Encounter with Japanese Culture and Joining the Family Business

I started getting exposed to Japanese culture when I met my future wife at university in Europe. In parallel to my studies of business administration, I started learning Japanese. Working for SONY Germany as a part-timer during university and a fulltime employee after graduation exposed me to Japanese business and innovation culture. In 2000 we moved to Japan when I was hired by a German company to join their Japanese operation.

In 2010 my wife decided to take over her family’s business CHIRNIU HONTEN as the fifth generation. CHINRIU HONTEN produces, and retails sweets and pickles made of Ume, Red Shiso and Sakura. The company was established in 1871 by the last chief cook of Odawara castle KOMINE Monya. Nowadays the products are sold through own brick and mortar stores, department store and online marketplaces.

I wanted to support my wife in managing and developing the business but struggled to find my place. I am not good in working with my hands. Becoming a craftsman for Umeboshi or pastries was not an option for me. When joining sales events at major Japanese department stores, I met many owners of other traditional business who mentioned that they wanted to sell international but did not have the necessary skills. This inspired me to launch an international trade business within CHINRIU HONTEN. In 2012 I joined full time and started an international online store to sell Japanese authentic food and craft products under the brand NIHON ICHIBAN.

13 years later we source around 8000 SKUs from 250 traditional companies from Hokkaido to Okinawa. We sell to consumers in more than 100 countries and established relations with specialty retailers and fine food businesses all around the world. Since the beginning our philosophy was not to just sell products, but to tell stories about the craft and the business. We currently are launching the next generation of our website, putting traditional family business and craftsmen even more into focus.