Rare Municipal Bid for Reclaimed Wood Circulation Nationwide! ReBuilding Center Rescues Floorboards from Suwa City's Former Johoku Elementary Gym and Martial Arts Hall

ReBuilding Center JAPAN Co., Ltd. (Location: Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture, Co-representatives: Kanako Higashino, Tadashi Higashino, hereinafter "ReB") will conduct the rescue (separate collection and pickup) of floorboards from the Suwa Municipal Johoku Elementary School Gymnasium and the Suwa City Martial Arts Hall, following a general competitive bid for the "Reutilization of Reclaimed Wood Accompanying Public Facility Demolition" project implemented by Suwa City.

This project is an experimental initiative by Suwa City to reduce demolition costs and achieve a decarbonized society (resource circulation) by treating building materials generated from the demolition of public facilities not as waste to be disposed of as usual, but as reusable resources. Through this bid, ReB will be responsible for rescuing the floorboards from both facilities.

"Demolition" is not an end, but a new beginning

Removing nails one by one for maintenance

School gymnasiums and martial arts halls are places filled with memories for many people. They have hosted graduation and entrance ceremonies, sports days, club activities, and community events. The floorboards that have supported the community for many years are etched with the memories of countless people.

Furthermore, Johoku Elementary School is known as a filming location for the movie "Monster" (released in 2023, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda), and it is a place that has been cherished and loved by local residents and film fans even after its closure.

Due to aging infrastructure and declining birthrates, the demolition of such public facilities is rapidly increasing nationwide. However, in conventional demolition work, many floorboards, no matter how memorable or still usable, are currently disposed of as "industrial waste."

Suwa City's initiative in this instance challenges this conventional flow and is a pioneering effort to explore the future of public facility demolition. ReB deeply supports this policy and will carefully strip each floorboard, remove nails, clean them, and revive them as interior building materials and furniture for its store, reconnecting them to people's lives.

Suwa City's New Challenge: New Value from Local Resources

Selling building materials, previously considered "costly items to be discarded," through bids as resources not only reduces waste and environmental impact but also leads to the inheritance of local memories in a transformed form.

This is a movement expected to have future nationwide expansion as a new model case for generating resource circulation from the demolition of public facilities through collaboration between government and private businesses.

Furthermore, ReB is considering the production of original products utilizing the rescued floorboards and their future deployment as Suwa City's hometown tax donation return gifts.

By delivering floorboards filled with school memories as products with new value to both within and outside the region, we aim to promote the charm of the region starting from resource circulation.

▼ Suwa City: Notice of Bid for Reutilization of Reclaimed Wood Accompanying Public Facility Demolition https://www.city.suwa.lg.jp/soshiki/21/81659.html

Rescue Progressing with Those Who Empathize with ReB's Activities

Scene of the Suwa City Martial Arts Hall floorboard rescue

Nail removal performed simultaneously with floorboard rescue

On the day of the rescue, work is carried out not only by ReB staff but also by volunteers from "ReB Supporters" who have been supporting our activities.

The work of stripping floorboards one by one, carrying them out, and removing nails can only be accomplished with the help of many hands. Not only residents of the Suwa region but also many people from distant prefectures and beyond, who empathize with this initiative, travel to participate.

Resources that were supposed to be discarded are given new value and passed on to the next life through the combined efforts of people—this rescue is not only an activity to save building materials but also a place to practice resource circulation while fostering connections between people.

To Media Representatives: Request for On-site Coverage

You are invited to cover the "rescue (separate collection of reclaimed wood)" process on-site, which is not normally visible at demolition sites.

We believe that the process of manually removing gymnasium floorboards that have supported the community for many years, one by one, and passing them on to the next stage with the help of many people, will serve not only as the forefront of resource circulation but also as an opportunity to widely communicate to society a new approach to demolition that inherits the memories of the region.

We would be grateful if you could visit the site and provide coverage.

Implementation Overview

[Johoku Elementary School Gymnasium / Suwa City Martial Arts Hall Floorboard Rescue via General Competitive Bid]

Target Facilities

Suwa City Martial Arts Hall (※Completed on June 22nd & 23rd)

Johoku Elementary School Gymnasium (※Rescue scheduled for July)

Work Content

Rescue of gymnasium floorboards and wall materials, nail removal from floorboards, carrying out work, etc.

Johoku Elementary School Gymnasium Rescue Schedule (★Recommended for Media Coverage)

July 16th (Thu)

July 17th (Fri)

July 18th (Sat)

July 23rd (Thu)

※Work hours are scheduled from approximately 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. ※Times may change due to work progress or weather conditions. If you wish to cover the event, please contact the person in charge in advance.

About ReBuilding Center JAPAN

ReBuilding Center JAPAN (ReB) is a "Regional Resource Reuse Company that enriches lives with vacant houses and reclaimed wood" located in Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture.

We rescue (collect and purchase) reclaimed wood and old tools from vacant houses and buildings scheduled for demolition, sell them at our store which also houses a cafe, and engage in furniture and product manufacturing, store design, and area renovation.

We conduct over 700 rescues annually, and as of 2026, our cumulative number of rescues has exceeded 4,500.

We view building demolition not as an "end" but as an opportunity to create new value, and we are working to foster a culture that does not assume "disposal."

In 2026, we obtained "B Corp" certification, an international certification awarded to companies that are considerate of society and the environment.

Inquiries Regarding This Matter

ReBuilding Center JAPAN Co., Ltd.

Contact: Takanari Momose

TEL: 0266-78-8967

MAIL: [email protected]

Official LINE: https://page.line.me/gbx1912x?openQrModal=true

WEB: https://rebuildingcenter.jp