Supervised by Takayuki Ohira – Experience prehistoric cave paintings and the pristine starry sky in Hibiya.
Astram Co., Ltd., which operates the stationery brand "Pentel," along with PLUS Corporation Stationery Company, Nippon Note Co., Ltd., and Sailor Pen Co., Ltd., will hold an immersive experience event, "Urban Cave Esora-goto ver. 1," at Hibiya OKUROJI from June 19th, 2026 (Friday), as part of the PLUS Group's joint project "Esora-goto for Humanity," in which visitors can experience the concept of the project.
In December 2025, four brands—Plus Stationery, Pentel, Nippon Notebook, and Sailor Pen—were named "Team Esora-goto" and launched the "Esora-goto for Humanity" project. This project asks the world, in the age of AI, "Isn't the power to create fanciful ideas the seed that will propel humanity forward?"
"Urban Cave Esora-goto" was conceived as a place to symbolically express and allow people to experience the project's intentions. In January 2026, under the supervision of Takayuki Ohira, a creator who consistently produces cutting-edge planetariums, "Urban Cave Esora-goto ver.0" was held as an invitation-only event for those involved. By creating an urban cave in Hibiya, the event expressed questions such as: What is it that makes us human? What is the strength of being "human" to survive in the coming era? Approximately 1,000 visitors immersed themselves in its worldview.
Having gained experience with ver.0, Team Esoragoto is now creating an even more immersive space with "Urban Cave Esoragoto ver.1." Surrounded by light and sound, opening your five senses, and gazing up at the stars while reflecting, you will be offered an experience that returns you to the origins of imagination and creativity.
The event will run from June 19th (Friday) to July 13th (Monday), 2026, at OKUROJI in Hibiya, Tokyo.
■How to participate■
Please register for this event through the event and community platform Peatix. (Advance registration required; first-come, first-served basis)
Participation fee: 500 yen
URL: https://esoragoto2026v1.peatix.com
■Event Overview■
Event period: June 19th (Fri) – July 13th (Mon), 2026
Operating hours: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM (11 sessions per day, each lasting 40 minutes)
Supervised by: Takayuki Ohira (Planetarium Creator, CEO of Ohira Lab Co., Ltd.)
Music: Eric Aron (Composer, Pianist, Improvisational Musician)
Academic collaboration: Jeanne Igarashi (PhD in Prehistory, Part-time Lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts)
Spatial design: HAKUTEN
Venue: Hibiya OKUROJI, 1-7-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0011
Access: https://www.jrtk.jp/hibiya-okuroji/access/
6-minute walk from Hibiya Station, Ginza Station, Uchisaiwaicho Station, Yurakucho Station, and Shimbashi Station. Meeting and registration location on the day: Hibiya OKUROJI H05 section
Venue photos: Akira Arai (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Taken at the time of "Urban Cave Esora Goto ver.0"
■What is the "Give Humanity a Dream" Project?■
In prehistoric times, before the advent of writing, humans painted cave paintings, connected stars in the night sky, and created constellations by depicting human and animal figures. Perhaps human intelligence blossomed from such imaginative creations. In modern times, however, people have become accustomed to simply following information, and even their imagination, creativity, and judgment of right and wrong are swayed by the internet, living in a society that relies on AI. This risks losing even the fundamental joys and sense of purpose that come with being human.
The "Let's Dream It Out for Humanity" project is a collaborative effort by four brands—Plus Stationery, Pentel, Nippon Notebook, and Sailor Pen—that asks the world, "Isn't the power to dream up the imagination the seed that will propel humanity forward?" We believe that stationery is a tool that fosters imagination.
■Team Esora-goto TV Commercial■
This video depicts the trajectory of how human imagination has shaped the world. We believe that stationery is a tool that supports the very power of people to think freely, conceive ideas, and imagine fantastical things.
<TV Commercial Overview>
Broadcast slot: news23 commercial slot, Monday-Thursday 23:00-23:56 (Friday 23:58-24:43)
(Broadcast on 28 TBS affiliate stations nationwide)
https://www.tbs.co.jp/news23/
Broadcast period: May 1st (Fri) – June 30th (Tue), 2026
・CM video: https://youtu.be/TUANjP7iJUI
• Brand movie: https://youtu.be/MqnVQIuviNQ
Astrum official website: https://www.astrum-st.com
The rice cakes drawn in the message illustration are
It might swell up.
Theoretical ideas aren't empty.
There is a dream in fantasy.
It's something that people laugh at and say is impossible.
We will create the future.
AI is the complete opposite.
This is a feeling that only humans possess.
A fantasy for humanity.
About planetarium creator Takayuki Ohira
Planetarium creator. Representative Director of Ohira Giken Co., Ltd. and Ohira Lab Co., Ltd. He has been working on building his own planetariums since elementary school, and in his third year of university, he succeeded in developing "Astroliner," a lens projection planetarium that was said to be impossible to produce individually. In 1998, he presented "MEGASTAR," which projects 1.5 million stars (1.7 million in the final form), more than 100 times the number of stars of previous models, at the IPS (International Planetarium Society) London conference. In 2004, "MEGASTAR-II cosmos" (5.6 million projected stars), installed at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Japan, was certified by Guinness World Records. In 2023, the "MEGASTAR-IIA (GIGAMASK equipped)" installed at the Hamagin Children's Space Science Museum was recognized by Guinness World Records for "the most projected stars (one-off)," and in the same year, the new planetarium projector "GIGANIUM," capable of projecting onto a giant dome with a diameter of 500m, was unveiled to 10,000 spectators at the Seibu Lions' home stadium (Belluna Dome), and both were recognized as the largest projection area in a planetarium. His motto is, "Humans can prove what is possible, but they cannot prove what is impossible." In 2006, he received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Science and Technology (Public Understanding Promotion Category). He is a visiting professor at Osaka University of Arts. In 2025, he established Ohira Lab Co., Ltd.
About composer Eric Aron
Composer, pianist, and improvisational musician. Born in France. He was exposed to classical piano from a young age and entered a French conservatory at the age of 16. He works across a wide range of genres, from classical to healing music and electronic music, and has released over 25 CDs. He has composed numerous original pieces for French brands such as Lancôme, Payot, and Thalgo. He has provided hundreds of pieces for commercials, television, movies, and planetarium programs. In his completely improvised solo piano concerts, he is a rare performer who can start the stage from a completely blank slate. In recent years, he has composed "MEGASTAR Symphonies," inspired by MEGASTAR. He has composed music for many planetarium programs produced by Takayuki Ohira. In collaborative concerts with MEGASTAR, he is working on a new genre that aims for a synergistic effect between visuals and music.
https://www.ericaron.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@ericaron7621
About Dr. Jeanne Igarashi, PhD in Prehistory
Born in Chiba Prefecture. Graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed graduate studies at the Graduate School of Letters, Osaka University, before obtaining a PhD from the French National Museum of Natural History (Doctor of Prehistory). She was an academic collaborator for the "Lascaux World Heritage Exhibition" held from 2016 to 2017 (National Museum of Nature and Science, Kyushu National Museum, Tohoku Historical Museum). She has served as a part-time lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts, Keio University, Rikkyo University, Meiji Gakuin University, Jissen Women's University, and Bunka Gakuen University. Her publications include "Why Did They Paint Cave Paintings? – A Journey to Explore the Beginnings of Art" (Shinsensha, 2021), "Studies on Cave Paintings" (Seidosha, 2023), and the co-authored "Crossroads for Dreamers – Places of Art and Memory" (edited by Chihiro Minato, Heibonsha, 2016).
[From Astram Co., Ltd.] Press Release
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