A Sharing Initiative That Began 18 Years Ago — Now Reborn as Kashikari.rent
From Ownership to Access, From Research to Implementation
In 2007, long before the term “sharing economy” became widely known,
NPO ESCOT launched a platform called “Kashikari.com” (Lend & Borrow.com) in Japan.
At that time, we were driven by a simple but fundamental question:
Is continuous ownership truly sustainable?
Tools, equipment, facilities, storage spaces—
many resources remain unused for most of their lifetime.
Meanwhile, researchers, educators, communities, and organizations are often searching for temporary access to exactly those same resources.
If unused assets could be connected to real needs,
we believed we could reduce unnecessary production,
lower environmental impact,
and build a more sustainable society.
That idea was our starting point.
Why Revive the Concept Now?
The challenges we face in 2026 are even more complex:
- Research equipment sits idle in storage.
- Demonstration fields for environmental technology are limited.
- Shipping containers return empty within domestic logistics networks.
- Community spaces remain underutilized.
- Ownership and maintenance costs continue to rise.
Over the past years, ESCOT has been engaged in:
- Wave-driven artificial upwelling pump research
- Coastal thermal mitigation studies
- Domestic reuse of international shipping containers
- Solar thermal utilization systems
- Environmental education and sustainability programs
However, technological innovation alone does not create change.
What is often missing is implementation infrastructure—
a platform that connects research, resources, and real-world application.
This is why we have relaunched our original concept in a new form:
🌱 Kashikari.rent
What Is Kashikari.rent?
Kashikari.rent is not simply a rental website.
It is a:
Social implementation platform
connecting unused resources with real-world needs.
It enables individuals, researchers, institutions, and companies to temporarily share:
- Research and educational equipment
- Warehouses and workspace
- Event infrastructure
- Domestic repositioning of empty shipping containers
- Technical knowledge and expertise
The goal is to facilitate efficient resource circulation while lowering environmental impact.
Connecting Research to Society
Many of ESCOT’s projects share a common principle:
- Utilize existing natural energy (wave motion)
- Repurpose existing infrastructure (ports and containers)
- Reduce waste through circulation
- Emphasize practical implementation over theory
Kashikari.rent extends this philosophy into a broader ecosystem.
Sharing is not merely economic activity.
It is a climate strategy.
It is resource optimization.
It is a pathway to circular systems.
Why This Matters Internationally
According to recent traffic data from npo-escot.org:
- 77% of visitors are from Japan
- Nearly 8% from the United States
- Visitors also come from Singapore, China, Germany, Brazil, and others
This indicates growing international interest in:
- Marine climate mitigation
- Coastal cooling strategies
- Circular logistics
- Sustainable infrastructure models
Kashikari.rent aims to become a platform where:
- International researchers can identify local Japanese field opportunities
- Logistics innovators can explore container repositioning concepts
- Environmental educators can share tools and facilities
- Climate technology developers can test and collaborate
An Invitation to Researchers, Institutions, and Innovators
Do you have equipment that remains unused for most of the year?
Are you seeking demonstration sites for environmental technologies?
Are you exploring circular logistics or low-carbon infrastructure models?
Kashikari.rent offers a structured, moderated, approval-based platform to facilitate such connections.
🔹 Register a resource
https://kashikari.rent/resource-register/
🔹 Browse available resources
https://kashikari.rent/resources/
From Ownership to Access
From Fragmentation to Connection
From Research to Implementation
What ESCOT began 18 years ago as an experimental idea
has evolved into a practical infrastructure.
We believe that sharing systems can play a measurable role in:
- Reducing embodied emissions
- Avoiding unnecessary production
- Improving utilization rates of existing assets
- Supporting circular economy transitions
Kashikari.rent is our contribution to that vision.
We welcome collaboration, participation, and dialogue.
