16/01/2026
19 Years of UltraSuperNew: Built by People, Powered by Culture and Creativity.
Below is the first known photo of Tomo and me together already brewing our plans on setting up our own agency.
On January 16th, 2007 we started UltraSuperNew in Harajuku because we saw two problems that needed solving:
1. Clients in Japan were struggling to find agencies that actually understood digital-first communication. The big networks were still pushing traditional playbooks while the internet was rewriting everything.
2. And creatives in Tokyo (then the world’s most expensive city) had almost nowhere affordable to show their work. Gallery space was for the elite or the connected.
So we built both: a digital creative agency that could help brands to be successful in Japan and the UltraSuperNew Gallery - known today as The KURA - a platform where makers could actually display their work without selling a kidney and that provides USN a unique connection to culture and creativity Tokyo.
19 years later, we’re still solving those same problems but this time with another disrupting technology with Ai; just at a bigger scale, across more markets and with more people who believe in UltraSuperNew.
The journey:
- 75+ people across Tokyo, Singapore, Amsterdam and Colombo
- 350+ talented individuals who’ve been part of this story
- 3x Independent Agency of the Year (Japan/Korea)
- Clients who became partners, projects that became movements
But the real measure? The work got better. The culture got stronger and the mission got bigger because these days we are also helping Japanese/Asian brands to succeed globally.
To everyone who’s been part of USN - whether you were here for a month or a decade - you shaped this. The designers, strategists, account leads, producers, developers, and everyone who pushed the work forward while keeping the independent spirit intact.
Thank you to our clients who took the risk on Independence and rewarded true creative work.
Year 20 starts now. Same fire, bigger stage and more ambitious than ever!