Introducing Minna no Kojo (Everyone's Factory), a new venture by the cosmetics brand SHIRO, now open in Sunagawa, Hokkaido. This facility is not only SHIRO's new manufacturing base but also a multi-purpose complex centered on the themes of craftsmanship, the environment, and tourism. Let's take a detailed look at each area, where you can feel SHIRO's deep commitment to its values.

SHIRO Co., Ltd., the company behind the cosmetics brand SHIRO, was founded in Sunagawa, Hokkaido, in 1989. The brand has become renowned throughout Japan for its lifestyle products that harness the inherent power of natural ingredients from both Japan and around the world.

Opened in April 2023, Minna no Kojo was built on the former site of Koyo Elementary School in Sunagawa. The facility houses SHIRO's product manufacturing factory, a shop, a café, a kids' space, a lounge, and even a children's playground and a small library. The interior is predominantly white, accented by the warmth of wood, creating an open and welcoming atmosphere where visitors can freely spend their time as they please.

Floor Map

First up is the Factory Area, where SHIRO products are made. Here, you can observe the entire manufacturing process through glass windows, from the R&D lab and raw material preparation room to the blending, filling, and packaging rooms.

Factory Area

Next is the Blender Lab, where you can experience creating your very own fragrance. Choose a special bottle or a surplus bottle from past production runs, blend your favorite scents from a selection of fragrances, and create a one-of-a-kind "My Fragrance" that is unique to you.

The available fragrances include popular staples like "Savon," "White Lily," "White Tea," and "Earl Grey," as well as "Sweet Osmanthus." You can also freely choose from a selection of past limited-edition fragrances that suit the season.

The original SHIRO Sunagawa Main Store has relocated and reopened as the new SHIRO Shop. To mark the occasion, a new fragrance exclusive to the Sunagawa store, "Fruits Bouquet," has been introduced. This fragrance features a soft scent that captures the aromas of various fruits from the Sorachi region, including haskap, apple, and grape.

SHIRO Shop

The SHIRO CAFE is a place where you can relax and enjoy coffee and meals. The initial menu features many exclusive dishes, such as pancakes made with Amur cork tree berries (a medicinal plant used by the Ainu) and spaghetti with sake lees from Kobayashi Shuzo Sake Brewery in Kuriyama and yuzu from Kochi. The café also prides itself on its freshly baked pizzas, which allow you to enjoy natural ingredients in their simplest form, baked by artisans in a wood-fired pizza oven.

Spaghetti with sake lees from Kobayashi Shuzo and yuzu from Kochi

Wood-fired pizza oven

The Kids' Space, featuring a large jungle net suspended from the ceiling, is designed for both adults and children to enjoy together. The net provides a space for children to move around freely, while adults can watch over them from below. Additionally, to prevent the children's playful sounds from becoming too loud, the ceiling is fitted with sound-absorbing panels made from upcycled old staff uniforms.

Kids' Space

The large table in the Lounge Area is perfect for groups or individuals to relax, study, or dine. At the counter seats by the large west-facing window, you can enjoy a leisurely time while gazing at the Pinneshiri mountains.

Lounge Area

Furthermore, the south wall features a tiered bench and a bookshelf with 2,400 books and magazines, which are available for visitors to read freely or purchase. On the shelves next to the large table, you can also view archived products from SHIRO's predecessor, LAUREL.

Minna no Kojo also shows consideration for its outdoor environment. Through "Seed Workshops" aimed at protecting and nurturing native species from Sunagawa, seedlings grown together with the local community have been planted. The open plaza also preserves native grasses that grow naturally in the area, creating an environment that coexists with the local nature.

A scene from a Seed Workshop

Moreover, the facility is taking on the challenge of vegetable cultivation, using soil enriched with compost made from food waste from the café and material processing for cosmetics. A "purification pond" has also been installed to clean wastewater from the facility through natural purification processes before releasing it into the Ishikari River.

Minna no Kojo operates as a circular facility that is considerate of the local community and the global environment. It is based on initiatives that care for both people and the planet, such as "reducing the burden on the global environment as much as possible and conserving limited resources" and "business operations based on perspectives and ideas that consider the global environment and society."

Embodying SHIRO's philosophy, Minna no Kojo is a new type of facility where you can observe the cosmetics manufacturing process while enjoying food, play, and hands-on experiences. Be sure to visit and spend your time just the way you like.

Minna no Kojo

■Address: 54-1 Toyonuma-cho, Sunagawa-shi
■Hours: 10:00 - 19:00
■Closed: Irregularly
*The factory is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

See more details about "Minna no Kojo" on Domingo