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Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Single Style / Retreat: Personal Spaces at Home and in Town
Some people create their own personal spaces in the homes where they also spend time with their families, while others use services available in town to concentrate on something alone. Why do they choose a particular kind of space? Several people shared the reasons for their choices. Incense, music in a garden cabin The Yomiuri Shimbun The log cabin that was built in the garden of his house in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. A company employee,33, in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, built a log cabin in his garden two years ago. Using a log cabin kit offered by a brand called Bess, operated by Tokyo-based housing company R.C. Core Co., he assembled it with his wife and some friends. Then they painted it and completed it in about two weeks. One look inside the cabin told me all about his interests. Camping items such as lanterns and tents were placed on the shelves; the room also contained things such as speakers and a turntable of the kind used by disc jockeys. 'I had longed for a space where I could keep my belongings and spend time surrounded by my favorite things,' he said. The Yomiuri Shimbun A man relaxes in his cabin, which is full of outdoor equipment and music-related things, in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. On his days off, he sometimes spends whole afternoons inside the cabin. While his wife, who is a musician, concentrates on writing music at home, the log cabin allows them to spend time separate from each other for a while. 'I burn my favorite incense, play my favorite music and enjoy reading a book on the sofa, which makes me feel refreshed and energetic enough to think, 'I will do my best tomorrow,'' he said. Last year, he built a deck in front of the cabin, placed a bonfire pit there and watched the fire under the starry sky. He plans to seek more ways to enjoy the cabin in the future. His cabin may be something like an adult version of the secret bases that kids make. A home office full of figures The Yomiuri Shimbun Many figures are displayed in the home office in Fuchu, Tokyo. Some people create their own spaces inside their homes. When a man in his 50s, who works in the construction industry in Fuchu, Tokyo, bought a house, he asked Tokyo-based home renovation company Stylekoubou to turn one of its Western-style rooms into a home office. He built a wall showcase in the room to show off about 50 figures of movie heroes and other characters. They are treasures for him that he had kept boxed up before he moved here because there had been no place to display them. 'This room gets me in a working mood, but when I want to take a break, looking at the figures gives me a nice change of pace,' he said with a smile. When people visit for business or other reasons, the figures catch their eyes and spark conversation. His guests must feel that they are being let into a place that is very important to him. A hiding place in a coffee shop The Yomiuri Shimbun My Booth personal spaces, where users can concentrate on things with a drink they ordered, in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo Coffee Room Ginza Renoir, which operates coffee shops mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, offers 57 'My Booth' personal spaces at 11 shops in central Tokyo as of the end of February. Each space is equipped with facilities such as a working chair and an Internet connection and can be used for ¥500 per hour including tax. There also is an all-inclusive price plan for more extended use. Users are required to order at least one item, such as a drink. According to an official of the chain, the primary users of the service are businesspeople. Parents and children will sometimes visit a shop and rent separate My Booth spaces, with the children using their space to study, the official said. He said the company has received feedback from users such as: 'I can use My Booth as a hiding place near my company to feel relaxed' and 'I can concentrate on my work and be more productive.' Booths in stations, hospitals The Yomiuri Shimbun The inside of a Telecube work booth, which is often used for online meetings, in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo There are personal spaces available all over the city. About 570 Telecube box-type personal work booths are available in about 230 locations across the nation, mainly in Tokyo and surrounding areas, as of the end of February. They are installed at train stations, airports, office buildings, universities, hospitals and other places. 'We try to install the booths in areas around transit routes,' said an employee of the Tokyo-based Telecube, Inc., which operates the booths. Each 1.3-square-meter box is equipped with a desk, power outlets and other facilities. Customers can use their smartphone to register and book time slots. Prices differ by location and vary from ¥220 to ¥330 per 15 minutes. Many of the users are businesspeople, who use them mainly for online meetings. 'It's common for people to use our booths for 60 to 75 minutes at a time for meetings. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in online meetings, which has boosted the demand for spaces like these,' the employee said. One 52-year-old male company employee from Tokyo, a heavy user of the service, sometimes rents Telecube booths in multiple locations as he moves from place to place. 'When an online interview is arranged at short notice, it's hard to hold it in an open space like a cafe. These booths let me talk about confidential matters in a private space,' he said. Some people use Telecube booths to take online English conversation lessons, watch live streaming video or drink their morning coffee, according to him. 'There is a demand for urban spaces where privacy is protected, where people can do whatever they like without worrying what others think of them,' the employee explained. People need to disconnect Yoshikazu Nango, a professor at Hosei University who wrote a book about urban theory focusing on personal spaces, explains 'personal spaces' as follows: 'I define a personal space as a space where anonymity is secured by certain partitions and people temporarily break away from groups to which they belong, such as families and companies.' One of the reasons behind the increasing demand for personal spaces could be the widespread use of smartphones and social media. In an environment where people always feel connected to other people, they may feel like they are placed in a state of mutual surveillance, which makes them feel stressed out. I think that is why people increasingly want to be disconnected or released from others. Furthermore, developments in communications have made it easier for people to coordinate time with others, allowing them to have more spare time. Personal booths are services that help users make effective use of their spare time. In Japan, people have created personal spaces by using partitions to block others from seeing them since long ago. Partitions became more common as a means to prevent infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, and blocking sound has become important with the rise of telework. People creating study rooms in their homes can be seen as part of this trend. In modern times, when we are always under pressure from others and tend to lose sight of ourselves, being in a personal space allows us to reexamine the ways in which we distance ourselves from others. It also provides us with an opportunity to break away from our daily lives, in which we tend to prioritize using time effectively, and to restore our own sense of time.' Separate spaces, awareness of others When I want to concentrate on something, make a phone call or read a book, I always look for a space where I can be alone, because I tend to worry about what people will think of me. Seeing personal booths in town sparked my interest. Now, I feel relieved to know that there are other people who want personal spaces, just like I do. What surprised me is that there are people who use personal spaces for connecting with others, such as through online meetings. While personal spaces may seem isolated, they may make us aware of our connections to other people.
Business Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Sembcorp unit wins solar-energy project to supply 150 MW of power in India
[SINGAPORE] Sembcorp Industries' wholly owned renewables subsidiary, Sembcorp Green Infra, was awarded a solar-energy storage hybrid project by SJVN, an Indian state-owned power company. Sembcorp Green Infra will develop, own and operate the project and supply 150 megawatts (MW) of solar power to SJVN over a 25-year period, subject to the execution of a power purchase agreement (PPA) to be signed with the Indian power company. Once the project is completed, it will support peak electricity demand for up to four hours daily through a 300 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery-energy storage system (Bess), the group said on Thursday (May 29). Commercial operations for the project are expected to start within 24 months of the date of the signing of the PPA, the group noted. The project is part of SJVN's 1.2 gigawatt (GW) tender for the Inter State Transmission system-connected solar projects with 600 MW/ 2.4 GWh of Bess capacity. As one of four renewable-energy implementing agencies in India, SJVN issues tenders for renewable energy companies in the country to bid for and build capacity for sale to the grid, Sembcorp said. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The project will be funded through a blend of internal funds and debt. It is not expected to have a material impact on Sembcorp's earnings per share and net tangible assets per share for the financial year ending December 2025, the group said. As Sembcorp's second solar-energy storage hybrid project in India, the project raises the group's gross renewables capacity in the country to 6.3 GW. Globally, the group's total renewables portfolio stands at 17.7 GW, including acquisitions pending completion. It comes on the back of the group's first solar and Bess hybrid project in India, involving a 150 MW solar photovoltaic project with a 300 MWh Bess, announced in December 2024. Then, Sembcorp Green Infra was awarded a build-own-operate project by Indian public sector company, Solar Energy Corporation of India, to supply on-demand power to support four hours of peak electricity daily over a 25-year period. The counter ended on Wednesday 1 per cent or S$0.07 lower at S$6.64.
Business Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Sembcorp unit wins solar energy project to supply 150 MW of power in India
[SINGAPORE] Sembcorp Industries' wholly owned renewables subsidiary, Sembcorp Green Infra, was awarded a solar energy storage hybrid project by SJVN, an Indian state-owned power company. Sembcorp Green Infra will develop, own and operate the project and supply 150 megawatts (MW) of solar power to SJVN over a 25-year period, subject to the execution of a power purchase agreement (PPA) to be signed with the Indian power company. It will supply solar power for four hours daily, through a 300 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (Bess), to support peak electricity demand once the project is completed, the group said on Thursday (May 29). Commercial operations for the project are expected to start within 24 months from the date the PPA is signed, the group noted. The project is part of SJVN's 1.2 gigawatt (GW) tender for the Inter State Transmission system-connected solar projects with 600 MW/ 2.4 GWh of Bess capacity. As one of four renewable energy implementing agencies in India, SJVN issues tenders for renewable energy companies in the country to bid for and build capacity for sale to the grid, Sembcorp said. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The project will be funded through a blend of internal funds and debt. It is not expected to have a material impact on Sembcorp's earnings per share and net tangible assets per share for the financial year ending December 2025, the group said. As Sembcorp's second solar energy storage hybrid project in India, the project raises the group's gross renewables capacity in the country to 6.3 GW. Globally, the group's total renewables portfolio stands at 17.7 GW, including acquisitions pending completion. It comes on the back of the group's first solar and Bess hybrid project in India, involving a 150 MW solar photovoltaic project with a 300 MWh Bess, announced in December 2024. Then, Sembcorp Green Infra was awarded a build-own-operate project by Indian public sector company, Solar Energy Corporation of India, to supply on-demand power to support four hours of peak electricity daily over a 25-year period. The counter ended on Wednesday 1 per cent or S$0.07 lower at S$6.64.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Sembcorp unit wins solar energy project to supply power in India
This is Sembcorp's second solar energy storage hybrid project in India. PHOTO: SEMBCORP SINGAPORE - Sembcorp Industries' wholly owned renewables subsidiary, Sembcorp Green Infra, was awarded a build-own-operate solar energy storage hybrid project by SJVN, an Indian state-owned power company. It will supply solar power for four hours a day to support peak electricity demand through a 300 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (Bess) once the project is complete, the group said on May 29. This is subject to the execution of a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SJVN, Sembcorp said. Commercial operations for the project are expected to start within 24 months from the date the PPA is signed, the group noted. The project has a contracted capacity of 150 megawatts (MW) and is part of SJVN's 1.2 gigawatt (GW) tender for the Inter State Transmission system-connected solar projects with 600 MW/2.4 GWh of Bess capacity. It will be funded through a blend of internal funds and debt, Sembcorp said. The award of the project is not expected to have a material impact on the group's earnings per share and net tangible assets per share for the financial year ending December 2025, it added. As Sembcorp's second solar energy storage hybrid project in India, the project raises the group's gross renewables capacity in the country to 6.3 GW. Globally, the group's total renewables portfolio stands at 17.7 GW, including acquisitions pending completion. It comes on the back of the group's first solar and Bess hybrid project in India, involving a 150 MW solar photovoltaic project with a 300 MWh Bess, announced in December 2024. Then, Sembcorp Green Infra was awarded a build-own-operate project by Indian public sector company, Solar Energy Corporation of India, to supply on-demand power to support four hours of peak electricity daily over a 25-year period. Sembcorp shares were up 0.15 per cent to $6.65 as at the midday trading break on May 29. THE BUSINESS TIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Sembcorp unit wins solar energy project to supply power in India
[SINGAPORE] Sembcorp Industries' wholly owned renewables subsidiary, Sembcorp Green Infra, was awarded a build-own-operate solar energy storage hybrid project by SJVN, an Indian state-owned power company. Sembcorp Green Infra will supply solar power and support peak electricity demand for four hours a day through a 300 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system (Bess) once the project is complete, the group said on Thursday (May 29). This is subject to the execution of a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SJVN. Commercial operations for the project are expected to start within 24 months from the date the PPA is signed, the group noted. The project has a contracted capacity of 150 megawatts (MW) and is part of SJVN's 1.2 gigawatt (GW) tender for the Inter State Transmission system-connected solar projects with 600 MW/2.4 GWh of Bess capacity. It will be funded through a blend of internal funds and debt, Sembcorp said. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The award of the project is not expected to have a material impact on the group's earnings per share and net tangible assets per share for the financial year ending December 2025, it added. As Sembcorp's second solar energy storage hybrid project in India, the project raises the group's gross renewables capacity in the country to 6.3 GW. It comes on the back of the group's first solar and Bess hybrid project in India, involving a 150 MW solar photovoltaic project with a 300 MWh Bess, announced in December 2024. Then, Sembcorp Green Infra was awarded a build-own-operate project by Indian public sector company, Solar Energy Corporation of India, to supply on-demand power to support four hours of peak electricity daily over a 25-year period. The counter ended on Wednesday 1 per cent or S$0.07 lower at S$6.64.
