午夜剧场

After graduating from the Faculty of Letters in 1991, I moved from job to job and place to place. Just as I was becoming exasperated with my own rootless life, a series of unexpected events led me to enroll in the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) at the age of 45. While I was moved by the fresh ideas and potential of the young people I met there, talking with them made me realize how much the outdated values of our parent generation were binding them.

After graduation, I initially wanted to support the development of young leaders by utilizing my graduate studies and my experience at the human resources development company where I had most recently worked. However, I had a change of heart. I realized that what I should be doing is supporting the challenges of our middle-aged and older generation, who act as a shackle to the youth. After finishing graduate school, I founded a company called "HIKIDASHI" (meaning "drawer" or "to draw out") with the wish to draw out people's strengths regardless of age or gender, focusing on career re-support for middle-aged and older adults.

However, even after starting the company, holding seminars with titles like "Middle-aged and older adults should think about their future careers" didn't attract many people.

That's when I thought of a "Snack Bar." Yes, our generation prefers a drinking party over a seminar! We are the generation that has spoken our true feelings and built connections at bars. So, why not make the place to think about future ways of working and living a snack bar instead of a seminar? It was a contrarian approach. My snack bar is held during the day once a week, rather than at night. This was due to the unavoidable circumstance that I was borrowing a friend's shop during the "daytime" when the space was available.

I thought it would be fine if even one person showed up to the daytime snack bar, held only once a week on a weekday. Nearly five years have passed, and through word of mouth, the total number of visitors has exceeded 2,000. Even now, a diverse range of people of all ages and genders visit every week.

A snack bar has a "Mama" who acts as a hub. From that starting point, people and things that were previously disconnected can connect through honest conversation. That is precisely the key to future careers.

Now, even in my main business of corporate training and coaching, I fulfill my role as a snack bar Mama to help participants speak their true feelings and find companions to move forward with.

Everyone has their own unique "hikidashi" (drawers/talents). If we can find a place or companions where we can use those talents for each other or lend what is inside them, wouldn't life from now on be more fun? I believe that is the role of the "Snack Hikidashi" that I have created.