Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasuharu Takahashi.
Hi Yasuharu, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story goes back to when I moved to Houston from Los Angeles about 3 1/2 years ago. Houston already had several Japanese companies, restaurants, and retail stores, but they were much smaller than in California. Even so, I learned that there were many people who had a strong interest in traditional Japanese culture and pop culture.
I began to think that there was a need for more places and opportunities to meet this demand. I decided to start a retail store to help Americans learn more about and become interested in Japan through products based on the unique culture of Japanese food, anime, and manga, which are popular not only in the U.S., but around the world.
I am leveraging the connections I have developed in Japan to supply products related to Japanese cooking, tableware, and anime to start a retail store in December 2022 that will sell products and provide information directly from Japan to American customer.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road and it will not be smooth. I started my business entirely on my own.
Since this is of course the first time to start a physical store from scratch in the U.S., there were many stumbling blocks in the process of finding a property, applying to open a business, and obtaining approvals.
Perhaps if I had asked a lawyer, an accountant, a store construction company, or other experts in various fields, I might have been able to solve these problems easily and quickly. Until the opening of the store, I was always thinking about how to balance funds, time, and labor. I think many small business entrepreneurs like myself see this barrier.
Fortunately, I met people I should be grateful to who were willing to help someone like me.
I have and always will believe that barriers can be broken down if I keep trying.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started my own business, using my experience, knowledge, and connections to help people in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. learn more about the country of Japan. There is a gap or bias between the information and image people have of Japan and the reality. That is not wrong. However, through this business, I would like to spread more understanding that is closer to reality.
There are still many companies in Japan that manufacture and develop wonderful products, inheriting the experience and technology that have been cultivated over a long history. I aim to convey those products as faithfully and directly as possible to the American consumer in my own retail stores.
And in the future, I hope to create an organization that can truly bridge the gap between Japan and the U.S. by conveying culture, information, and products not only from Japan to the U.S., but also from the U.S. to Japan as well.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Although online shopping is gaining momentum over brick-and-mortar shopping now, I believe that the era of online shopping for products alone will lose momentum in the next few years. Consumers will return to brick-and-mortar stores in search of understanding, information, satisfaction, and entertainment that cannot be obtained by simply picking up a product.
At that time, it will be important for physical stores to offer value to customers in addition to products.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridge_japan_works/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridgejapanworks
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bridge-japan-works-katy
