Even though I was independent, that didn’t mean I had infinite funds. So I started off by having my business deals settled within the month, meaning, that the buyers were requested to pay by the 30th of the month and I paid the suppliers by the 1st of next month. I moved the funds around during that 1 or 2 days to rotate the products. I started by handling fishery products which were my specialty, and since revenue increased, I opened a lunch box shop after 6 months.

For this new shop, I attempted at warm and freshly made lunch boxes. Back then, it was common for the lunch boxes to be sold cold, and I knew that could be improved. All I wanted to do was to sell warm and freshly made lunch boxes to customers, just like they would be homemade. But then came the public health inspectors and put a stop to that. The reason? Nothing. They just won’t allow it. I visited their office several times to find out the reason but all I got was a simple, “No means no.” I was at a loss for words.

But someone must have felt sorry for me after seeing me coming in day and night. A lady who worked in the same department as the person in charge secretly told me that they can’t give the green light because of bacteria. I immediately researched the occurrence of bacteria inside lunch boxes and found that the lunch boxes were safe from bacteria within 2 hours after being made. I applied once again after adding in measures for food poisoning and was finally granted the green light to sell my warm lunch boxes. Then it was all about charting a flow to first take orders in the morning, then to deliver to workplaces and households by 11:30 AM, and have them be eaten by 12:00 PM. I added the following in my ads. “Please enjoy the lunches within 2 hours. After 2 hours, there is a chance of food poisoning. Just in case, herbal medicine is enclosed. Will also prepare your posthumous name.” The ad was a hit and the lunches sold well. After all these experience, the lunch box business finally got off the ground.

<<It was the eve before the economic bubble period. My business expanded to other ventures besides food>>

One day, I was approached by an associate from a fishery company if I was interested in purchasing their spare containers. My immediate thought was to renovate the containers into a motel and operate it. But a day before opening, I was hit with a notice from the police asking, if I had certification for designated entertainment business, and I had to abandon the project. It was while I was thinking of another way of using the containers, when I thought of operating a karaoke bar. I imagined that if I added proper soundproofing and furnishing, like sofas, kitchens, refrigerators and karaoke sets, it would turn into a comfortable singing place. Containers quickly rented out, and by the time I got around to it, I had contracts for more than 300 of these karaoke bars. It was a resounding success.

I also dealt with video rentals. This was before anyone was operating such an establishment in Japan. It was right around the time when VCRs started popping up in households, and after taking a hint from vinyl record rentals, I thought of starting a video version of that. This also turned into a success and soon expanded to 15 stores. At first, videotapes were managed through writing rental receipts by hand, but once the inventory and users grew enormously, that became impossible. That’s when I thought of using a computer.

This was where my time in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force really helped. Since I was stationed at a division that commanded and controlled the air defense by using a computer called the BADGE system, handling a program that managed personnel and goods was a piece of cake. I ordered a program for managing videotapes with a large computer company, but nothing was delivered even after a year had passed. So I took it up myself, contacted a programmer friend of mine, and we created it within two months.

Back then, my daily routine started after waking up at 3:00 AM, and from Sengendai in Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, I picked up my senior colleague on the way, and we went to Tsukiji, arriving until 4:30 AM. After working at the market until 7:00 AM, I helped out at a fish cutting shop and enjoyed breakfast they prepared. Then I moved on to office and sales work from 9:00 AM, and after 6:00 PM I helped out at an izakaya bar or a lunch box shop I was managing until close to 1:00 AM. I was just having the time of my life watching my business grow.