The Japan DIY Industry Association will be hosting “JAPAN DIY HOMECENTER SHOW 2021” at the International Exhibition Hall in Makuhari Messe for period of three days from October 7th(Thu.) through October 9th (Sat.), 2021.

This is because the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held at Makuhari Messe, having been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Japan DIY Homecenter Show”, which will be held this year for the 56th time (the total number of shows in both East and West Japan) was first held in 1978. It is now one of the largest comprehensive lifestyle-related exhibitions in Japan and aims to help popularize and raise awareness of the sound practice of DIY, contributing to the overall development of the home-improvement center industry and to a richer lifestyle for people living in Japan through cooperation between manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of DIY-related products and materials, bringing together a wide range of products and services under one roof, and leading to the creation of vibrant business opportunities, the exchange of ideas, and improved publicity for the industry vis-à-vis general consumers. We are extremely grateful as this success is the result of understanding and cooperation shown to our association by various lifestyle-related related parties including numerous corporations and organizations. Last year, we changed the event from real to online because of the above-mentioned COVID-19. The 56th JAPAN DIY HOMECENTER SHOW ONLINE was held from Thursday, November 7 to Saturday, November 9, with 79 companies exhibiting 141 pages. During the viewing period (November 7 to December 31), the event’s home page received about 1.2 million PVs (111,000 unique users). We would like to sincerely thank the many companies, organizations and other people in the housing and living-related industries for all their understanding and cooperation. Home centers are as closely involved with housing and living as daily-life infrastructure like electricity and water services. As such, they are playing an ever-bigger role in a society beset with things like the COVID-19 pandemic and frequent damage from typhoons, torrential rain, and other catastrophic natural disasters. At the same time, spending more time at home because of the pandemic means people have more time for themselves, and this has been transforming into heightened interest in DIY and making things. The upshot is that lots of people are going to home centers. With all this in mind, the theme we chose for this year’s show was “Always Reliable Home Centers: Make Living Fun with DIY!” Home centers carry almost every kind of product related to housing and living, ranging from hardware like woodwork and hand tools and metal fittings, to software like daily household necessities and gardening and pet goods. In addition, they have many DIY advisors and other staff who can give advice about home repairs and improvements. This means you can also discuss your concerns as well as getting the tools and materials you need in normal times and when there’s an emergency. Home centers are places you can always rely on, and I hope you all make full use of them to make life fun. This year, we’re going to plan a number of events that will suggest new lifestyle ideas to go with how the pandemic has changed how we live and work. The venue will be divided into three zones with different themes, and there will be online events as well. The first of the three zones is “Kirari! DIY Girls.” This zone supports women DIY enthusiasts, who’ve been growing in number every year. Another is “Men’s Workshop,” which is about being a dependable, cool man. The third is “Make Remote Life More Comfortable!” This zone will feature lifestyle situations based on the theme of remote work—a new way of life that’s becoming the norm because of the pandemic. With the theme of “sustainable living,” the “Kirari! DIY Girls” zone will introduce DIY ideas like remaking, reducing, and upcycling using unwanted items around the home. The theme for “Men’s Workshop” will be “Let’s Make a Camping Car!” Camping has been featuring a lot on TV over the last few years, and the pandemic has made it even more popular. So, we’re planning to put lots of things about it in this zone, including a demonstration of making an original camping car, and a welding workshop about making camping tools. In addition, as a stage event aimed at business, we’re planning to hold a panel discussion by top management from major home centers in Japan. We did one the year before last, and it got very good reviews. The panel will discuss topics that are attracting attention now, such as business restructuring and responding to the pandemic. We will also hold a business matching event “HOMECENTER BUSINESS MATCHING”, an event for the exhibitors to hold business talks with experienced buyers who are members of our association. A further service on offer is free interpreting, for overseas exhibitors/visitors wishing to exchange information with Japanese visitors/exhibitors. We are also hoping to set up various events sections where exhibitors can take part in a number of different ways to publicize their own products. In order to encourage visits to the exhibition by industry representatives, members of the press, and members of the public, we will of course be publicizing the event itself, but we will also engage in a publicity campaign that will feature information on the exhibitors and other information across a wide range of media channels. That completes my summary explanation of the show and our major events, and I hope that everyone in the industry will be able to exhibit and take part in the Japan DIY Homecenter Show 2021.

Japan DIY · HC Association
Chairman　Toshiyuki Inaba