When the flowers start to bloom this spring, East Tokyo is the place to be.
By researching, identifying, and transforming intriguing Tokyo locations into “stages” for concerts and parades, BLOOMING EAST is a project that aims to help communities and places “bloom.”

Our first target location was Sumida-ku, an area that has made a name for itself as a center of high-quality manufacturing. As we were researching the community, we found the perfect “stage”: Yahiro/Higashi-sumida. Home to companies dealing in everything from leather and oil to plastic and metal and a full range of waste-disposal, recycling, and other facilities, the Yahiro/Higashi-sumida industrial area has been a powerful foundation for the manufacturing industry in Tokyo. Volume 1 of the East Tokyo Play Tour takes participants on a one-day voyage through this thriving, captivating area—a community capable of covering the entire span of the manufacturing process—through live performances, a symposium, interviews, workshops, and more.