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Encyclopedia of niime

Encyclopedia of niime 100th anniversary
niime Year In, Year Out 2023-2024

New Year's Eve 'Giant Killing' random discussion

〈 Year Out version 〉

2023 . 12 . 31

In the last article, we thankfully achieved the 100th of the series of Encyclopedia of niime, and it has stepped onto a new stage at the New Year’s tradition of ‘Year In, Year Out.’

It has been five years and nine months since the introductory article on April 1, 2018. I appreciate readers who have read this for a long time.

Thinking back, I found it challenging to write vividly and interview the nature brand ‘tamaki niime’, which is continually evolving.

I am rewriting due to criticism, and I have been told that my article style is a bit repetitive, which once had the threat of cancellation. (sweat)

As a listener and a writer, I interviewed and wrote daily while fully releasing my sense of playfulness with a tense feeling.

Although they have a solid core, the principle of ‘niimeism’ changes like an amoeba, which I was confused about. That makes sense; I’m not trying to understand in my head but rather getting excited about and fully understanding it.

Including Ms Tamaki, Mr Sakai, and staff comments about overcoming difficulties within the company during the pandemic, which can be the only archive of the ‘tamaki niime’ pathway; I am thankful for continually doing so to this day.

Ms Tamaki and Mr Sakai are designers, merchants, business owners, researchers, and seekers. They have sharp senses as artists who inspire creativity and passion while maintaining abundant and chaotic resources.

In ‘niime Year In, Year Out 2023-2024’, we will send you the New Year’s Eve discussion and the 100th-Anniversary Documentary of Tamaki and Sakai expressing their story as they are and their ‘natural brand.’


—— How was your 2023, Mr Sakai?


Sakai
Since my mother passed away, it has been a raging year. I didn’t mean I tried to forget or wanted to ignore it; it feels like a short period, not a raging time but a speedier or more sophisticated one. I was spending my time calmly.


—— And your state of mind…


Sakai
My state of mind. At such times, I was more concerned about educating staff. I tried and made errors in doing so. I was an administrator of the company, but became a representative this Year. I thought to myself what I could do as the representative. Tamaki has been a representative from the beginning, but what is my job as a representative?


—— I see. Did you find something?


Sakai
Yes. I did. I put it on Instagram as ‘tamakiniimestaff’. What can you convey… aren’t the technical parts hard to express?


—— What do you mean?


Sakai
For example, if you teach farming, it’s more fun to let them plant first as they like and show them the results of growing well rather than teaching them details like how many centimetres you have to make space for this kind of plant.


—— You make them think about how to make it happen with good results…


Sakai
That’s right. You have to make them think, so you need to convey your thoughts and passion.


—— Not teaching logically.


Sakai
That’s right. It’s the way back to the basics.


Tamaki
The day before interviewing the ‘Encyclopedia of niime 100th achievement anniversary, Yoshinori Sakai was awakened!


Sakai
I slept 8 hours straight last night after a long time. Before sleeping, I continued talking for more than 30 minutes. I was getting excited and exhausted.


Tamaki
You were too exhausted. (laugh)


Sakai
I always work hard like that. Talking to people about your thoughts equals facing yourself. It was the time I was able to face myself.


Tamaki
For the ‘100th Achievement Anniversary’, Sakai will talk at the last minute this time.


Sakai showed us his passionate talk scene in the Instagram video of ‘tamakiniimestaff’.

What Sakai wants to tell his staff is not words one by one but his overflowing enthusiasm, passion, and seriousness about work.

To be honest, everyone talks seriously about ‘tamaki niime’. Sakai seems like the instigator of it.


Sakai
I thought about how to approach Human Resources training a lot. Once, it was considered to be ‘harassment’. But I have to do it because there’s no borderline.


Tamaki
We have been doing Human Resources training. At first, only we did it. However, for the last 15 years, we have educated our staff and tried many things to make them work effectively.


Sakai
Even though we talked to staff with poor words, I could smoothly convey to some staff who understood them. When we can’t express them, the problem is not because of technique; it is here (pointing to his chest) our passion.


Tamaki
After all, the people with pure hearts can grow.


—— Purity: it’s essential to have honest sensitivity.


Sakai
The other day, I was listening to the speech of Mr Yusuke Narita, the economist scholar with round and square-framed glasses. His talk was very technical and well-configured. From the beginning of the speech, it was well organized, and there were ups and downs, and his last was amazingly well done. I can’t do it like him, but even with his good talks, there are some people who could touch the heart or who couldn’t feel it at all.


—— No matter how good a speech it was, it doesn’t mean you could touch 100 people’s hearts out of 100 people.


Sakai
That’s what I thought. I want you to write down clearly that it is all right. You only have people who understand you.


—— It’s all right to have only the people who understand you.


Sakai
Yeah, it doesn’t mean discarding some people. The people running together are the only ones who understand you. I want to run together with those who answer “I will!” when I ask them if they’re going to run together. How about you, Mr Koshikawa? If you have three people who come to observe here, don’t you want to show the people who raised their hands, “I want to see it!”


Tamaki
What I think is the problem is that it has become a national disease.


Sakai
It has.


Tamaki
People can’t express their thoughts. Even though they wish to do so, they look like they are not interested.


Sakai
Because some people succumb to peer pressure, which is one of the Japanese characteristics.


Tamaki
They never express their opinions because they care about other people’s thoughts. Because of the pandemic, people who are used to wearing masks are not smiling. Their minds and outside bodies don’t match.


—— Without being aware, they put on a mask.


Tamaki
Yeah, they are masked people. That became their habit to be expressionless.


—— …I think I was like that when I was young.


Sakai
Mr Koshikawa, we’ve known each other for a long time. I think you are…


Tamaki
He looks bewildered.


Sakai
He looks bewildered but is passionate.


—— I look bewildered but passionate, which is interesting. (laugh)


Tamaki
Your facial expression is bewildered.


Sakai
He doesn’t yell but honestly shares his thoughts and opinions. He’s been like that.


Tamaki
I have been having various employee training sessions. When Mr Chatani joined the company, we were very strict. From that time…


Sakai
Well, compared to that time, we are much softer. Remember, we came in the morning, and everyone washed and sewed a lot. We were so crazy.


Tamaki
We didn’t have time to sleep.


Sakai
Nowadays, we have a tabe room, and my Mom and Misaki make meals, but in the early days, we just had instant beef or curry rice.


Tamaki
We had instant meals every day because we didn’t have time to cook.


Sakai
First, we didn’t have a place to eat, so we ate outside.


Tamaki
Yeah, we had crazy days, but it was fun.


Sakai
Yeah, yeah, it was so much fun!


—— Early days were something. There’s fun in being chaotic.


Tamaki
Adrenaline rushes.


—— Having organization is challenging. After becoming larger…


Tamaki
That’s right. You can’t keep it as it was.


Sakai
I don’t like to keep the same condition if we have 1000 employees.


Tamaki
Sakai was finally aware of Human Resources training for the next stage and will do it.


Sakai
I don’t mean to have Human Resources training, but I have been thinking about telling my thoughts. If I told them all the time, it would be annoying. I want to say to them when it’s necessary.


—— Mr Sakai’s words are so passionate that they touch the heart. They don’t know what it means in extreme cases, but it touches listeners.


Sakai
…yeah, yeah.


Tamaki
It looks like, wow! I am touched even though I don’t know what it is.


Sakai
Yeah, yeah, yeah.


—— A few years later, they get results from what was taught; they would know what he meant.


Tamaki
That’s how it is. That’s why we shouldn’t cut corners.


Sakai
I have tried many ways of expressing my passions, and I can conclude that the best approach is to speak directly about my thoughts.


Tamaki
I was telling the staff through the leaders recently.


Sakai
Most organizations have a pyramid shape, with the administrative staff members under the top staff. But it can actually be flat, and we could work smoothly if we directly accessed each staff member. It can activate organizations.


Tamaki
It would be great if it worked as a result. Thinking about effectiveness, we should properly develop leaders, and such leaders should develop staff under them, which is the original ideal structure of the organization. I have been trying to do so, but there’s a problem with taking time to communicate with the staff under us. If we just deliver messages through someone, what we want to tell would be out of focus. Its adjustment is hard.


Sakai
My goal for next year is to eat with Tamaki and the number of communicable staff members.


Tamaki
We go around the restaurants in Nishiwaki.


Sakai
I want to talk with them openly.


Tamaki
That would be fun. We have new stores and a bakery.


Sakai
Umbrella!


Tamaki
‘Cinema Coffee Umbrella’. Highly praised! (laugh)


Sakai
I don’t mean to advertise it, but please write that their coffee and bread are delicious.


Tamaki
A new pizza restaurant was run by Mr Miyazaki and his son, who used to work for us. Please write about it as well. The restaurant’s name is Miyazakiino. (*The real name is Quaranta.)


Tamaki
Their enormous garden has four silkies, one male and three females. The food was delicious.


—— He made his oven, right?


Tamaki
I have long wanted pizza restaurants, and we now have three new ones in our city. My attraction power is great.


Tamaki
Getting back to the topic, we could scrutinize our staff this year. Some staff don’t seem motivated, but they are actually leaning forward.


Tamaki
Their outlooks and insides are different. Each has their personality.


Sakai
Some are not good at talking but have good hearts. I don’t mean it’s good or bad, but I just hope everyone is passionate and I want to make a fantastic company.


Tamaki
Originally, both of us had been running hard. I have been trying to make exciting products, and he has been thinking about how to sell them. With our wish of spreading our products in 47 prefectures or all over the world, or having a theme of wearing them to all men and women, Sakai has worked forward in the ‘Opening team’…as we summarize after five years.


Sakai
We are going to share our thoughts for next Year. It may sound weird, but I am not saying the wrong things.


Tamaki
He has an intense tone of voice and complex ways of talking, but the things he tells us are not wrong, so I hope they can listen to him.


Sakai
I am saying what I wanted to hear in my 20s. When I was young, nobody taught me.


Even though I worked in a different field, I had training experience working as a graphic designer.

In the 1990s, I experienced old-fashioned manual designs and the dawn of DTP. There were no detailed lectures or manual books. Starting to work from the bottom and watching senior workers, I had to learn what the designs are physically with senses.

I think I learned to get ‘designs’ by using my hands and by trial and error. Masters and seniors pushed me to become aware and understand well.

Thinking back later, there were many hints of ‘opening my eyes’ everywhere in the office. I believe it is essential to be aware of them and make them yours. ‘Making creative’ is not tracing the existing things but stepping into uncharted territory, such as once, full of adventures.


Tamaki
But I am looking forward to it from now on. We finally made our foundation, right?


Sakai
We made it.


Tamaki
When we had a few staff members, there was a time when we gave them commands and worked together. After passing such a period, we made teams to do their own, but it didn’t work well, and we went through twists and turns. We know that our desired ways of using human resources are wrong.


—— What were your desired ways?


Tamaki
I told my staff that I wanted to work together while talking with them and feeling close to them, so I observed their work and what they did. But they told me the other day that they learned they can’t work passionately this way. Being told nicely, they felt good and motivated but couldn’t push themselves to work harder or get passionate. They asked me to help them. I realized they finally became aware and understood what they needed to think about.


Sakai
Some people say globalism has finished after the pandemic, or some say AI will control us. I think we should think that we are in the Sengoku war era. At that time in Japanese history, once people hesitated, they were cut off instantly. Under the military commanders, everyone lived in a very tense state. In our current time, we don’t even get hurt even though we don’t do anything.


—— Now, we live in the time that we are given.


AI gives us a selection of information.

Sakai
That’s right! As I said yesterday, the information doesn’t come to you if you just wait. Even now, you have to go get it.


Tamaki
It is primarily the information you want.


Sakai
That’s right, that’s right.


Tamaki
The information that falls is only the money trees to steal your money.


—— It is the information you can easily access.


Tamaki
It’s important where you put up your antenna.


After the (COVID-19) pandemic, the world is still chaotic. There are wars, fights, rumours that capitalism and globalism will end, and the rise of AI, fashion and arts. Cultures and people’s lives are things we can’t predict shortly, and we are living in a time of rapid change.


Sakai
Just right now, we are in the Sengoku period.


This is sudden, but hearing about the ‘Sengoku period’ and ‘Giant Killing’ as my teen experience, I remember the late 70s punk rock.

At the end of the ’60s, under the shouts of ‘Love & Peace,’ rock music was the detonator that changed society for young people, but in the middle of the ’70s, its commercialization developed. It became a huge music business and lost the seriousness of its messages.

At the end of the 1970s, England suffered an economic downturn and felt trapped. In such situations, Malcolm McLaren, a fashion designer and tactician, opened the world. Young, brilliant musician Johnny Rotten was the frontman of the band Sex Pistols. Malcolm ran a sharp boutique together with Vivian West, and the members of Pistols often came to the shop.

Appearing after the Sex Pistols, rock bands like Crush and Jam, which had hard beats with sincere messages, seemed a lot, just like growing bamboo trees after the rain. Many young British greatly supported them at that time.

The punk culture and fashion were sweeping over. Immediately, long hair and bell bottoms became uncool. The wall of Artists and audiences became lower, and minority people in the shades took the instruments to express themselves, and each started singing what they wanted to say.

The punk movement went on to new waves, and many talented people appeared. Continually, new artists with new music and ideas appeared. Old big bands were treated as past and called ‘old wave’, which was like the condition of ‘Giant Killing’, and it continued for a few years in England.

The band, The Blue Hearts, appeared in the middle of the 1980s. They were bold and called themselves ‘Japanese representatives’. They were teenagers stimulated by far overseas cultures with fresh senses and absorbed punk spirits and their essence.


Sakai
I don’t know the details of the music condition around that time, but if we express ourselves with one word, we are like punk music. We have such principles just like them now.


—— It also sounds like the spirit Mr Sakai tries to get in…I feel like that.


It draws a line from existing methodologies and brightly shows creativity and innovative styles. It is about design and art. Ambitious, they created ‘one-item-products’ thinking of both districts (micro) and earth (macro). Repeating shedding and transforming, they renew daily, which is the ‘tamaki niime’ methodology. Their one and only principle is that they must keep innovating.


—— The place of ‘tamaki niime’ itself might be the stage of ‘Giant Killing’.


Sakai
Please write it down.


—— If it spreads through everyone, they would start moving like a raging wave.


Sakai
That’s why I always think I have an ‘air katana’ with me. I always have a spirit that I have to cut or to be cut.


Tamaki
It is like ‘Last Samurai’.


Sakai
The other day, a researcher came to our place and talked with us. Hackers are at the forefront of technology. The Internet or digital society has kept going with the structure of hacking and opposing it, which is a cat-and-mouse game, but I think such a time has ended.


—— I see.


Sakai
Yes. It ended in myself. I got another meaning. I call it ‘nature hacking’, which is not difficult. Hacking means ‘connecting to nature.’


Tamaki
You mean connecting naturally?


Sakai
That’s right.


Tamaki
Oh, yeah. That’s an inspiration! It’s a superpower.


Sakai
Tamaki gets up in the morning and says to the Sun, “Please watch me all day today.” This is also ‘nature hacking’. And she really hacks nature. She says, “Please stop the rain!” And it really stops!


—— …


Tamaki
Hahaha. (laugh)


Sakai
(talking to Tamaki) It’s true, right?”


〈 continued ‘coming year’ version! 〉

Please look forward to the following continued interview on New Year’s Day.
Happy New Year!

Original Japanese text by Seiji Koshikawa.
English translation by Adam & Michiko Whipple.