2020– date –

【We're competing for people's time online】 What's the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday? As I checked them on Wikipedia, the former words came into use in 70's; the latter was just born in 2005. I feel both are fast spre...

【The business world is a battlefield where wolves are killing each other?】 In the movie "Wolf of Wall Street," Jordan Belfort sounded off "I've been telling you guys not to take no for an answer, to keep pushing, to not hang up the pho...

【International Division of Labor】 In these past few years, I've come to see many conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in every place around the world. I don't know the price range of those restaurants overseas. In Japan, conveyor-belt sushi...

Can laziness save your company? Starting with the challenge of defining life (like the virus test), I pivot to the Worker Ant Theory, which suggests every team needs a 20% "lazy reserve" to build resilience. I analyze the potential fragility of our highly efficient Hokkaido factory and propose the bold solution: strategic resource allocation—starting with me leaving the office early.

Let's enjoy doing something inefficiently. What we will see after seeking efficiency is the world where humans are not necessary. The direct marketing is not good in efficiency and takes longer before bearing fruits, but it more than makes up for such disadvantages. We can communicate closely with customers, and it must be fun.

Malcolm Gladwell has written we must spend at least 10,000 hours to become a true master of any skill. It seems almost impossible for a generalist to aim for a specialist from today. Can we (generalists) escape this certain death?

Why is my childhood memory of fishing massive trout denied by my own father? I reject the boring brain science answer and propose my own theory: we glorify memories because we unconsciously know that every perfect moment is non-reproducible—a transient miracle resulting from accidental factors. This philosophical concept leads directly to our furniture: because no two pieces of wood are the same, every table is inherently non-reproducible, making it a unique partner destined to be glorified, just like your best memories.

The horror of the unheard story: Good stories disappear due to a lack of good listeners. I am fundamentally a bad listener. We analyze the profound listener's responsibility. Our craftspeople apply this intense skill to the voice of wood: The durability and beauty of our tables are proof they hear the voices others ignore.

【Funny Japanglish by the Prime Minister】 In 2000, the then Japanese Prime Minister wanted to make greetings in English at the first summit meeting with President Clinton. He tried to cram the following exchange of basic phrases: "How a...

【The definition of a home】 Where are you from? Because of my work (overseas sales), I've exchanged this question many times with many people around the world. There have been many people living outside their countries of origin. Some o...