"Things that can still be used, but have nowhere to go." "People who need things, but cannot easily buy everything new."
NIIGATA BASE was born in Nishiumakoshi, Chuo Ward, Niigata City on May 5, 2026, to connect those two realities in one place.
This is the origin story of NIIGATA BASE: why we created it, what we hope it can become, and how the path of Satoshi Minato shaped the whole idea.
From a society that throws things away to one that gives things another life.
Why we decided to build this place.Walking around Niigata, we see more empty homes than before. A house where someone once lived. Furniture used for many years. Dishes someone cared for. Toys that once belonged to a child.
At MINATO GROUP, through estate cleanouts and vacant-home work, we have met countless objects that were still usable but had lost their next destination.
At the same time, prices kept rising. We began hearing more clearly from families with children, older people, and young people living alone: "I need it, but buying it new is hard right now."
People holding items with nowhere to go
Families, older residents, and young people
Both sides exist in the same city. What Niigata still needs is a place where those two sides can meet.
Then let us build it.
That decision was made about ten years ago. After years of thinking and preparation, it finally took shape as NIIGATA BASE.
About Satoshi Minato, the person behind the idea.
NIIGATA BASE grew out of his own life and work.Please allow us to talk briefly about Satoshi Minato. NIIGATA BASE is not just a shop idea; it grew from his own experience.
Born in Ishikawa, then into the world of industrial waste.
Born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1977, Minato was interested in environmental issues as a student and studied recycling at university. His first job after graduation was at an industrial-waste company in Toyama, where he saw the reality of discarded things from day one.
Later, after moving to Niigata for work, he joined a plastic recycling company. There, he helped turn waste plastic into recycled pellets and export them overseas.
Waste plastic becomes pellets, then becomes somebody else's product again. Seeing that there is a real next life after 'throwing away' became my starting point.
– Satoshi MinatoIn 2017, he started independently. The work kept expanding.
In 2017, he founded MINATO Co., Ltd. with industrial-waste treatment and recycling at its core. From there, the businesses expanded in a natural direction.
- 1RecycleMINATOIndustrial-waste treatment and recycling, the foundation of the whole group.
- 2Re-UseKaitori Daikichi Liond'or TeraoBuying usable items and returning them to people who need them.
- 3Sortingand.endEstate cleanouts, lifetime sorting, and vacant-home cleanouts with care.
- 4CareShukatsu Support NiigataSupport for the final chapter of life, including procedures and consultation.
- 5HubNIIGATA BASEA new regional circulation hub where the group's work connects.
From industrial-waste expertise to a place close to everyday life. What looks like separate businesses is connected by one idea: "Treat objects and lives with care."
Now, in the founder's own words.
In his own words – Satoshi MinatoTen years of thinking. One year to make it real.
To be honest, the road here was not smooth.
In vacant-home cleanouts, we met usable items hundreds and thousands of times. Throwing things away is easy. But doing that every day made us ask: is this really the best answer?
At the same time, the voices of customers changed. "My child needs the next size of school supplies, but this month is difficult…" We could no longer treat those words as small talk.
Could we build one place that connects those two problems? We kept asking that for about ten years. After one full year of practical preparation, we finally reached the starting line.
– from concept to groundMeeting Kenji Takahashi of Sanjo Base.
One person gave us a strong push: Kenji Takahashi of Sanjo Base, who had already built results through a similar local project.
At Sanjo Base, value was already moving through the community through swapping, not only through money.
When we saw it, we felt, "This can work in Niigata too." Learning from Sanjo Base, we decided to create a place where people in Niigata City could connect more naturally.
Three weeks of almost every-night preparation.
The final three weeks before opening were almost all late nights. It was hard, but it was also a period when we felt people's warmth very strongly.
Until opening day, we deliberately kept the inside unseen. No previews. That was part of the challenge.
The day before opening, friends and supporters gathered for the final push. At that moment we knew: this place could never have been built by one person alone.
Honestly, even on opening day, we were not fully ready. Even the check-in point was unfinished. But that is exactly what NIIGATA BASE is: a place people will build together from here.
May 5, 2026 – the day we began.
NIIGATA BASE is not
just a reuse shop.
Five Places, in One
Is this just a secondhand shop?
It is a question we have heard often since opening.
Our answer isHalf YES/Half NO
What NIIGATA BASE is aiming for can be explained as five places in one.
Aplace to rediscover value
We share the story of each object and give it a new life.
Aplace where people connect
Swapping, workshops, and casual conversation create value beyond money.
Aplace that supports household budgets
Daily goods, children's items, furniture, and dishes circulate locally.
Aplace that helps local issues
We connect with welfare and community support to help children, older people, disabled people, and households in difficulty.
Aplace where new challenges begin
DIY, remake projects, community meal projects for children, flea markets, and young people's ideas can grow here.
Why would industrial-waste professionals
build a place like this?
Because our professional background makes the whole flow easier to understand in real life.
The strength of MINATO GROUP is that we understand the exit of waste. That is why we can seriously design the entrance to not throwing things away.
The positive cycle we want to build.
- 1
Rescue
Through estate and vacant-home cleanouts, we rescue usable items before they enter the waste route.
- 2
Redistribute
At NIIGATA BASE, those items reach people through sales, swaps, and sometimes free sharing.
- 3
Recycle responsibly
Items that truly cannot be reused are handled and recycled through proper industrial-waste routes.
What this cycle can create.
Less wasteLower household burdenLower CO2Community contribution
This is not volunteer work or charity alone. We want to keep this circulation moving as a sustainable social business.
This place is still unfinished, on purpose.
One honest thing before the end: NIIGATA BASE is still unfinished.
One day, we want the large first floor to become an after-school place for children. We want a cafe where older residents can stop by casually. The antiques and vintage-goods project Echigo Ichie is also only beginning. There are more ideas ahead: food-support links, local partnerships, DIY classes, flea markets, and more.
And that is fine. NIIGATA BASE is a place that grows little by little with the people who care about it.
- 1People who bring in things they no longer need.That small thought, 'Could this help someone?' is where circulation begins.
- 2People who take home something they need.Please use it together with the memory of the person who owned it before.
- 3People who stop by just to look around.Even visiting becomes part of the local scenery.
- 4People who suggest events or ideas.This place will grow through ideas from the community.
- 5People who join as staff or interns.We are looking for people who want to build this growing base together.
Small cycles pile up and become strength for the whole region. From a society that throws away to a society that shares life again. That experiment begins here, in Niigata.
MINATO GROUP
Satoshi Minato
If you are outside Japan, visiting may not be easy yet. But please stay tuned.
We are preparing to bring selected antiques, vintage tools, and Japanese objects from Echigo Ichie to people overseas who love Japan. The items we find in Niigata will one day travel to homes around the world.
NIIGATA BASE / Echigo Ichie
- Location
- 7-18 Nishiumakoshi, Chuo Ward, Niigata City, Niigata 950-0866, Japan
- Local Hours
- 10:00-16:00
- Closed
- Monday, Saturday, Sunday, public holidays
- Parking
- 15-20 spaces for local visitors
– Thank you for reading. Echigo Ichie's overseas story is coming next. –
