STARMINE PLANNING Co., Ltd. to change its name to "STARMINE Co., Ltd." in July 2026, marking its 10th anniversary

STARMINE PLANNING Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Jun Nagai) will change its company name to STARMINE Co., Ltd. in July 2026. Concurrently, we will refresh our corporate logo and brand identity. For this new brand development, we partnered with artless Inc., led by Creative Director Shun Kawakami, who handles branding domestically and internationally from their base in Omotesando, Tokyo, to re-examine the core philosophy and values of our brand. We embark on a new start as an "IMAGINATIVE AGENCY" that designs experiences with rich imagination and produces brands.

Entering our 10th year, moving to a new phase

STARMINE has so far been involved in space production for diverse projects, including commercial facilities, hotels, villas, stores, and event spaces. However, what we have focused on is the "experience" – what kind of time flows in that place, what emotions are born, and how people connect. From the way a space exists to the details that touch people's senses, we have consistently considered the value of experiences that move people's hearts.

Now, as we enter our 10th year since our founding, we are changing our company name to STARMINE Co., Ltd. to more clearly express our reality and future direction. Moving forward, we will advance to a new phase as an IMAGINATIVE AGENCY that designs experiences and produces brands with rich imagination as our weapon.

We believe that experiences born from rich imagination move people's hearts and bring people closer together. We aim for a world where that inspiration is passed on to others, continuously creating new inspiration. Our MISSION is our origin, and our VISION is the future we aim for.

Strengthening the Hotel & Hospitality Domain

STARMINE will further strengthen brand production in the hotel and hospitality domain going forward. In recent years, while new developments and brand renewals in the accommodation industry have accelerated, it has become difficult to differentiate solely on hardware aspects like space and facilities. On the other hand, soft aspects such as customer service, hospitality, and stay experience design remain areas that are not yet fully structured. STARMINE has supported numerous post-opening brand experience creations, including seasonal events, spatial design, and experience design, for major domestic hotel operators and accommodation brands. Through this experience, we have recognized the importance of conceptualizing with brand experience in mind from before opening, and the necessity of refining that brand experience over time while protecting it after opening. No matter how beautiful the space is before opening, if the experience born there is not designed, the brand's uniqueness will not emerge. Furthermore, in the hospitality industry, where labor shortages are a challenge, clarifying the brand's philosophy and value proposition not only improves the guest experience but also leads to employees finding meaning and pride in their work, we believe.

Ongoing Hotel Brand Development Projects

Currently, STARMINE has multiple hotel brand planning and development projects underway in Kyoto city and various locations across Japan. As the first of these, we are in charge of brand production for "solmu kyoto," a new hotel brand being launched by Imai Construction Co., Ltd., a local developer in Kyoto.

In this project, we are providing cross-disciplinary support for all areas required for launching a hotel brand, from market research and brand strategy formulation to concept development, naming, logo design, interior design, FFE&OSE selection, communication design, website production supervision, and PR strategy.

"Solmu" means "knot" in Finnish. Inspired by Imai Construction's emphasis on relationships with local people and Kyoto's culture of introductions, we have imbued the brand with the desire to be a place that ties together travelers and the city, and people with people. We are also working on experience design that naturally connects travelers with the region, not just focusing on the increasing inbound tourism, but also connecting Kyoto residents and workers with guests.

STARMINE will continue to promote brand creation that fosters new relationships between regions and people, and between people, by providing integrated support from brand strategy and experience design to space supervision and PR in the hotel and hospitality domain.

◉ Facility Overview

"solmu kyoto shijo karasuma"

Location: Motoakujicho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Number of rooms: 24

Opening: Scheduled for January 2027

Access: Approximately 2 minutes walk from Shijo Station on the subway

"solmu kyoto takakura bukkoji"

Location: Takakura Higashi-iru, Bukkoji-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Number of rooms: 52

Opening: Scheduled for around Summer 2027

Access: Approximately 4 minutes walk from Shijo Station on the subway

Provided Value & Services

STARMINE supports the value enhancement of hotel brands by combining three core brand elements: "Brand & Hotel Produce," "Space & Event Design," and "Direction of Flowers & Plants," along with their respective expertise.

We believe that a hotel's value is not determined solely by its architecture or design, but is formed by the "experience" – what kind of time flows in that place, what emotions are born, and how it remains in the guest's memory. Therefore, we provide production with a consistent perspective, from brand strategy and concept design to experience design, spatial design, direction with flowers and plants, pre-opening PR, and post-opening brand management and experience development.

Our value lies not only in creating the "place" of a hotel but also in continuously nurturing the brand's unique experience. We achieve the creation of hotels that continue to be chosen by working alongside clients from before opening to after opening, translating the brand's worldview into space, services, and communication.

CEO Message

Jun Nagai CEO / Hotel Producer

The origin of STARMINE was "choosing and giving flowers for someone."

What kind of place would be suitable for conveying that sentiment more deeply? What kind of time and services would move people's hearts? While cherishing such questions, I have been involved in event planning, production, and space creation. Furthermore, through producing spaces that remain in the city for a long time, such as stores and commercial facilities, I learned the importance of designing not only the space itself but also the experience of spending time there. The hotel was in the extension of that.

A hotel is a place where everything from architecture, interior, food, service, seasonal events and displays, to encounters with people can be designed as a single brand. We can design the time from anticipation for the trip to the moment of comfortable sleep during the stay, and the time that remains in memory even after the trip ends. I feel great appeal and reward in the large scale of this and in being involved in experiences that remain in people's life memories.

With this rebranding, STARMINE will establish a system to consistently support owners and operators from pre-opening brand strategy and experience design to the phase of nurturing the brand after opening. Our goal is not simply to build hotels. It is to carefully unravel the unique charm, culture, and sentiments of the land and nurture hotel brands that will be loved for a long time.

Through hotels, we want to connect people with the city, bring people closer together, and continue to create a future where even one more moment remains in someone's life memory.

We are looking for colleagues to create a world where inspiration continues to bloom together.

Under the MISSION of "Designing experiences with rich imagination and creating inspiration," we are looking for colleagues to co-create the future of hotels and brands. We offer an environment where you can take on a wide range of projects, not limited to a single domain, from brand strategy to experience design and space creation. We value imagination and a challenging spirit over experience. For details on job openings and application requirements, please visit the recruitment page on our company website.

STARMINE Co., Ltd. Recruitment Page

◉ Company Overview

STARMINE Co., Ltd.

Location: Sydney Building 502, 5-17-2 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062

Representative: CEO / Hotel Producer Jun Nagai

Established: February 17, 2013

Business Activities: Hotel & Brand Produce / Space Produce

Contact us here