A Japanese company, Shinko Fukushikai Social Welfare Corporation, has opened a co-working space named the Encorepreneur Cafe in the Northeast Portland near the Lloyd Center. The Cafe has a unique concept of main focus on retired people who choose or want to continue working. Shinko Fukushikai runs retirement communities in Japan. The Encorepreneur Cafe is its first venture in the United States.
In March, we have opened a co-working space named the Encorepreneur Cafe in the Northeast Portland near the Lloyd Center. Our co-working space has a unique concept of main focus on retired people who choose or want to continue working. The Cafe provides an opportunity for such active adults to start their own projects in a co-working space with access to networking, workshops and modern office equipment.
The Encorepreneur Cafe is established by a Japanese company, Shinko Fukushikai Social Welfare Corporation which runs 36 retirement communities and 8 child care facilities in Japan (as of 2017). The Cafe is the first venture of Shinko Fukushikai in the United States.
Masue Katayama, founder of Shinko Fukushikai, had been attracted by American culture and wanted to start her project in the United States for a long time. Taka Murakawa, co-founder and president of the Encoprepreneur Cafe, had started a feasibility study to help realize her dream about three years ago. Through the study of major West Coast cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, he found out Portland is where inclusive people live and something new and creative has been born. That’s why the Encorepreneur Cafe is here in Portland.
Through his visit from Japan many times, Taka learned a lot from Portlanders whom he had met and talked to. Through the conversations with them, he was impressed to know that there are many retirees who want to try something new in Portland. He thought of starting service to help those people and built a business plan of the co-working space for retirees. His idea is also influenced by the typical lifestyle of Japanese elders and boomers. Many men in Japan had been lifetime employees and many women had been housewives. They are often burned out and don’t know what to do after retirement or the end of taking care of their children. In addition, Japanese people are generally calm and reserved; therefore, many people tend to stay home alone instead of socializing. However, some of them want to start their own project by themselves, but they don’t know what and how they should do. There may potentially be a huge need for co-working spaces to help those adults start their own venture in Japan.
Population aging is a common issue in the developed countries. We believe encouraging encore careers will keep people enjoy their long life and which in turn will help enrich the society. We also believe Portland is the best city to start this model and hope to expand it to the other cities in the United States and in Japan.
The Encorepreneur Cafe
https://encorepreneurcafe.com/
1548 NE 15th Ave., Portland, OR 97232
(503) 954-2837
Open Hours
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday
Amenities:
• High-speed internet
• Chairs, desks, standing desks, sofas
• Projector and screen
• Wireless mic and speaker
• Printer, copier, scanner, fax
• Conference room
• Storage cabinet and locker
• Shared kitchen space
• Coffee and tea
• Restroom
Membership Fee:
Full membership
• $280/month (Access 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, except holidays)
• 5-Days/month: $100
• Single day use: $25
For non-members, conference room and event space are available for rent.
•Conference room (up to 8 people): $20/hour
•Event space (up to 35 people): $40/hour
Workshops:
•Inquiry: Do I want to be an ENCOREPRENEUR?
By Annette Lansing
•Keys to Building a Successful Solo Business.
By Jackie B. Peterson
•This is Your Encore Brain
By Roger Anunsen
And more…
Staff Biography
Masue Katayama
Co-Founder & Chair
Masue Katayama was born in Japan during the World War II. She started affordable nursing homes for middle-class families in Japan in the early 1980s by renovating vacant buildings such as former company dormitories. Her model was innovative at that time because there were only two options available: poor quality public housing or very expensive private homes. She established Shinko Fukushikai Social Welfare Corporation which now runs 36 retirement communities and 8 child care facilities in Japan (as of 2017).
In 2012, she was appointed as a Senior Fellow of Ashoka, the international organization supporting social entrepreneurs. Also, she is the first Japanese to be selected as one of the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs of the Year (2014).
Taka Murakawa
Co-Founder & President
He had worked for a Japanese financial service company and engaged in business development for 15 years. As one of his achievements in the company, he founded a successful venture to provide the energy conservation technology for greenhouses and the financial aids. His venture has helped farmers save energy and make more profit.
After leaving the company, he joined the Japan Branch of Ashoka, a global organization identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs. Through Ashoka, he met Masue Katayama, a founder of Shinko Fukushikai Social Welfare Corporation and decided to plunge into the new venture in Portland.
Masaki Fujimoto
He worked as a software engineer and a tech magazine editor in Japan. In 2014, he came to study gerontology at Portland Community College. Japan is the most aging country in the world; therefore, aging is one of the most important issues, but there’s very few studies about aging. This concern drove him into the field of gerontology. He met Taka Murakawa in Portland and joined the Encorepreneur Cafe.
Contact:
Masaki Fujimoto
masakif@encorepreneurcafe.com
(503) 954-2837