A circle of friends connected by gut touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On December 13, Ms. Naoko Sakurabayashi, the representative of Sakuabout Inc. and a person of chatting, will appear on the show. We asked her about the secret story behind the publication of “Sekai wa Yumegumi to Kanaegumi de Dekiteiru” and about her chatting service, “Saku-chan kiite” .
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What I found when I wrote about myself
Celeina (MC): Naoko Sakurabayashi opened her cookie shop “SAC about cookies” in 2011. In addition to running her own store, she also works as an advisor for stores and companies, and writes columns and essays, including “Sekai wa Yume-gumi to Kanae-gumi de Dekiteiru”.She also hosts the one-on-one chat project “Saku-chan kiite”, and is currently distributing the podcast “Tonari no Zatsudan” with Jane Sue.
Ms. Sakurabayashi, your note article titled “Yume-gumi to Kanae-gumi” attracted a lot of attention, and you have since published a book.What made you start writing?
Sakurabayashi: About five years after I started the cookie shop, I had some free time in the evening, so I decided to write down my feelings and started “note”. I thought, “Well, well, no one can see me here”.
Celeina: So you started “note” as a place for your own personal enjoyment.
Sakurabayashi: It was also to organize myself. When you work independently, there are many situations where you have to express “I am this kind of person,” and I am not good at that. So I wanted to get to know myself by writing down what I have been doing and organizing it.
Celeina：Do you mean self-analysis?
Sakurabayashi:I wouldn’t go as far as analysis. I feel like I want to write it down and see it with my eyes.
Takano (MC): The topic of the notebook was “Yumegumi to Kanaegumi”.
Celeina: Could you tell us about “Yume-gumi to Kanae-gumi” and what kind of story it is?
Sakurabayashi: I named the people who work hard toward their dreams and goals as “Yume-gumi,” and the people who support them and give them ideas as I do as “Kanae-gumi.
Since I was a child, when I was asked about my dreams for the future, I really didn’t know what they were. On the other hand, there are children who can say what their dreams are, and there are those who actually aim for them and keep working hard. I started writing down what the difference is between me and those who can talk about their dreams, and that was the beginning of “Yumegumi to Kanaegumi”.
Takano: The concept of “Kanae-gumi” was a real eye-opener for me.
Sakurabayashi: In the past, it was a matter of whether I had a dream or not, and if I was on the side that didn’t have a dream, there was a part of me that put myself down.
Celeina：You are right, there are times when you get a negative impression.
Sakurabayashi: That’s why we named the group “Kanae-gumi.
Takano: That’s wonderful. Did you ever imagine that it would be published as a book?
Sakurabayashi: I did not. I didn’t write it after it was decided to be published as a book, but rather, I wrote it in a notebook and had it compiled into one book.
Celeina: It must have been great to have it reborn in the form of a book that can be touched by hand.
Sakurabayashi: I was very happy. Also, when I thought about what I was writing it for again at the stage of book publication, I felt like I wanted to teach it to my eighth-grade self.
Celeina：I really wanted to tell someone about it.
Takano: I want to teach my friends and stuff.
Sakurabayashi: That’s right. I was happy when I imagined that if it became a book, people would be able to pick it up at libraries and other places even if they don’t have the Internet.
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Because it is a chat, there are things you want to talk about.
Celeina：What is the “Saku-chan kiite” chatting service?
Sakurabayashi: It is a service where we connect Zoom for 90 minutes and have a solid one-on-one chat.
Takano: You really just chat with them?
Sakurabayashi: That’s right. If I make it a counseling service, the conversation is limited to “I’m having trouble with this,” but I like the moment when “what I really wanted to talk about that I just couldn’t help but talk about” overflows during the chatting. I can’t provide counseling in the medical field or coaching in the business field because I am not a professional in those areas, so I started this place just to have a place to chat.
Celeina: I totally understand. It’s not bad to seek conclusions, but it’s really nice to have a chat where you can take a detour.
Sakurabayashi: Thank you very much. Also, we get a lot of people who are usually listeners. People who usually listen and give advice, but they think, “Oh, I’m not talking about myself”. I ask such people to talk and say, “Come on in”.
Celeina：I want them to vent everything! (haha)
Takano: Here is one song. Mr. Sakurabayashi, please introduce a song you would like everyone to listen to together.
Sakurabayashi: “Remember me” by Quruli.
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Our differences lead to new and interesting discoveries
Takano: Now, we have a message from Urara-san. “Sakura-chan, I always listen to your chats. Saku-chan, whom I always listen to, appears on “GRAND MARQUEE”, which I always listen to. It makes me kind of happy.”
Sakurabayashi: Thank you very much.
Celeina: Earlier we talked about chatting services, etc., but you are also doing a podcast now, aren’t you?
Sakurabayashi: That’s right. I think “I’m always listening to your chats” in the message also refers to the podcast with Jane Sue that we started in February 2023.
Celeina: It’s a podcast called “Tonari no Zatsudan”. What made you start it?
Sakurabayashi: Jane Su and I were originally friends and always had regular chats, and one of the reasons was that there were so many different elements and discoveries between the two of us that we thought, “This is interesting, so let everyone listen to it” (haha). The other reason is that the chatting service “Saku-chan kiite” is a closed chatting service, so no one can hear us. So I wanted to chat in a way that everyone could hear.
Celeina: I see, a closed environment is a very important time, but an open environment that can reach many people is also important.
Takano: The conversation between Jane Su and Ms. Sakurabayashi was so comfortable that I felt like I was eavesdropping a bit. But the sense of distance, with arrows flying toward us in places, is what makes the podcasts so enjoyable to listen to.
Celeina：I understand. There is a sense of comfort that makes me want to listen to it all the time while cooking.
Sakurabayashi: Thank you very much.
Celeina：Please check Ms.Sakurabayashi’s SNS for updates on the “Saku-chan kiite” chat service and other information.Now, “FIST BUMP” is a circle of friends that connects with goo touch, so I have people introduce me to their friends, but what kind of people do you introduce to me, Ms. Sakurabayashi?
Sakurabayashi: Ms. Mizuho Kudo, the editor-in-chief of the web media “soar”.
Celeina: In a word.
Sakurabayashi: Ms. Kudo is the representative of Yume-gumi. She is always full of curiosity and sparkles in both her work and private life. She has many dreams with many time frames. I envy her because she has so many dreams for the future.
Celeina：It sounds like she gives me a lot of energy! Today, we welcome Naoko Sakurabayashi, a person of chatting. Thank you very much.
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
