[JR Central / JT] Exploring New Relationships Between People and Regions Through "Breathing": Regional Co-Creation Project "CO-KYU" Launches

Japan Tobacco Inc. and the JR Central Group's co-creative local media "conomichi" (hereinafter "conomichi") are pleased to announce the launch of "CO-KYU," a regional co-creation project that explores new relationships between people and regions through the theme of "breathing," along with the opening of the project website.

CO-KYU Project Website: https://market.jr-central.co.jp/conomichi/feature/detail/26

This project is a joint initiative that combines the "value of breathing" explored by JT's corporate R&D organization "D-LAB" (hereinafter "D-LAB") with the "re-reading of regional resources" expertise cultivated by "conomichi."

As the first phase, we are partnering with the "Forest Innovation Lab FUJINO" (hereinafter "Mori Lab"), which operates in Fujino, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture—a town of "forests, lakes, and art." We will implement a special program that adds a "breathing" perspective to the "Jinba Mountain Night Walk," a program where participants climb Mount Jinba while experiencing the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) through their five senses.

Background and Purpose of the "CO-KYU Project"

Why "Breathing" and "Regions" Now? Many of us living in the modern age may have shallow breathing due to physical and mental tension caused by busyness and information overload, or due to long hours of desk work and poor posture. To address this, the JT Group, which has focused on breathing to explore mental richness, and the JR Central Group, which has re-read regional resources as unique assets through the "conomichi" business, have partnered. The "CO-KYU Project" was born to explore the impact of local nature, culture, and regional resources on "breathing" and their contribution to well-being, aiming for a new form of regional co-creation centered on breathing.

Exploring New Relationships Between People and Regions The "CO-KYU Project" re-reads familiar nature, culture, and regional resources from the perspective of "breathing," creating new experiences through the five senses, such as the sounds of the forest and the scent of the wind. Time spent breathing deeply and opening the senses helps alleviate physical and mental tension, providing an opportunity to regain the mental space and health that modern people often lose. At the same time, these experiences foster an affinity for the region and bring gentle changes to the relationship between people and the region, exploring a new connection where the improvement of well-being and the rediscovery of regional value circulate.

Comments from Project Representatives

JT "D-LAB" We have been conducting "Breathing Rest Areas" both inside and outside the company as part of our exploration of "mental richness." Through these activities, we feel there is still much potential in initiatives centered on "breathing." This initiative is a new approach that combines "regional resources" with "breathing." Through this project, we will continue to explore the value of "breathing" while discovering the potential for new experiences that link regional nature and culture with breath.

JR Central Group "conomichi" By adding the new perspective of "breathing" to the "re-reading of regional resources" that conomichi has cultivated, we believe we can re-recognize regional landscapes and cultures—often taken for granted—as "assets for well-being." Through this project, we aim to contribute to the creation of continuous connections between regions and people that go beyond one-time tourism, while creating unprecedented value at the destination and improving the value of travel and urban areas.

"CO-KYU Project" Initiatives Phase 1: Collaboration with Mori Lab in Fujino, Sagamihara City, the "Town of Forests, Lakes, and Art"

As our first initiative, we are collaborating with "Mori Lab," which engages in various activities as a hub for generating new ideas through exchanges between suburban/mountainous areas and city centers, utilizing rich regional resources and human talent.

We will hold the "Jinba Mountain Night Walk with CO-KYU" for a limited time as a special program of the "Jinba Mountain Night Walk" event held at Mori Lab. By adding a "breathing" perspective to the "Jinba Mountain Night Walk," where participants experience nature while awakening senses not typically used in the darkness of night, we plan to implement a special program that allows for a deeper confrontation with one's own mind and body. Starting with this initiative, we will continue to collaborate with various regions and develop a wide range of activities.

<Experience Details: Special Program "Jinba Mountain Night Walk with CO-KYU"> The "Jinba Mountain Night Walk" is a 2.5 to 3-hour night program that gathers in the evening at "Mori Lab" near Fujino Station on the JR Chuo Main Line, travels by car to Wada Pass on the border with Hachioji, Tokyo, and aims for the summit of Mount Jinba. Based on the five elements of ancient Chinese natural philosophy (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), the plan is to sharpen the five senses and the mind while walking quietly through the night forest. By moving slowly through the darkness, participants can step away from their daily lives and gradually feel their true selves.

As a special program, we will conduct a lecture on breathing at "Mori Lab" before departure. We will welcome breathing consultant Takashi Onuki as an instructor to explain the breathing habits we perform unconsciously every day and methods of breathing that help align the mind and body when practiced during walking. Participants will walk through the forest while being conscious of the breathing learned in the lecture, and under Mr. Onuki's guidance, they will experience deep changes in their mind and body by regulating their breath at the summit.

After descending, participants will reflect on the changes and realizations they felt in their mind and body before and after the experience through "journaling." This is a program for facing yourself through the combination of region and breathing, so please join us.

<Event Overview> - Timing: Scheduled for early May 2026 - Meeting Place: Forest Innovation Lab FUJINO (Mori Lab) / 2012 Kobuchi, Midori-ku, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture - Access: 3-minute walk from "Fujino Station" on the JR Chuo Main Line - Capacity: 9 people - Participation Fee: Paid (to be announced separately) * Program details are subject to change due to weather, etc. * Details such as the date and time will be announced around April on the official "Jinba Mountain Night Walk" website (https://jinba.travel/nw/).

<Takashi Onuki, Representative of BP&CO. / Breathing Consultant> Breathing consultant and athletic trainer. Realized the importance of breathing, which was used for conditioning and injury prevention for athletes in Major League Baseball. While teaching and training "Kihon no Kokyu®" (Basic Breathing) to physical experts, he operates the "Breathing Specialty Salon Breeze Please" in Kyoto. He develops corporate breathing consulting businesses, including corporate research and product development related to breathing. Author of "If You Want to Live Long, Reduce Your Breathing Rate" (Achievement Publishing) and others.

<JR Central Group's Initiatives in Sagamihara City> In Sagamihara City, where construction of the Kanagawa Prefecture Station (tentative name) for the Chuo Shinkansen is underway, the JR Central Group is promoting regional cooperation from multiple perspectives, such as the operation of "FUN+TECH LABO." In the first phase of the "CO-KYU Project," we will re-examine the rich nature of the Fujino area from the new perspective of "breathing" and aim to re-read regional resources. Through this initiative, we will create new experiential value unique to Sagamihara City and use it as an opportunity for deep connections between the region and visitors.

Organization Overview

D-LAB JT's corporate R&D organization established in 2020. "D-LAB" stands for "Delightful Moment - Laboratory." To embody the JT Group Purpose, "Delightful Moments, &More," it researches, explores, and creates the "mental richness" yet to be seen by the JT Group from a long-term perspective. Activities are based on providing "mental richness," and more than 100 projects are constantly underway through trial and error.

conomichi "conomichi," developed by the JR Central Group, is a "co-creative local media" that connects regions with visitors. With a unique approach of "re-reading regional resources" and "designing opportunities for involvement" that turns regional issues into attractions, it accompanies local governments and companies in their regional co-creation projects from conception to execution, disseminating the compelling stories that emerge. Through projects like "Local Research Lab" and "Satoyama LIFE Academy," it has created over 5,000 "relational population" members across 30 regions since its inception in 2023. Through this "co-creative" mechanism, it is working on value creation through travel.

Forest Innovation Lab FUJINO Mori Lab is a hub for generating new businesses and ideas, providing workplaces in suburban/mountainous areas and opportunities for interaction with others through its coworking space as a telework center. It promotes exchanges to connect regions with city centers and implements regional development through the creation of relational populations. It also incorporates Living Lab methods to implement projects where users, residents, companies, local governments, and universities co-create beyond their boundaries. Established by Sagamihara City, it has been operated by the Archetype/Fujino Area Management Corporate Union since April 2022.