Chapter 1: Supporter is the manager at part-time job.

While I was a student, I did not think much about anything,
The first thing I became passionate about was my part-time job.

As I talk how I stated working for CoCo ICHIBANYA, I need to go back 30 years when I was a high school student.

The high school I entered as a scholarship student was a boarding school. I did not enter this high school with any dream or any idea about my future. I wasn’t thinking anything. That’s all I can say about then. I had no motivation to study because I had no goal nor dream. Therefore, I spent less time studying, and eventually the grades went down… still I did not do anything to make it better. I barely studied. I spent aimless high school life.

Naturally, I somewhat went on to university with no motivation.

大I stayed at university for only 2 years. Not only that, I actually attended about 20 days within this 2 years. I joined club activity, but the only memory I have is that I enjoyed the camp I participated once.

During my university life, I spent my whole time working part-time at a restaurant. I became so absorbed in this, and eventually I started making a lot of money monthly as a part-time worker. Moreover, the manager at the restaurant took very good care of me. He thought about my happiness, always gave me great advice, and he supported me a lot. And then, one thought came to my mind…

“Someday, I want to have my own restaurant.”

It was a moment when, for the first time, I saw something in my future.

Chapter 2: Supporter is my friend at part-time job

The dream to have my own restaurant led to the joy of working.

I met my wife while working part-time at restaurant. When we had our first child, I decided to pursue my career in restaurant business. I rented an old apartment with no bathroom, and I started working at izakaya (Japanese-style bar restaurant) at Nagoya station area.

At the izakaya with so many dinner parties, I was in charge of grill. It was so busy until 9 pm, and after that I had to earnestly prepare for the next day. So many numbers of skewers and tons of bread crumbs… I worked until 1 to 2 am every day. Sometimes I could not make it to the public bath which closes at 2 am. If so, I had to give up taking a bath on those days. Strangely, it did not bother me much. Work was fun.

This crazily indescribable intense busyness I experienced, it became a huge encouragement of my working life later on. No matter how busy it gets, it is never busier than that time.

Also no matter how hard my work was, the dream to “have my own restaurant” made me forget the toughness of my work. During this time, I leaned how important it is to have a goal and a dream.

Then, I was embroiled in trouble at the restaurant, so I had to leave my work. Therefore, I had to leave my apartment, and I was caught in a difficult situation. However, a friend I worked at the same restaurant offered me a place to stay, and also food… I still regret that I became estranged from him later on.