Unstaffed 24-Hour Mourning Wear Rental 'Mofuku no Mirai' Reveals Founding Vision and Value Proposition

Mofuku no Mirai (operated by And By M Co., Ltd., headquartered in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, CEO Yukari Harada) opened its Yokohama store in November 2025 and its Osaka Namba store in June 2026.

Hello. I am Yukari Harada, the representative of 'Mofuku no Mirai'.

We operate 24-hour, completely unstaffed mourning clothes rental stores in Yokohama and Osaka (Namba), where customers can make reservations via smartphone and complete the rental process in as little as 30 minutes (sometimes even less).

In the five months since our Yokohama store opened, over 2,400 people have registered on our LINE account, with more than 1,300 customers utilizing the service. This includes over 500 female customers and more than 100 repeat users.

People around me often ask, 'Why an unstaffed mourning wear rental?' While it may look like a business model aimed strictly at efficiency, the inspiration for this business actually came from a very ordinary daily conversation. Today, I would like to share the story of how we came to launch the 'Mofuku no Mirai' service and the thoughts behind it.

The Beginning: A Suit Store Sign Seen from a Car Window

My husband and I have always had a penchant for thinking up new businesses, services, and systems. Our daily conversations often involve exchanges like, 'There's a new business like this,' or 'Wouldn't it be great if there was a service like that?'

One day, while I was sitting in the passenger seat of our car driven by my husband, we passed by a certain suit retail chain. As I absentmindedly gazed at the sign, our conversation naturally drifted to the topic of 'mourning wear.'

'Come to think of it, I wonder what happened to the mourning wear I bought about 10 years ago. It must still be in the closet.'

Back then, dealing with a sudden funeral, I had attempted to rent mourning clothes online. However, because I was working at a company from morning to night, receiving a package at home was incredibly difficult.

Furthermore, online renting always came with the anxiety of, 'Will it really arrive in time for the ceremony tomorrow?' and 'What if it arrives but the size doesn't fit?'

Eventually, chased by deadlines and anxiety, I rushed into a nearby store and paid about 60,000 yen on the spot to purchase a complete set. Including my husband's outfit, the total exceeded 100,000 yen. It was certainly not a cheap expense, but proper attire is necessary for a final farewell.

'But you know, that mourning suit I bought for 60,000 yen back then—I haven't used it once since.'

As I spoke to my husband, a strange feeling came over me. The fact that I don't use mourning clothes means that the people close to me are living healthy, peaceful lives. That is undeniably a 'good thing.'

However, at the same time, I felt a sense of incongruity about the current situation where individuals pay tens of thousands of yen to keep items they rarely use asleep in their closets. Because it's an item rarely used, rather than individual ownership, shouldn't it be something borrowed and lent among neighbors? Wouldn't it be great to have a system where it can be shared within the community or society?

This conversation in the car was the beginning of everything for 'Mofuku no Mirai.'

Connecting to a Bright 'Future' from the Question: 'Will Mom Die Someday Too?'

Our service is named 'Mofuku no Mirai' (Future of Mourning Wear).

We have imbued this 'Mirai' (Future) with two distinct meanings.

The first meaning stems from a memory that resurfaced when we were deciding on a name. It takes me back 10 years to the funeral I mentioned earlier, the one I attended in the 60,000 yen mourning suit. At the time, my daughter was still small. It was her first time attending a funeral, and the moment she faced the death of her great-grandmother.

Looking at her great-grandmother resting in the casket, my daughter, who didn't fully understand the concept of death yet, asked various questions. As I carefully chose my words to explain, she quietly asked me:

'Will Mom die someday too?'

For a young child, 'death' might have been an incomprehensible and vague terror. However, all of us are living today by receiving the baton of life passed down by our ancestors. Through my daughter's question, I was deeply reminded that people are undeniably connected across time.

Some might consider it inappropriate to use the word 'Future' in the name of a place that handles clothes for final farewells. However, precisely because parting with a loved one is unspeakably painful and dark, we wanted to look toward the 'future' that lies beyond that sorrow. Death and parting never mean just an end; they are also moments for those left behind to reaffirm the 'connection of life.' What those who depart wish for the children left behind is surely not despair, but a 'bright future.'

That is why we don't want the service we provide to be merely a place that lends out black clothes. We want to be a 'companion' for people who pause in their grief, helping them look forward again and walk toward a bright future. That is the first thought woven into the store's name.

A Form of 'Sharing' Kind to Society and People, Realized by Technology

The second 'Mirai' represents the future as a 'new style of mourning wear.'

Humans, too, are beings that ultimately return to nature. If so, I believe that the things humans wear and the systems of society should exist within a 'natural cycle' that curbs excessive production and waste.

As the Buddhist saying goes, 'Know when you have enough'; there is no need for everyone to keep rarely worn mourning clothes sleeping in their closets. Instead, we can share them within the community and use them only when necessary. I believe this is a kinder model for both the earth and society.

However, traditional rentals came with high hurdles, such as 'not making it in time during business hours' and 'anxiety about whether the size will fit.' We solved the challenges I once faced with the format of a '24-hour unstaffed store.'

If you can enter the store 24/7 with just a smartphone, whether it's after work or late at night, you can see the items with your own eyes and check the size on the spot. There is no anxiety about delivery time like with online rentals, nor the hassle of receiving packages.

Moreover, this 'unstaffed' environment plays a crucial role in reducing psychological burden. Facing parting with a loved one brings a tense mental state of 'I don't want to talk to anyone' and 'I don't want to exert energy caring about others.' In such times, being served by store staff can sometimes become a significant burden.

'The comfort of being left alone,' where you can quietly prepare at your own pace without worrying about anyone's gaze. We believe that is the true value of an unstaffed operation in being close to our customers.