All tagged Designer

A Home Away From Home — Guest House Hachi In Kyoto

A Home Away From Home — Guest House Hachi In Kyoto

Julie Taeko
Life, Japan, Expat Life

When I visited back in June of this year prior to their official launch in August 2017, I was fortunate enough to receive a sneak preview from one of the owners — Takuji — an extremely warm, friendly, and open-minded owner. With his business partners — Onur and Amelia, the trio collaborated and designed an immaculate guesthouse called Guest House Hachi with spectacular decor.

Pouring their hearts and souls into establishing the business, the trio often worked long hours and often into the middle of the night to launch this guest house in time for its grand opening this year. Not only did I witness the result of their combined efforts to transform a traditional town house (or 町家 / まちや）into an impeccably-designed guest house in Kyoto, but I also received such a warm welcome that I couldn’t wait to publish an Instagram story about it.

10 Captivating Facts About Re-mix Co. Female Founder

10 Captivating Facts About Re-mix Co. Female Founder

Julie Taeko
Female Entrepreneurship, Female Empowerment, Japan, Entrepreneurs

An Interview with Japanese Business Owner, Ritsuko Tominaga

Ritsuko Tominaga has one of the most fascinating life histories that I have ever heard. A sole proprietor and business consultant with 4 employees at Re-mix Co., Ritsuko is a middleman or middlewoman who creates unique and innovative OEM goods, or Original Equipment Manufacturer.

This entails meeting with clients such as department stores, to deeply understand their goals and stated desires, before meeting with an appropriate manufacturer to explain the clients' goals. With her unique background of working at her grandfather's sweets factory — Olympia Confectionary — from a young age, Ritsuko knows what is and isn't possible to manufacture.

How This Japanese Female Entrepreneur Succeeded in Designing Her Own Career Path

How This Japanese Female Entrepreneur Succeeded in Designing Her Own Career Path

Julie Taeko
Female Entrepreneurship, Japan, Female Empowerment, Entrepreneurs II

An Interview with Designer Sachie Suzuki of a Women's Boutique in Tokyo

Right after Sachie Suzuki's eldest child turned 1 in 1991, she launched her boutique in Tokyo. From full-time housewife to launching her own brand, Sachie made a dramatic change.

The reason, you may ask? Well, she was honestly a bit bored as a full-time housewife, sought to be financially independent, and she deeply desired to design unique items.

A Captivating Role Model for Future Female Entrepreneurs in Japan

A Captivating Role Model for Future Female Entrepreneurs in Japan

Julie Taeko
Female Entrepreneurship, Women Leaders, Japan, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurs II

On a sunny day in Tokyo, I visited Kazuyo Saka's high-end women's fashion store called Kana. A warm, sociable, social-media friendly Japanese entrepreneur, Kazuyo struck me as a woman I could truly look up to as an inspirational role model.

Kazuyo always had a profound love for fashion, and quickly began working for a small design company right after finishing school, similar to entrepreneur Yukiko Yamamoto. While there, she developed a keen sense of discovering high-quality and inexpensive raw materials, and finessed her design skills.

How This Female Founder Spearheaded Innovative Kimono Accessory Designs

How This Female Founder Spearheaded Innovative Kimono Accessory Designs

Julie Taeko
Female Empowerment, Female Entrepreneurship, Japan, Women Leaders, Entrepreneurs II

A stunning, fashionable, light-hearted, and fun woman, Yukiko Yamamoto happily shared her personal trajectory. Now at the age of 67, she runs a design studio for kimono accessories called 紅小梅 (べにこうめ)・京都 (きょうと) in Kyoto and Shanghai with 4 full-time employees. Yukiko creates custom-made and personalized goods for her customers based on their wishes.

Fundamentally optimistic and warm, you would never guess that Yukiko has overcome betrayal and embezzlement of a former employee, surmounted huge piles of debt, and been the target of constant gossip. But she has