Interview with Tokizane
The joy of working surrounded by the mt products I love
What kinds of conversations do you have with the people in charge at stationery stores and agencies you visit for sales?
Tokizane (surname omitted)
I often ask what kinds of products are selling well now, and about trends and tendencies.
Thankfully, many of the people in charge love mt, so I always talk with them as if I were asking fans for their thoughts. I find myself asking them how they feel as fans, with questions like, “What do you think of this design?”
I love mt myself, so I enjoy spending time talking with customers who share my love for mt.
It sounds like a fun and wonderful job to sell something you love.
Tokizane
Yes, I really enjoy my work.
Rather than selling things, it may be closer to sharing something I love. It makes me happy to see something I love reach more people!
What moments in your work do you find rewarding?
Tokizane
At “Paper Expo in Okayama,” held at Convex Okayama in February 2025, I was in charge of planning the main event for the first time.
I thought about what kinds of products customers would enjoy, and based on a theme I chose myself, I also helped create mt products. The result was a design featuring Okayama specialties on postage stamps.
Since it was a stationery event held in Okayama, I created a design that combined Okayama-inspired motifs with stationery motifs.
On the day, when customers picked it up and said, “This is cute,” I felt rewarded. Customers enjoyed an mt product born from my idea. That is what makes me happiest about my work.
Also, I absolutely love talking with mt fans at events. I learn a lot from customers, who tell me about events from before I joined the company and new ways to use masking tape.
Sharing the appeal of mt beyond the bounds of sales
From what you've told me, it sounds like you do a lot of planning-related work too.
Tokizane
We hold some kind of event about once a month, so I may do quite a lot of planning. The Consumer Division's sales team has 13 members, including the Tokyo and Osaka branches, and everyone does more than just sales: we also plan events and sell products and serve customers at the venues.
The wide range of duties can be challenging, but it also makes the sense of accomplishment when an event is over all the more rewarding.
Since you hold events frequently all over Japan, 13 people seems like a small but mighty team to me.
Tokizane
I didn't know how many people were in the department before I joined either, and I was surprised to find there were so few.
There are just two of us in the Consumer Division at the head office—me and one senior colleague—so that colleague teaches me everything. I sometimes talk online with senior colleagues at other branches, but because there are so many events, I meet them in person far more often.
I sometimes ask people in other departments for advice about work, and I'm grateful that everyone kindly teaches me.
Was there anything that differed from your expectations before and after joining the company?
Tokizane
There were more business trips than I expected.
Before joining, I assumed I would mostly work around Okayama, but on business trips I've gone as far north as Fukui Prefecture and as far south as Yamaguchi Prefecture. I think that's because mt holds events all over Japan.
I like visiting places I don't know, so it's fun to sell mt products all over Japan.
If you make what you love your job, you can surely overcome challenges
Is there anything you're working hard on right now?
Tokizane
Actually, I'm not good at talking to people and I'm shy... But since I have a sales job where I have to talk to people, I set myself a quota and made sure I could do it.
For example, on days when I'm working at an event, I set a goal: “Today, I'll try talking to five customers!” If a customer approached me, it didn't count; I was focused on starting conversations myself to promote mt.
I think setting goals has helped me become more comfortable talking to people than when I first joined.
Our customers have built trusting relationships with my senior colleagues, and I'll keep doing my best not to undermine that trust.
You speak so well that I wouldn't have thought you were shy. It must have taken courage to choose a sales job...
Tokizane
I had some concerns, but I took the plunge, thinking that if I could work with something I love, I could overcome some of the difficult parts.
Whatever job you choose, I'm sure it won't all be fun, so I'm taking on this challenge believing that the joy of working with something I love will outweigh the hard times.
Finally, could you share a message for people your age?
Tokizane
KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD. has been in business for over 100 years and is now working hard toward the next 100. I think it is a company that takes on new challenges while preserving the history it has built.
Kurashiki as a whole feels somewhat similar: it has traditions such as the Bikan Historical Area, while also continuing to evolve.
I want us to build a city where young people can live comfortably, while cherishing both the old and the new.
People who move here may bring new perspectives that Kurashiki doesn't have today. I hope we can incorporate ideas like those and make Kurashiki even more vibrant!
From the Writer
Tokizane works in an environment where she can be involved with the things she loves, surrounded by fans and clients who share her love for mt. She looks so full of life, and I thought this was one ideal way to work, finding a sense of fulfillment.
Perhaps because she is a fan herself, she can understand what fans want.
On KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD.’s recruitment website, it says, “The foundation of manufacturing is solving customers’ problems and meeting their needs.”
Continuing to create what society needs in step with the times is surely no easy task. Yet KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD. is a long-established company that has pursued this kind of work in Kurashiki for more than 100 years.
Let’s continue to watch the work of KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD. as it sets its sights on the next 100 years.
Kurashiki Work Stories Woven by Young People: Back Issues
KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD. Information
| Organization Name | KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacture and sale of industrial and insect-trapping products, and masking tape for stationery and miscellaneous goods |
| Representative | Kamoi Hisashi |
| Year Established | 1923 |
| Address | 236 Katashima-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture 710-0805 |
| Contact | 086-465-5811 |
| Website | KAMOI KAKOSHI CO., LTD. |
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