Asakusa (department store)souvenir from Asakusathunderstorm
Kaminari Okoshi is a sweet and savory traditional Japanese snack. Established for more than 200 years, the main store of “Tokiwando Kaminari Okoshi Honpo” is located right next to Asakusa’s Kaminarimon, and as a representative of Asakusa souvenirs, it has continued to bring energy and enjoyment to the area, which is also a booming inbound destination for tourists. What kind of innovation is the company working on and what does it value in its confectionery production?
Mr. Kumeichi Hogari, the third generation owner of “Tokiwando Kaminari Okoshi Honpo” after the war, gave us a valuable talk about his commitment to specific products, current measures he is working on, and historical secrets with the Kaminarimon.
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Innovation of “Tokiwa-do Thunder Gobstopper Honpo” – Daring to make “Thunder Gobstopper” a snack
Forest:Can you tell us about the innovation of “Tokiwa-do Thunder Stirrers”?
Mr. Hokari:My predecessor had experienced the middle of the high-growth period, so he established three factories and regional sales offices in Sapporo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. I, on the other hand, downsized the company by concentrating the number of factories and sales offices in one location in Tokyo. This was not only due to the business difficulties caused by the bursting of the bubble economy, but also to establish the significance of Senso-ji as a souvenir of visit to the temple, so that I, still inexperienced as a manager, could know myself and focus my efforts in a narrower field.
I am also on the management end of the business, and it is very difficult for me to know myself.
I took over the company at the age of 36, so everyone around me was older than me and I was overwhelmed. Even now, I can’t get over the feeling I had then (laughs).
The process of downsizing the company must have been painstaking.
As a manager, it was still the hardest thing for me to bow down in front of my employees and tell them that I was closing the plant.
I understand that as a business owner, the topic of how to maintain employment is always on your mind. How long did the process take?
Approximately 5 years.
Then, around the age of 41, you entered the stage of seeking your own original line of business.
The previous banto head vehemently opposed the measure to soften the texture of “Thunder Stirrups,” saying, “Waka is trying to make “Thunder Stirrups” into a snack. However, I strongly insisted on reforming the product to meet the needs of the times, and changed the process of making the main ingredient, Uruchi rice, into flour and mixing it with wheat flour in order to increase the swelling power, and took on the challenge of creating a fluffy texture.
You have taken a bold decision to turn “Tokiwado Raigokoshi” into a snack shop in order to connect it to the present and future, haven’t you? I think it was a great decision.
It was during my generation that we started using caramelized almonds and maple coconuts as secondary ingredients in addition to peanuts and seaweed. Today, I brought a summer-only product, “Shio Okoshi” (salted rice cake). Actually, it was my son, Raita, who came up with the illustration on this box.
Raita, that’s great.
When I first saw the design of the Wind God and Thunder God, I was vehemently opposed to it. I was furiously opposed to it when I first saw the design of the Wind God and Thunder God, saying, “The Wind God and Thunder God must be fat. What kind of a poor, skinny god of thunder is this? However, this design was very well received. I knew that it was no longer my time to think.
This episode overlaps with the one in which Mr. Hokari was opposed by the previous banto, who said, “Are you going to turn ‘Thunder Stirrers’ into a snack?
Ms. Hokari: So I am in the position of a watchdog (laughs).
So, the existing fans will be familiar with the old, fat Wind God and Thunder God, while first-time visitors to Asakusa will find the new design “cute” and pick it up.
Cherish the desire to give as a gift because it is delicious.
One of my mottos is “Gifts begin with dailies. Souvenirs and gifts start with the feeling of “I enjoyed the food myself, so I want to give a taste of it to that person who has been so kind to me.
I understand.
As the head of a confectionery shop, I want to emphasize the sense of “because it tastes good to me,” not because of its design or color. That is why we always offer tastings at our main store in Kaminarimon, with the utmost sanitation and corona control measures. So we would like our customers to taste new products such as “Shio Okoshi” first, and then give them as gifts “because they are delicious”.
After all, it makes sense that they would make a great gift because they are delicious. This tin of sweets depicts the god of thunder as we imagine him to be.
It is not yet fully known that “Kaminari Okoshi” is a good-luck confectionery. My challenge for the future is to do business with a little more coordination on the point that if you visit Kannon-sama in Asakusa and buy “Kaminari Okoshi”, you can “wake up your house and your name”.
So it was thought out from the concept in the first place.
In the Kansai region, okoshi is made from millet instead of Uruchi rice, and the grains are finer. Also, while Kanto’s okoshi is bite-sized, Kansai’s okoshi is called ita okoshi, which is slightly larger. I think it is necessary to appeal to inbound customers that Kanto’s “okoshi,” with its large particles, is a good luck confection like “fortune cookies.
When you open the can, you see that it is packed full of bite-sized lightning ropes with no extra coloring and two different flavors, white sugar and brown sugar. The design of this can is so cool that many people want to use it even after it is empty.
Opening the “Show Factory” and Facing the Essence
Now, besides the product-related aspects, have you worked on any other innovations?
In addition to the main store, we also operate a drive-in restaurant called “Kaminari 5656 Kaikan,” and we have opened a “factory to showcase okoshi” to let people know more about okoshi. We have opened a “show factory” there to let people learn more about okoshi. We have decided to withdraw from the food and beverage business and focus on confectionery production and sales, and on activities that make okoshi more familiar to the public.
I see that your management direction has the theme of focusing on the essence of the okoshi shop.
Hogari-san: There are many uses for “okoshi seeds,” which are used to make okoshi before they develop a sweet taste. For example, they can be used as the floating seeds for soups, or as the center of chocolate candy. I am currently exploring the possibility of making “non-sweet okoshi” that can be hardened with ingredients other than syrup. Focusing on the essence of okoshi, I would like to challenge various innovations.
When management policies are clearly presented in this way, employees can work with peace of mind, and it is easier to gain the understanding of those around them.
My son, Raita, agrees with my policy of focusing on my main business.
At the height of the inbound season, “Thunder 5656 Hall” attracted a large number of international travelers. I am sure that people will return in the future when the Corona Disaster opens. I would like to encourage everyone in Japan to visit there while they still can. Finally, do you have a message for our readers?
First of all, we hope that more people will come to Asakusa and experience the “Kaminari Okoshi”, a confectionery that brings good luck. At the “Asakusa Workshop” in the “Kaminari 5656 Kaikan”, our employees will guide you through the process of making okoshi, and I will be there on Saturdays and Sundays to demonstrate how to make and sell them. If you have time, I would like to invite you to experience making okoshi for yourself.
Tradition is innovation” and “Gifts start from daily life” are Hogari’s mottos. The lively Mr. Hogari, who also enjoys surfing, is not content with being a long-established shop with a large number of fans, and his motto fully reflects his spirit of wanting to entertain people. If you are ever in Asakusa, why not visit “Tokiwando Kaminari Okoshi Honpo” and experience the deliciousness of “Kaminari Okoshi” for yourself?
*If you would like to see this dialogue on video.here (place close to the speaker or where the speaker is)
