Article Inc. (formerly Hearch Inc.), which operates IDEAS FOR GOOD, has been running “Circular Business Design School Kyoto” since August 2026 — a hands-on exploratory program aimed at envisioning a circular future starting from Kyoto. The program offers businesses in the city a learning program to acquire knowledge of the circular economy and develop circular business models, a business-development support program aimed at social implementation, and networking events.
Applications are now open for the Learning Program and Advanced Course, which aim to help participants acquire the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to transition to a circular economy, and to support the creation of circular business models.
For details and to apply, visit: official website
Details of the Advanced Course
The Advanced Course is designed for individuals and companies who want to develop new businesses, products, or services centered on the circular economy, or who wish to refine an existing initiative, resolve challenges, or explore collaboration with other companies. The program supports participants from acquiring the knowledge, skills, and networks needed for the transition to a circular economy, through to prototyping for the creation of circular business models.
Aimed at those who already have a basic understanding of the circular economy, the program will run for three sessions from October to December 2026, followed by a final presentation event. Throughout the three sessions, participants will work on circular system design, business model design, and product/service prototyping (including creating mock-ups) with advice from experts, and will present their outcomes at the final presentation event. (Completion of the Basic Course is not a prerequisite, but the Advanced Course is intended for those who already have foundational knowledge of the circular economy.)
In addition to mentoring support from mentors based mainly in Kyoto City — who help refine ideas drawing on their respective areas of expertise, a Kyoto-oriented perspective, and their networks — participants will also have the opportunity to receive specialized advice from circular business advisors: practitioners and experts active nationwide with extensive expertise and a track record of supporting circular businesses.
| Session | Date & Time | Theme & Content |
| Session 1 | Thursday, October 8, 2026 18:00–21:00 |
Circular System Design Workshop — Envisioning the Circular Ecosystem You Want to Create Instructor: ・Nobuo Miyahara (President and CEO, AMITA Corporation) |
| Session 2 | Thursday, October 22, 2026 18:00–21:00 |
Circular Business Design Workshop — Translating the Circular Economy into a Business Model Instructor: ・Akihiro Yasui (Representative, Circular Initiatives & Partners Co., Ltd.) |
| Session 3 | Thursday, November 5, 2026 18:00–21:00 |
Circular Product/Service Design Workshop — Visualizing Solutions Through Prototyping Instructors / Workshop Coordinators: ・Kosuke Kinoshita (Brand Manager, FabCafe Kyoto) ・Natsuha Tafusa (Representative Director, Commoning Studio Co., Ltd.) |
| Final Presentation Event | Mid-December 2026 13:00–18:00 |
Final presentation and networking event (open to the public, held both in-person and online) Part 1: 13:00–16:00 Part 2: 16:00–18:00 |
Participants in the Advanced Course will also receive mentoring during the program period from program mentors (one mentor per two participants), as well as online advice from circular business advisors (one advisor per four participants).
For details and to apply, visit: official website
Application Guidelines
- Program period: Thursday, October 1, 2026 – Saturday, December 19, 2026 (final presentation event)
- Application period: Monday, August 24, 2026 – Monday, September 14, 2026, 17:00
- Capacity: approximately 12 participants (selection process will apply if applications exceed capacity)
Eligibility Requirements
- Companies or sole proprietors with a head office or business location in Kyoto City (including those planning to establish or relocate a business to Kyoto City)
- In principle, applicants must be able to attend all sessions of each course, including the kickoff networking event on October 1
- Applicants should already have a basic understanding of the circular economy (completion of the Basic Course is not a required prerequisite)
※As a general rule, participants in the Advanced Course must attend the networking event “Circular Gathering Kyoto,” which will also serve as the program kickoff, held from 17:00 to 21:00 on October 1.
[Program Mentors]
- Isao Kitabayashi (Representative, COS KYOTO Co., Ltd.; Edonomy® researcher)
- Feilan Zeng (Co-Representative, ROOTS Co., Ltd.; social design)
- Mariko Sugita (Representative Director, for Cities General Incorporated Association)
- Masayuki Terai (Representative, Gomi no Gakko Co., Ltd.)
- Kosuke Kinoshita (Brand Manager, Loftwork Inc. / FabCafe Kyoto)
- Natsuha Tafusa (Representative Director, Commoning Studio Co., Ltd.; transformation designer)
[Circular Business Advisors]
- Yosuke Konaka (Senior Researcher and Head of Circular Economy, TBF Team, Sustainability Promotion Department, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited)
- Akihiro Yasui (Representative Director, Circular Initiatives & Partners Co., Ltd.; Kyoto City–commissioned Growth Strategy Advisor; author of “Practicing the Circular Economy”)
- Kiyokazu Nasu (Representative Director, Circle Design Co., Ltd.)
Background to “Circular Business Design School Kyoto”
In recent years, the global trend has been shifting away from the linear economy — the one-way model of mass production, consumption, and disposal — toward the “circular economy” (hereafter “CE”), an economic system that generates added value by using resources efficiently and cyclically in a sustainable manner. The Japanese government, too, has positioned the realization of a circular economy as a national strategy and is accelerating related initiatives.
Kyoto City has long worked with citizens and businesses on “waste reduction” and “resource circulation” (recycling and material recovery). Building on these strengths while accurately reading global and national trends, the city is now working toward a transition to a “circular economy” in order to realize “a society capable of sustainable development while promoting sound economic growth with minimal environmental impact” through the efficient use of finite resources.
In its first run in fiscal year 2025 (Reiwa 7), the program welcomed 20 businesses from within Kyoto City, who completed a full six-session program spanning from prototyping circular business models to a final presentation of results, forming a circular business ecosystem among participants. Building on these achievements, fiscal year 2026 (Reiwa 8) will further accelerate Kyoto City’s transition to a circular economy through a strengthened, staged design of the learning program and the newly established business-development support program.
Program Concept
Decode Culture, Design Future — Unraveling Wisdom, Crafting Innovation
Kyoto is home to assets that have shone brightly across the ages, cultivated over 1,200 years of history: the spirit of “shimatsu no kokoro” (a mindset of using things carefully and without waste), a circular way of life, and a culture of craftsmanship. Realizing a circular future requires the creativity to apply this accumulated wisdom to the present and carry it forward into the future.
By learning from advanced practices within Kyoto City as well as world-leading circular design and circular business models, participants will reexamine their own strengths from newly gained perspectives and, together with the peers they connect with, generate new innovations. This program is a space for learning and creation where the circular wisdom rooted in the city of Kyoto is combined with a future-oriented outlook grounded in cutting-edge circular economy knowledge — enabling participants to envision, together, the future they want, and to take the first steps toward realizing it.
Introducing the Program Partners
Circular Business Design School Kyoto is seeking companies, organizations, investors, and media outlets who wish to join as program partners in creating new businesses, driving investment, and building an ecosystem in the circular economy field within Kyoto City. If you are interested in partnering with the program, please feel free to get in touch.
About IDEAS FOR GOOD’s “Kyoto City Circular Economy Feature”
To coincide with this program, IDEAS FOR GOOD is continuing to publish feature content related to Kyoto’s circular economy efforts, including a report on last year’s CBDSK program and case studies of businesses in Kyoto City that are advancing the circular economy.
Feature URL: https://ideasforgood.jp/kyotoce/
