Okunote is a Tokyo-based business design studio that partners with Japanese manufacturers, artisans, and regional businesses — and with international brands, retailers, and investors — to build new business, products, and brands. We support every step, from initial concept through to final design, and work with clients around the world in English and Japanese.
Okunote provides end-to-end support, from initial concept through to final design, standing beside every client who takes on the challenge of creating something new. Drawing on project experience across more than 100 industries and business types — from major corporations to startups, in Japan and abroad — we bring the kind of “secret weapon” (oku no te) thinking that’s hard to find in-house alone.
From new business ideas with the potential to become a core growth pillar, to market validation and internal alignment, we build businesses from the ground up that customers and partners actively choose.
From product concepts that make the most of your technology and materials, to naming, packaging, and go-to-market strategy, we work side by side with you to build products customers choose — and remember.
We put your company’s or product’s strengths into clear, compelling words, then shape everything from logo to website to sales materials — turning qualities the market hasn’t noticed yet into reasons to choose you.
Manufacturers, processors, and small factories with technology the world hasn’t discovered yet
Artisan workshops, material specialists, and the next generation carrying regional crafts forward
Primary industries, tourism businesses, and industry support organizations across Japan
Drawing on project experience across more than 100 industries and business types — from major corporations to startups, in Japan and overseas — we bring the kind of “secret weapon” thinking that’s hard to find in-house alone.
A selection of the businesses, artisans, and manufacturers we’ve partnered with. Full interviews and collaboration stories are available on note and YouTube.
By combining aromatherapy with stationery, we developed “Kanogu,” a watercolor paint you enjoy by painting on fragrance. We supported the project from concept design through to launch, helping it win the Japan Stationery Award and the Kids Design Award.
▶Watch the Interview
We rebuilt the craftsmanship and local history cultivated by a long-established shop in Ryogoku, Tokyo into a single story. By reworking the “MADE IN RYOGOKU” brand expression and e-commerce site, we made the appeal of products rooted in the local area easier to convey.
▶Watch the Interview
We applied Sunago, a gold and silver leaf technique passed down since the Meiji era, to glass — developing a new expression called “Sunago Glass” that makes use of light transmission and reflection. This gave concrete shape to the potential of extending the value of traditional techniques into modern spaces and products.
▶Watch the Interview
Through experience at an advertising agency, an internet media company, and a consulting firm, he has worked on communication design, social contribution projects, and creativity-driven organizational change support. In 2019, he launched “Okunote” as a sole proprietorship, focusing on co-creation projects with SMEs and traditional industries across Japan — handling everything from new product and service planning to branding, marketing support, and design production as a consistent business design practice.
In 2026, he founded Okunote Inc. Under the mission “Continuing to support those who take on challenges, through the power of planning and design,” he supports the challenges taken on by companies and regions and drives the creation of new value. He is also actively engaged in education as a lecturer at universities and public institutions.
Tokyo SME Support Center: General Supervisor, Design Management School / Instructor, TOKYO Startup Station Manufacturing Founders Course, and others
Joshibi University of Art and Design: Interface Design / Kyoto Institute of Technology: Innovation Social Implementation Methodology
Okunote is based in Tokyo, but our work isn’t limited to one place. We travel anywhere in Japan to be on-site with manufacturers and artisans, and we work remotely with clients around the world — in English and Japanese, across time zones — for as long as it takes to see a challenge through.
Whether you’re building a new business pillar, developing a product, or shaping a brand — or looking for a partner into Japanese manufacturing and craft — we’d love to hear from you. Wherever you are in the world, feel free to start the conversation.