Cykinso Co., Ltd. Begins Collaboration with Toyamanome Nursery School Co., Ltd.

Cykinso Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yosuke Hara; hereinafter "Cykinso"), whose corporate philosophy is "Making people healthy through the microbiota," has begun a collaboration with Toyamanome Nursery School Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Uozu City, Toyama Prefecture; Representative Director: Yukiha Nakatani; hereinafter "Toyamanome Nursery School"). Through this collaboration, the companies will develop a new educational program that practically supports children's health and learning, centered on the themes of "gut environment x food education x experience."

As the first initiative, Cykinso visited "Kawahara Nursery School," operated by Toyamanome Nursery School, and held a picture book reading session and a talk about improving the gut environment for the children enrolled there.

Background

In recent years, it has become clear that the gut flora is related to health, immunity, and even personality and development. Early childhood is an extremely important period for the formation of the gut environment, and its foundation is said to be established by around the ages of 3 to 5.

It is known that diet and living environment during this period can have a significant impact on later life, and it is no exaggeration to say that cultivating a rich gut flora during this time is a "lifetime gift" that parents can give to their children.

Cykinso has previously held "Gut Health and Food Education Seminars" at nursery schools and conducted "gut flora testing for children" in collaboration with nursery schools.

Through analyzing the gut flora of many children via these tests, Cykinso has focused on the extremely important fact that "care for the gut flora in early childhood forms the foundation for lifelong health."

First Initiative: Event at Kawahara Nursery School

On May 15, 2026, Cykinso employees visited Kawahara Nursery School and conducted an experiential event.

- Picture Book Reading: Using a picture book about poop, they talked about stomach health.
- Poop Drawing Workshop: To convey the importance of understanding one's own health, the children drew pictures of poop, a barometer of health, under the theme "What shape is your poop?"
- Promises for a Healthy Tummy: They talked about activities that promote gut health, such as "playing energetically outside" and "eating various vegetables."
- Vegetable Koji Making: In collaboration with local companies, the children tried making "vegetable koji" using seasonal vegetables.
- School Lunch Tasting: After the event, they shared the joy of eating together with the children.

Future Outlook

Using this event as a starting point, Cykinso will develop a deeper and more multifaceted "gut health approach."

1. Supervision of Nursery School Lunch Menus: Leveraging Cykinso's knowledge of the gut flora, they will jointly develop and supervise "gut-healthy school lunch menus" to nurture children's gut environments.

2. Holding "Gut Health and Food Education Seminars" for Parents and Staff: Aiming to establish healthy lifestyle habits not only at school but also at home, seminars will be held for parents. This will support health creation that unites the nursery school and the family.

3. Conducting Gut Flora Testing (Mykinso) for Children: Gut flora tests will be conducted for children whose parents wish it, scientifically visualizing and verifying how changes in lifestyle and diet positively affect children's gut environments.

Furthermore, using the initiative at Kawahara Nursery School as a model case, Cykinso is considering the following future developments:

1. Expansion of "Gut Health Nursery Schools": The program will be packaged and introduced to nursery schools and kindergartens nationwide. The goal is to bring an environment where children can naturally engage with their gut health from early childhood to more regions and families.

2. Strengthening Collaboration with Child-Related Companies: Cykinso will actively pursue partnerships with companies involved in children's food, clothing, and shelter, as well as those offering family-oriented services. By collaborating with various companies, they will advance the creation of content that supports children's health from a more multifaceted perspective.

Representative Comments

Yosuke Hara, Representative Director, Cykinso Co., Ltd.

The gut environment is a crucial theme that significantly impacts not only children's health but also their immunity, development, and future quality of life. Early childhood is a particularly important period when the foundation of the gut flora is formed. Accumulating correct knowledge and dietary habits during this time is said to form the base and have a long-term impact on later life. We are very pleased to be able to collaborate with Toyamanome Nursery School and implement a program that goes beyond mere knowledge provision, combining it with "real experiences" like the vegetable koji making and food experience. We aim to provide opportunities for children to become interested in their own bodies and naturally understand the connection between "eating" and "health." We will continue to contribute to the future health of children by feeding back gut flora data to society.

Yukiha Nakatani, Representative Director, Toyamanome Nursery School Co., Ltd.

Children's potential is limitless. We believe that it is the "environment" that expands this potential. This collaboration with Cykinso is a challenge to support children's future from the new perspective of the "invisible gut environment." By not only learning intellectually but also seeing, touching, and experiencing things firsthand, children will cultivate the "power to take care of their own bodies." We will continue to practice learning connected to society under our motto, "Great! Let's try that!"

Company Overview

With the corporate philosophy of "Making people healthy through the microbiota," Cykinso aims to elucidate the relationship between the resident microbiota, including the gut flora, and physical/mental health and disease risk. By providing individually optimized solutions for everyone's daily life, the company strives to create a society where everyone can naturally become healthy. As part of this, based on the idea that understanding the state of the gut environment leads to health maintenance and promotion, Cykinso developed "Mykinso," a convenient at-home gut flora test. Utilizing a large-scale Japanese bacterial flora database and advanced data science technology, the company is diversifying its business based on bacterial flora data, including expanding testing services, OEM development, system construction support, and promoting the research use of anonymized processed information.

- Company Name: Cykinso Co., Ltd.
- Established: November 19, 2014
- Location: 2nd Floor, Odaka Building, 1-36-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
- Representative: Representative Director Yosuke Hara
- Main Joint Research Partner: Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University
- HP: https://cykinso.co.jp/