Challenging a New Endeavor, 'Media Fragrance Brand' 'Morito,' Connects to 'Tourism Linked with People, Lifestyles, and Culture' through Scent—Originating from Akita, the 'Wood Capital' Noshiro

Aoyajiro Inc. (Location: Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture; Representative: Ayai Konan, established March 2026) will launch a crowdfunding campaign on CAMPFIRE for its media fragrance brand 'Morito,'. The brand aims to convey the culture and lifestyle of Akita Prefecture and deliver local experiences, all sparked by fragrance products utilizing the wood culture of Noshiro City, Akita, and Akita cedar. On CAMPFIRE, this project is not just about delivering perfumes and aromatic distilled water incorporating the scent of Akita cedar, but an initiative to create 'tourism with a human face' where people can encounter the people, lifestyle, and culture of Akita through scent. The funding goal is 1 million yen. Rewards include Akita cedar perfume, Akita cedar distilled water, original goods, as well as experience-based rewards like a '1-Day Tour of Noshiro, the Wood Capital' and a '1-Day Tour of Noshiro's Forestry Sites + Akita Cedar Essential Oil Distillation Experience,' allowing participants to touch the local charm. The scent of Akita cedar as an 'entrance to meeting the region'. 'Morito,' is a media fragrance brand launched in 2025 against the backdrop of the wood industry culture of Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture, once called the 'Wood Capital of the East.' A media fragrance brand is a nationwide first initiative that doesn't just sell fragrance, but uses it like a medium to convey people, lifestyles, and culture, and goes beyond conveying to creating local experiences. The 'Mori' (forest) in the brand name does not just refer to the forest itself. It is perceived as an entity that includes the region where the forest is, the people who live there, and its culture. The goal of 'Morito,' is not to be a brand that ends with selling a fragrance, but one that creates regional stories and relationships with people through scent. The flow created by 'Morito,'. A person who picks up the perfume becomes interested in the scent, learns about Akita's culture and lifestyle through social media, etc., eventually visits for a local experience (e.g., themes of forest, sake, wine, sauna, cows, fruits), and meets local people. We want to deliver such 'a pleasant relationship beyond consumption,' 'a loving consumption filled with thought.' Not just 'seeing,' but tourism to meet people's lifestyles and culture. The theme of this project is 'Scent × Tourism with a human face.' It's not just about visiting tourist spots, but talking with local people, touching their lifestyles and culture, and creating a relationship that makes you want to meet them again. That is the new form of tourism 'Morito,' envisions: 'tourism with a human face.' Example of a local experience. The project page expresses the desire to 'deliver a heartwarming experience through time spent with the land's culture, lifestyle, and people, not just consumptive tourism of seeing, and to create a relationship that makes you want to come back again.' Akita has nature, food, culture, craftsmanship, and fascinating people. However, its charm has not been fully conveyed yet. Amidst being told 'there's nothing in Akita,' we will re-edit the value in the region from the perspective of the younger generation and deliver it through the sensory medium of scent. Connecting the culture of the Wood Capital Noshiro to the next generation with scent. Noshiro City is a town that developed with the wood industry, including Akita cedar. Its history and culture are alive in the region's architecture, lifestyle, industry, and people's memories. A photo of a fittings maker in Noshiro City. On the other hand, due to changes in the wood industry and a decrease in the regional population, how to connect the culture and memories of the former Wood Capital to the next generation is a challenge. 'Morito,' will convey the culture of the Wood Capital Noshiro in a new form, not only through the wood itself but also through the scent of Akita cedar and experiences related to the forest. Example of an experience. Rewards include perfumes, distilled water, and experience tours. This crowdfunding campaign offers products to enjoy the scent of Akita cedar, as well as experience-based rewards to touch the wood culture and forestry sites of Noshiro. Reward Introduction. Main rewards are as follows: - Perfume incorporating the scent of Akita cedar - Room spray (Akita cedar essential oil, distilled water) - Original goods - 1-Day Tour of Noshiro, the Wood Capital - 1-Day Tour of Noshiro's Forestry Sites + Akita Cedar Essential Oil Distillation Experience - Scent experience sessions, event speaking, etc. The thought behind the project. A forestry site in Noshiro City. What I encountered in Akita Prefecture were the charming people living their lives enjoyably and authentically in the region, and the unique cultures of each area, such as the Wood Capital Noshiro. On the other hand, I often heard from the younger generation that 'there's nothing in Akita.' However, the more I got deeply involved with the region, the more I realized that Akita has charming people, culture, lifestyles, and nature. I want to convey that charm in a different way, not through Akita's existing methods or industries. The 'Morito,' perfume 'Mori to Watashi' (The Forest and I). I want to create aきっかけ for people both outside and inside Akita to think, 'When you say Akita, this is what comes to mind,' or 'I love this place, these people.' And in a society where relationships are becoming diluted, I want to create opportunities to add color to one's life in one's own way through the spread of a pleasant, moderate community. 'Morito,' was born from such thoughts. Representative's Comment While studying at the Department of Architecture at Akita Prefectural University, I also work as a community revitalization cooperator in Noshiro City, Akita. Living in Akita and interacting with various local people, I've come to feel that Akita's charm lies not just in 'places,' but in the 'people' and 'lifestyles' there. Scent reaches the senses before words do. I hope that the scent of Akita cedar will be a chance for people to encounter Akita's rich culture (number one in Japan for important intangible folk cultural properties) and the warmth of the people living in Akita, which cannot be felt in ordinary tourism. This crowdfunding is not just for selling perfume. It is a challenge to meet people who resonate with the idea, who will create experiences with us, and who will come to visit Akita. We will create relationships from scent that make people think, 'There are people I want to see in Akita,' or 'There's a place I want to go again,' instead of 'There's nothing in Akita.' Crowdfunding Overview Project Name: From Akita, the Wood Capital Noshiro—Spinning 'Pleasant Tourism to Meet People's Lifestyles and Culture' from Akita Cedar Perfume Implementer: Ayai Konan, Representative of Aoyajiro Inc. Brand Name: Morito, Platform: CAMPFIRE Funding Goal: 1,000,000 yen Main Rewards: Akita cedar perfume, Akita cedar distilled water, original goods, 1-Day Tour of Noshiro, the Wood Capital, 1-Day Tour of Noshiro's Forestry Sites + Akita Cedar Essential Oil Distillation Experience, etc. Project Page: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/927553/view Company Overview Company Name: Aoyajiro Inc. Representative: Ayai Konan Location: Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture Business: Planning and operation of the media fragrance brand 'Morito,', regional branding using scent, product planning, experience planning, etc. Brand Instagram: @morito_akita Website: https://aoyajiro.jp/ Press Inquiries Aoyajiro Inc. Representative: Ayai Konan Email: info@aoyajiro.jp Instagram: @morito_akita