Bigbeat Inc. gave its first cry of a life from a studio apartment in a city called Nishikasai in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo.
It was 1995, when the word “internet” had finally just been spread around the world.
If you ask me, “Why Nishikasai?” I would give you an extremely simple and easy-to-understand reasoning. Simply, “Because I was living in Nishikasai at that time.”
Nishikasai was along the Tozai subway line and, in those days, the severity of Tozai’s congestion rate consistently rivalled that of the Odakyu Line. On top of that, trains in the summertime ran without air-conditioning, so, before they became independent, ‘shusshakyohishou’ – the physical reactions caused by the phobia of going to work – sprang up quite frequently.
The staff in the beginning consisted of only my wife and an old friend. But, since our work expanded a bit, I had thought, “I’ll need to employ from outside now and, if possible, somebody young!” and, albeit recklessly, began searching for new graduates.
Without any knowledge of the recruiting process or even of interviewing, I searched for compatibility insofar as “blood-type and animal horoscope” (embarrassing).
Now, something like that would probably have incurred public wrath in an instant.
On that occasion, I had thought to myself, “If I could somehow express, a little seriously, our company’s true characteristic and everyday life, the students, job applicants, and even our clients and partners would be able to understand our company’s vision and culture.” I wrung out the wisdom I didn’t have, and thus began this website, “Nishikasai Station Front Times” (also known as Nishitai).
I began it with a few goals: being written in third person, having a completely Western design, and rivaling the Tokyo Sports’ Entertainment Page.
That was around the year 2000. The phrase “business blog” was probably not even in existence yet.
Our self-proclaimed “industry’s oldest owned media, Nishikasai Station Front Times” otherwise known as “Nishitai” has been renewed with a new editor-in-chief.
I am enthusiastic about aiming for it to become the advertising industry’s number one – no, sorry, that’s saying too much – industry leading (or at least in the advertising industry, somewhat known) “owned media.”
Your honest thoughts, opinions, and occasional words of praise are greatly appreciated and would further help to propel us forward.
I am looking forward to hearing them.
I have been granted the President’s Column as warm regards (?) from the new editor-in-chief and will be posting there now and then.
The title of the column is “Advertising Industry Corner.”
I look forward to its long life.
Sincerely,
Hamaguchi Yutaka
Representative Director
Bigbeat Inc.
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