boutique hotels in Japan, in the port city of Yokohama. Ichigo opened a second boutique hotel in Tokyo's

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

district, and is now building and operating boutique hotels across Japan. In 2019, Ichigo started investing in Japanese anime, including the latest production by

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...

, known for '' Ghost in the Shell''. The series, called ''

Vladlove is a Japanese original net animation (ONA) anime series created by Mamoru Oshii. It was animated by Drive and produced by Ichigo Animation. The series was directed by Mamoru Oshii and Junji Nishimura. It was originally scheduled to premiere i ...

'', is written by Oshii and co-directed by

Junji Nishimura is a Japanese anime director and producer currently residing in Karatsu, Saga. After graduating from Meiji Gakuin University in 1980, Nishimura entered into the anime studio Nishiko Production. Nishimura had his first job as a producer for ''Bald ...

. The move has been described in The Japan Times as part of a new wave in financing Japanese anime that will challenge the “sclerotic production committee system” and give more creative freedom to directors like Oshii. Ichigo also owns the Akiba Cultures Zone, a large retail building in Tokyo's

Akihabara is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...

neighborhood that is a center for Japan's anime subculture. Ichigo builds and leases smart greenhouses, which use sensors and processors from the IoT (

Internet of Things The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other comm ...

) to optimize levels of , water and other inputs to increase agricultural yields. The company was founded in 2000 as Asset Managers, which was a leader in the securitization of nonperforming loans. In 2008, Ichigo Asset Management, a long-term Japan investor, became its largest shareholder. The company changed its name to Ichigo Group Holdings two years later, and in 2015 simplified that to Ichigo Inc. The name comes from Ichi-go ichi-e, an ancient Japanese idiom meaning “one lifetime, one encounter.” The company also sponsors several internationally competitive athletes, including Olympic medalist weightlifter

Hiromi Miyake , born 18 November 1985) is a Japanese retired weightlifter. In the 48kg category, she won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and won bronze at the 2016 Olympics. Her father and coach is Yoshiyuki Miyake, who was a bronze medallist in weightli ...

, who has been an Ichigo employee since 2007.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.ichigo.gr.jp/en/ Japanese companies established in 2000 Real estate companies established in 2000 Real estate companies based in Tokyo Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Energy companies based in Tokyo

See also

References

External links