ANCR

What ANCR does

ANCR Inc. (株式会社ANCR) is a Tokyo-based creative agency founded in 2017 by Fukushima Hayato and legally incorporated in September 2018. The firm provides end-to-end creative services, spanning problem discovery, marketing strategy, creative direction, art production, and promotion, organized around a proprietary five-senses design methodology (SIGHT, TASTE, SENSE, SMELL, HEARING) intended to produce multi-sensory spatial experiences. Its work covers space design, interior coordination, art curation and installation, fragrance product development, and restaurant brand development, supported by a curated network of over 400 domestic and international artists.

ANCR serves enterprise clients primarily in Japan, with a portfolio spanning luxury brands (Porsche Japan, Richemont Japan and its houses Cartier, Montblanc, Dunhill, Chloe), tier-one Japanese real estate developers (Mitsui Fudosan, Seibu Properties, Sun Frontier Fudosan), government bodies (Bunkacho / Agency for Cultural Affairs), and education-sector clients. Beyond agency services, ANCR operates or has launched several owned sub-brands, including the CYCLO Oriental cafe, Hi! wellness/fragrance products, HANARIDA digital detox lounge, Reiwa Shokuhinkan (令和食品館) food hall in Harajuku, and Section L Popup House targeting Gen Z creators.

The business model is project-based professional services with custom quoting per engagement, complemented by one-time product license and own-brand retail operations. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales with no resellers or third-party distribution; marketing is driven by the company's portfolio website, case studies, and PR distributions through platforms such as PR Times Japan. The firm is privately held, bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, and operates with approximately 10 staff including contractors, with operational geography concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area and selective regional Japanese projects.

Name

ANCR

Legal name

ANCR Inc. / 株式会社ANCR

Website

https://ancr.tokyo

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ANCR is a Tokyo-based creative agency founded in 2018 that designs multi-sensory spatial experiences for enterprise clients across luxury brands, real estate developers, and F&B operators, using a proprietary five-senses methodology, supported by a 400+ artist network and several owned sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (541430), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Wayfinding, Signage & Environmental Graphic Design (BPAHAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

A&R / Artist Development Services (MPAIAGAL)

Keywords

• Experiential design services
• Spatial design agency
• Brand creative direction
• Interior design services
• Art curation production

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Design: Professional services including creative direction, art direction, space design, design consulting, and installation services for commercial spaces, hotels, offices, and retail environments. Projects are custom-designed and quoted based on scope.
2. Food and Restaurant Brand Development: Restaurant brand development, restaurant operation, and restaurant launch consulting services. ANCR develops and operates food concepts including CYCLO cafe and Reiwa Shokuryokan food hall.
3. Fragrance and Wellness Products: Product development and fragrance production for wellness brands. ANCR produced fragrance products for the Hi! wellness brand including orchid and green tea incense.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ANCR is a Tokyo-based creative agency that provides end-to-end creative services to enterprise clients, including space design and interior coordination, brand development, art production and artist curation, restaurant and food brand consulting, and fragrance/wellness product development. The agency's work is structured around a proprietary "Five-Senses Design Methodology" spanning SIGHT (visual/space), TASTE (food/restaurant), SENSE (art/installation), SMELL (fragrance), and HEARING (camp/natural sound) divisions. ANCR also creates and operates its own consumer-facing brands and venues such as CYCLO, Hi!, HANARIDA, Reiwa Shokuhinkan, and Section L Popup House.

Product overview

ANCR is a creative agency that provides comprehensive support from problem discovery and marketing strategy formulation to creative production and promotion, with a focus on five-sense experience design. The company operates across five business divisions: SIGHT (visual/space design), TASTE (food/restaurant brand development), SENSE (art/installation), SMELL (fragrance production), and HEARING (camp brand). Key brands include CYCLO (Oriental cafe), Hi! (wellness/fragrance), Reiwa Shokuhinkan (food complex), HANARIDA (digital detox lounge), and Section L Popup House (Gen Z space). The company also handles art production, artist management, and various creative projects for luxury brands like MONTBLANC and Porsche Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CYCLO: Oriental cafe brand featuring encounter circulation concept with book exchange service. First store opened in Setagaya in 2021.
• Hi!
• HANARIDA

Products and services

• SIGHT (視覚事業) - Visual and Space Design Services Visual design service for real estate production, space design, interior coordination, and design consulting. Delivered for commercial spaces including bars, cafes, hotel entrances, and residential interiors.
• TASTE (味覚事業) - Restaurant and Food Brand Services Restaurant brand development, restaurant operation support, and restaurant launch consulting service. Creates spaces where people connect and encounters circulate, targeting food creators, restaurant operators, and food-hall developers.
• SENSE (感覚事業) - Art Production and Artist Management Art production and artist management service. Leverages a curated network of 400+ domestic and international artists to deliver murals, product promotions, and conceptual art installations for commercial and cultural clients.
• SMELL (嗅覚事業) - Fragrance Production and Scent Design Fragrance production and scent design service for wellness brands and spaces. Develops incense and fragrance products and designs scents for environments to create valuable offline experiences.
• HEARING (聴覚事業) - Camp and Natural-Sound Brand Development

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DENTSU INC.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration with DENTSU INC. and NAKED Inc. on the Bunkacho (Cultural Affairs Agency) media arts project for New Chitose Airport international terminal, producing a 23-meter video installation 'World of Kamuy' representing Ainu culture.
• NAKED Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration with DENTSU INC. and NAKED Inc. on the Bunkacho media arts project for New Chitose Airport international terminal, producing a 23-meter video installation 'World of Kamuy' representing Ainu culture.
• KEEENUEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt collaboration partner for MONTBLANC × PIRELLI trolley promotion project, curating street artists including ABEBE and COIN PARKING DELIVERY for the project.
• Porsche Japan KKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorANCR was commissioned by Porsche Japan for the 718 Cayman Promotion project, designing graphic wrapping for 8 celebrity-produced vehicles as part of Porsche's 71st anniversary celebration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NAKED Inc. Tokyo-based creative studio specializing in experiential art, projection mapping, and spatial installations. Directly comparable to ANCR's SENSE/sensory installation work — confirmed by their documented co-production on the Bunkacho New Chitose Airport media arts project.
• PARTY: Tokyo creative agency producing cross-disciplinary campaigns, branded experiences, and digital/physical activations for premium Japanese and global brands. Comparable scale and positioning to ANCR as a boutique, founder-led Tokyo creative team.
• Whatever Co. Tokyo-based creative studio producing brand identity, spatial design, and integrated campaigns for premium Japanese clients. Closely comparable to ANCR in offering, scale, and founder-led creative positioning.

Broad incumbents

• DENTSU INC. Japan's largest advertising and communications group with full-service creative, media, and experiential capabilities. ANCR's documented co-development partner on cultural projects — competes with but also complements boutique creative agencies on complex installations.
• TBWA\Hakuhodo: Joint venture between TBWA Worldwide and Hakuhodo offering creative-led brand strategy, advertising, and experience work. Overlaps with ANCR on luxury and experiential assignments for premium Japanese brands.
• Hakuhodo Inc. Japan's second-largest advertising agency group with deep relationships across retail, real estate, and luxury clients. Provides a relevant benchmark for the premium-client-driven creative agency model ANCR operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ANCR_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ANCR