Rethink new values through local wisdom
EDONOMY® begins with a simple question:
How can we thrive within the limits of nature — while living rich, meaningful, and fulfilling lives?
EDONOMY® is COS KYOTO’s learning framework — distilled from visits to 1,000+ craft, cultural, and industry sites in Japan and abroad — and inspired by the circular wisdom of Edo-period Japan and current local wisdom.
In one sentence:
EDONOMY® is a framework for reconnecting nature, society, culture and economy so that business and communities can create value without depleting the foundations that make that value possible.
It is not about going back.
It is about using historical wisdom to design better futures for business and society.
What Edo Japan can teach modern business
The Edo period (1603–1868) was a time when Japanese society lived with limited resources, yet developed rich culture, sophisticated cities, and strong local economies.
Materials were repaired, reused, and valued.
Local relationships supported exchange.
Craft, nature, community, and economy were deeply connected.
It was one of Japan’s most resource-conscious and circular periods — not because people were simply “high-minded,” but because social systems, values, and everyday practices were built that way.
EDONOMY® asks:
What can we learn from this wisdom — and apply to modern leadership, sustainability, and value creation?
Return to the future
Japanese concepts such as Zen, wabi-sabi, mottainai, kaizen, and ikigai have inspired global thinkers and innovators, including Steve Jobs.
EDONOMY® explores this deeper source of inspiration — not as aesthetics, but as a practical way to rethink value, trust, and long-term design.
What EDONOMY® explores
At its core, EDONOMY® explores how to build a society (and business) that is:
Regenerative
A society where value circulates and supports renewal, rather than simply extracting and consuming.
Nature-based
A society that appreciates the natural cycles and respects the limits and gifts of nature.
Culturally grounded
A society where culture, craft, rituals, and local knowledge are seen as assets for the future.
Beautiful enough to pass on
A society we can feel proud to leave to the next generation — not only efficient, but meaningful.
EDONOMY® goes beyond visible circular actions such as recycling or reuse.
It looks at the deeper cultural, social, and spiritual foundations that make truly sustainable business possible.
Key frameworks behind EDONOMY®
EDONOMY® is shaped by several frameworks and perspectives.
Three principles
EDONOMY’s Three principles explained:
- Live Within Nature’s Limits
- Nurture Trust and Co-creation
- Carry Beauty and Culture Forward
Learn more
Circular Ring
EDONOMY’s priniciple of nature, culture,
trust, and economy as connected forms of circulation.
Monozukuri Terroir
A lens for understanding making through material, place, history, skill, and relationships.
Six Forms of Value
A way to move beyond functional value and price competition toward meaning, emotion, experience, and long-term value.
What EDONOMY® helps you see
EDONOMY® helps people and organizations notice what is often invisible:
- The value hidden in local materials and practices
- The trust behind long-lasting businesses
- The cultural meaning behind craft and design
- The relationship between nature and economy
- The wisdom embedded in everyday life
- The possibility of creating value beyond price
This shift in perspective is the starting point for new business, education, leadership, and regional innovation.
EDONOMY in practice
Image from divisare
Materials Retain Future Value
RAU Architects describes the Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai as continuing the “Edonomy” principle.
The pavilion was designed for disassembly, with components and materials recorded so they can be reused after the Expo rather than becoming waste.
ARCHITECTURE
Image from MUSUHI
Hidden Assets Become Distinctive Value
In Kyoto Prefecture, metal-processing company Core Machinery embraced EDONOMY to reconnect local water, manufacturing by-products, regional culture and technical identity.
The result was MUSUHI, an award-winning product and brand — showing how value can be created by redesigning relationships rather than simply adding more resources.
INDUSTRY
From concept to experience
EDONOMY® is not only a concept.
COS KYOTO translates it into talks, workshops, card games, training programs, fieldwork, and custom learning journeys.
Participants …
visit real places,
meet practitioners,
experience craft and landscape through the body,
and turn those encounters into questions
… for modern business, education, and society.
Ready to turn the concept into learning?
If you are interested in applying EDONOMY® to business, education, MICE excursions, cultural exchange, or regional innovation, explore our programs or contact us.