About 80 years ago, Yubido was established as an atelier and store for frame craftsman. It was the first to introduce tableaus (frames), which are indispensable for interior design, as well as the symbolic culture associated with them from overseas to Japan. After the World War II, Yubido opened a store specializing in picture frames in Jimbocho, Chiyoda area, the middle of urbanized Tokyo. Since then, Yubido has played a important role in enriching people's lives while making art and lifestyle widely known along with media such as painting and photography.
The Yubido renovation project is to renovate the billboard architecture of Yubido, which is considered a cultural heritage of Chiyoda area, into a "creative place" for the community. This project is a civic activity to revitalize the tangible and intangible values that had been discarded, such as the history and memories that reside in the architecture of Yubido, as well as the large number of tableaus. The project places importance on the creative process and focuses on activities such as renovation of abandoned buildings, project planning and management, and exhibition planning and production, etc., together with citizens.
Since the end of World War II, Yubido has been watching over the town of Jimbocho with the aim of building a "creative place" where the creativity of citizens synchronizes with the creativity of the city to create empathy, breaking away from economic and anthropocentric values and questioning the possibilities of post-capitalism and economic de-growth. Opposite to the monetary economy that began only 400 years ago, the gift economy is a social experiment in which money is passed from hand to hand and person to person. People of different jobs, ages, and backgrounds gather together in Yubido to create diverse relationships and dialogues.
