AP Bank
The annual interest rate was set at 1% and examples of those that were first accepted included a forest revival project in Kagoshima, a bicycle rental service using abandoned cycles in Yokohama, the use of bio-gas from kitchen refuse in Saitama, and the construction of an eco-resort in the Marshall Islands.
"[9] On November 18, 2011, Kobayashi opened Yoyogi Village, a mini-town featuring shops by Kurkku, organic restaurants and cafes, a bookstore, travel agent, garden and an all-night music bar.
Kobayashi commented that ""There is no philosophy or vision within the government at the moment, so the private sector has to lead when it comes to selling ecology and the economy.
"[10] In 2012, AP Bank Fes expanded to three festival sites and was joined by its first international artist, Jason Mraz, a strong supporter of Farm Aid.
"[1] Kazuyuki Tsuchiya of the green group A Seed Japan has said of AP Bank that "I think that because they started this movement, it's helped ordinary folks become aware of environmental problems and finance.
"[1] Takeshi Kobayashi (小林武史, born June 7, 1959, in Shinjo City, Yamagata) is a well-known music producer, lyricist, composer and keyboardist.
He began his career in 1978 as a member of the pioneering electronic music group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO),[14][15] where he played keyboards and was an occasional vocalist.
AP Bank Fes encourages the audience to bring their own cutlery to the event, while the waste generated is separated into nine categories so that most can be recycled.
The purpose is to make people think about the environment, through creations and performances for a younger crowd that might typically have less interest or knowledge of environmental concerns.
[3] Vol.1 took place over three days at Studio Coast in Shin Kiba, Tokyo, from March 16-18th, 2007 and featured art directors, filmmakers, web designers and copywriters as well as performing acts such as Seamo, Kyōko Koizumi and Ayaka.
AP Bank operates an extensive network of websites and blogs called eco-reso web (エコレゾ ウエブ).
Combining elements of many of AP Bank's projects, Yoyogi Village is perhaps its most open to the general public, aiming to break the perception that environmentally friendly products are bland or boring.
[19] Yoyogi Village consists of the two zones surrounding a central landscaped garden by Seijyun Nishihata featuring trees from Spain, Chile, Brazil and Mexico.
[19] The village consists of a wide range of stores, cafes and restaurants as well as a travel agent, massage parlor and gardens.
The Container Zone is made from old shipping containers and sells fashion from organic cotton farms in India at One Mile Wear, houses the Pour-kur bakery, organic Drink & Soup Kurkku Lab, Roots & Beat Coffee and Tako Yoyogi izakaya and hosts the Blind Gallery.
