STUDIO ION
Company Overview
Studio Ion Inc. is a creative company led by environmental musician and sound designer Takashi Kokubo. Built on Kokubo’s artistic explorations that began in the 1980s, the company operates under the philosophy of “designing environments through sound.” We produce music, design acoustic environments, and plan immersive installations in Japan and abroad.
Distinctive Strengths
We record and edit natural sounds using proprietary methods, creating sensory-rich experiences with advanced technologies such as Dolby Atmos and 12-channel multi-speaker systems. Our work designs not “music” but the environment itself—stimulating the listener’s senses and influencing both mind and body.
Selected Achievements
・International Exhibitions: Immersive installation Under the Sea, Above the Sky produced in collaboration with Whitestone Gallery (scheduled to tour Japan, France, the U.S., and Siberia).
・International Music Projects: Collaborative works with French artist Clément Denis and perfumer Ugo Charron (MANE).
・Regional & Cultural Projects: Based in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, producing projects such as Sound Orchard and Mother Tree, contributing to regional culture and tourism.
・Performing Arts & Tours: Participation in the U.S. Ambient Church tour (2025–26), presenting performances combining music, visuals, and lighting.
Core Business Areas
・Production of environmental music, sound logos, and sound design
・Acoustic design for museums, commercial spaces, and public facilities
・Planning and production of installations (sound, scent, light, visual media)
・Performing arts and touring productions
・Acoustic consulting (multi-channel system implementation)
・Releases and distribution via our in-house label
Vision
Studio Ion Inc. creates sound that reconnects humans with nature. By transcending the boundaries of culture, art, and science, we continue to deliver new forms of experience to the world.
Studio ION has been engaged in music production that integrates natural and environmental sounds with musical expression for over 40 years.
Using field recordings of water, wind, forests, and subtle signs of life as source material, the studio produces a wide range of works spanning ambient, new age, film and media music, and immersive productions.
In addition to releasing music on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms, Studio ION specializes in sound creation connected to spaces and experiences, including exhibitions, visual media, VR, planetariums, and installations.
By expanding sound from something merely “to be listened to” into a means of designing environments, the studio’s core mission is to create musical experiences that have a profound effect on both body and mind.
Studio ION’s sound design practice aims to shape how sound supports society and everyday life by influencing human behavior and psychology.
Across a wide range of fields—including corporations, public spaces, products, visual media, and applications—the studio has created sounds that balance functionality with emotional sensitivity.
One representative example is the sound design of the earthquake early warning alert used in mobile phones, presenting to society the critical role of sound in instantly capturing attention and protecting lives.
Studio ION also places strong emphasis on the creation of sound logos that encapsulate the essence of a brand or service in a brief sonic form, designing sounds meant to be used over long periods and naturally embedded in memory.
Viewing sound not as decoration but as infrastructure, the studio creates sustainable sound environments that embrace silence and spatial openness as integral elements.
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Immersive Studio “SAGE”
Located in the rich natural environment of Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Studio Ion’s immersive studio “SAGE” is a specialized private studio that environmental musician and sound designer Takashi Kokubo has built and operated for many years for his own artistic creation and research. Designed as a place to explore the relationship between nature and sound, space and consciousness, “SAGE” is not merely a recording facility—it is conceived as an environment for immersion in sound.
“SAGE” inherits the philosophy of field recording through the Cyborphonic, Kokubo’s self-developed spatial recording microphone, and realizes enveloping three-dimensional sound expression using a multi-channel audio system centered on 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos. The works produced here have served not only as music releases but as the foundation for immersive content across film, installation, performing arts, and wellness fields.
Through a new partnership between Studio ION Co.,Ltd. Inc. and Moonbow Music Inc., “SAGE” is now being opened to external creators as a dedicated studio for immersive music production. For artists, composers, sound designers, and visual creators pursuing advanced spatial audio production, “SAGE” functions not as a place to listen to sound, but as a place to enter sound.
Combining a tranquil natural setting, cutting-edge sonic technology, and decades of expertise in environmental music creation, “SAGE” is a rare studio environment for deeply expanding the possibilities of immersive expression.
For inquiries regarding usage requirements, details, tours, or production, please contact us at the address below.
Moonbow Music Inc.
TEL: +81-45-594-0264
E-mail: rec@moonbow-music.com
Studio ION is now expanding into a full-scale retreat business, building upon its long-standing work in music production and spatial sound design while utilizing the natural environment of Hokuto City in Yamanashi Prefecture and a set of unique facilities. The project is designed to restore balance to the mind and body and to rekindle creativity by integrating sound, nature, and stay-based experiences.
At the core of the retreat program is the immersive studio “SAGE”. Equipped with a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos spatial playback system, SAGE enables a deeply immersive listening environment in which participants are enveloped in sound. Through this sonic immersion, the studio creates a space for sensory recalibration and quiet introspection. Originally developed as a production studio, the acoustic environment has now been extended into a listening-focused retreat experience.
Adjacent to SAGE is a forest of approximately 1,000 tsubo (about 3,300 m²), forming another essential component of the retreat. Time spent in a forest that changes its expression across the seasons awakens physical sensations that are difficult to access in artificial environments. In resonance with the sonic experience, the forest gently guides the mind and body back toward their natural rhythm. Walking, pausing, and listening all become part of the retreat itself.
The site also includes a log house that can accommodate more than ten guests, enabling stay-based retreats, workshops, dialogue sessions, and group practice. The integration of creation, nature immersion, and overnight stay provides conditions for deep focus and restoration.
The program will begin with accessible retreat offerings aimed at unlocking sensitivity and will gradually expand toward corporate wellness and creativity-development programs. In addition to music production, Studio ION will position the studio and retreat businesses as new strategic pillars, continuously creating experiences that reconnect people with their environment.
Updates will be announced regularly in the News section.
