Temporarily Activating and Renting Unused Spaces

The website enables people like fruit sellers to set up shop temporarily on otherwise unused land, creating a mutual benefit for landowners.

"Ito, a director of Sunny Products Inc, in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, capitalized on the Nokisaki.com website set up by Nokisaki Co, a Tokyo firm acting as an intermediary for landowners who want to rent vacant or idling ‘‘nokisaki (the eaves of the house)'' spaces at relatively low costs and tenants who wish to lease such areas by the hour, day or week. Unlike regular property leasing, the contracts concern only the right of using those spaces.

The utilization of Nokisaki.com has been spreading since it was launched in April 2008, indicating that there is growing interest in the use of open but small spaces.

The spaces can be squares in front of office buildings in business districts, spots left vacant in the vicinity of stores during their business holidays or even unused parking spots at ordinary houses that would otherwise be left idle."