Inventing Things That Will Becomes Standards in the Future

How will we be living five years in the future, and which trends and products will become the norms? Which kinds of clothes will we wear, food will we eat, and things will we experience? These will likely include things that have already been invented or discovered, as well as things that don't yet exist in our world. On March 1, 2017, Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores established the Future Standard Laboratory as a creative marketing organization for purposes of discovering and creating things that will become standards five years in the future. Through "FUTURE IS NOW" owned media, various types of events, and other such efforts, the Laboratory collaborates with members of diverse industries and local residents to develop new services and gain insights into the ways people of the future will live their day-to-day lives. The Laboratory is based out of a century-old house in the Yanaka district of Tokyo's Taito Ward. During the Edo Period (1603–1868), Yanaka prospered as a temple town built around Kan'eiji Temple. Today, numerous temples, old wooden houses and other such structures still remain as examples of traditional Japanese architecture and local lifestyle culture. As an organization originally founded more than 400 years ago, Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores chose the Yanaka location for our endeavors aimed five years into the future based on the desire to learn more about the hard work and culture of our predecessors, and also because of Matsuzakaya Ueno's historical ties with Kan'eiji Temple as a supplier of Buddhist monk garb during the Edo Period. The Future Standard Laboratory serves as a venue for bringing together the memories of numerous generations and eras throughout history while thinking about future lifestyle norms.