Free-Pricing Community "Tanoba Shokudo" to Prevent Unwanted Loneliness, Expanding Nationwide as Social Infrastructure #AprilDream

Our company endorses April Dream, an initiative to make April 1st a day for sharing dreams. This press release is a dream of "TanoBa LLC."

In a society where days of "not talking to anyone today" are gradually increasing, TanoBa LLC (Headquarters: Nozawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Employee: Yoshitaka Miyamoto), which has set its purpose as "eliminating loneliness from the world," aims to expand "Tanoba Shokudo" nationwide. Unlike typical restaurants, Tanoba Shokudo is a free-pricing community cafeteria that fosters human relationships through food.

Tanoba Shokudo started in Nozawa, Setagaya-ku, in October 2023 and will soon celebrate its 30th session. Furthermore, in May 2026, the second location, "Hayama Tanoba Shokudo," will launch in Hayama-machi, Kanagawa Prefecture. The company aims for a three-location system domestically by the end of the year, expanding spaces that create "loose connections" in different forms for each region.

*For details on "Hayama Tanoba Shokudo," click here.

This is not merely an expansion of a dining business. It is a challenge to implement a "social mechanism to prevent unwanted loneliness" starting from small dining tables.

## Our Dream: Making Tanoba Shokudo a "Social Infrastructure"

Loneliness and isolation are not special problems; they are "everyday risks" that can happen to anyone.

What we aim for is to create a state where people can naturally connect before that happens.

For example—
- A place where you can go alone
- A place where you can talk to someone a little
- A place where you don't have to force relationships

Such a place existing in the town.

Our dream is to expand Tanoba Shokudo nationwide and nurture "shared dining assets" rooted in each region.

A place where anyone can connect naturally and without effort. A place where you can go alone and connect with someone a little.

We want to make such a "device for loose connections" a normal part of society.

Tanoba Shokudo

## "Hayama Tanoba Shokudo" as the Implementation of the Dream

As a new step towards realizing this dream, "Hayama Tanoba Shokudo" will launch in Hayama-machi, Kanagawa Prefecture, in May 2026.

At the Hayama location, we will develop a participatory community in the form of a "cooking class × cafeteria," integrating experiences such as:

- Learning about cooking (sharing)
- Cooking together (co-creation)
- Dining at the same table (commensality)

We will welcome Chef Shinya Ogino, who advocates the philosophy that "chefs are editors." He interprets the background and stories of ingredients and reconstructs them to suit the people gathered there.

Under the philosophy of viewing cooking not merely as a product but as an "editing act" that reweaves human relationships, we will foster a unique dining experience specific to Hayama.

[Video] Greetings at the Hayama Tanoba Shokudo pre-opening event

## From "Eating" to "Engaging" — The Philosophy of Free Pricing

At Tanoba Shokudo, prices are not set in advance for meals.

Participants decide the amount they wish to pay after their meal.

This is not payment for a service, but an expression of the will to "preserve this place for the future."

There are no "customers" at Tanoba Shokudo; everyone is a "stakeholder" who co-creates this place.

## Revision of the Tanoba Shokudo Charter — A Common Language for Expansion

With the expansion of locations and the evolution of activities, Tanoba Shokudo revised its charter in 2026.

This charter defines Tanoba Shokudo not as a restaurant, but as a place (shared asset) nurtured by all participants, centering on the values of "sharing," "co-creation," and "commensality."

Based on this common language, each region aims to foster Tanoba Shokudo within its own context.

## To 3 Locations This Year, Then Nationwide

In addition to the current Setagaya/Nozawa and Hayama locations, a third domestic location is planned for fiscal year 2026.

In the future, we will build a network where small cafeterias are scattered across the country, each loosely connected.

These will be places that exist in daily life as "places where you can talk to someone a little," "places where you can engage without effort," and "places where you can stop by when you feel lonely."

We may not be able to eliminate loneliness itself. But we believe we can create "opportunities to connect with others."

Gradually changing the way society functions, starting from the small unit of a shared, co-created, and communal dining table. That is the future envisioned by TanoBa LLC.

## About TanoBa LLC

- Headquarters: Nozawa 2-chome, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
- Representative Employee: Yoshitaka Miyamoto / Co-founders: Momoko Miyamoto, Daisuke Tada
- Business Purpose: Resolving loneliness and isolation accelerated by the declining birthrate, aging population, and population decrease
- Established: March 21, 2023 / Capital: 1 million yen
- HP: https://www.tanoba.jp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TanoBa.G.K
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanoba.meal/
- LINE: https://lin.ee/UoCCVJs