People who are energetic are popular.
That's what I thought last week.
It was Sugawara Yoshimi who made me think this.
She is Superwoman, not a female version of Superman.
Sugawara-san is a supermarket girl. No, that's not the right way to put it.
Yoshimi Sugawara is a leading researcher in supermarkets in Japan.
He has published many books on local supermarkets, founded the National Local Supermarket Association , and appears in the media on television and radio, and gives lectures.
I first met Sugawara when he participated as a panelist in a Bokumo talk event hosted by writer Toshiyuki Otake. Since then, he has come to Bokumo frequently and even participated in one of our bus excursions.
The other day, I received the following message from Mr. Sugawara.
"Hello, Iwasu-san. It's Sugawara. Do you know how I'm getting there? I've just arrived in Nagoya, so I'll be coming over then."
What! And then he came to Bokumo!
"That" is a camper van .
Recently on social media, I saw that Sugawara-san had gone on a solo trip to conduct market research at supermarkets across the country, staying in a camper van.
That's amazing. Certainly, if you travel and stay in a camper van, you can cover things like how things are stocked in the morning, or the sales going on in the evening, without being tied down to time.
I was impressed by the idea, but to actually do it shows just how proactive he is. He's got energy!
On that day, Sugawara made a post on social media saying, "I'm in Nagoya, so why don't I go on a campervan bar crawl with Bokumo?" and despite it being a hastily organised event, people who admire Sugawara gathered.
Everyone was having fun going back and forth between the Bokumo and the camper van parked next to them (actually parked in a parking lot just a short walk away).
I also visited after work, and the car was filled with rare local delicacies that had been picked up from various places, plus snacks from Bokumo and New Zealand wine, so it was a fun time. It felt like I was at a home party.
I was also surprised to hear that this camper van was not rented, but rather purchased on a whim.
In fact, it had always been his dream to travel around Japan to visit supermarkets in a camper van, and when the opportunity presented itself this year that gave him the chance, he decided to give it a go.
I also enjoyed hearing about many other unusual journeys.
In the end, I missed the last train that day and had to go home by taxi.
On the way home in the taxi, I thought about the above.
"Cheerful people are popular."
I think people who are doing what they want to do with enthusiasm are attractive.
These days, people often say things like, "We're going back to the pre-COVID era" or "How does now compare to pre-COVID times?"
I often find myself thinking things like, "My bar was a bit busier before COVID," and, "What can we do to help bars get back to normal?"
Without even realizing it, I'm completely immersed up to my neck in the mood of society.
However, when I see Sugawara-san's incredible drive and that shining expression, I begin to think that this is not the case.
Don't go back.
Make it.
If you create something fun, the people around you will definitely respond because fun things have a chain reaction.
That's right. I wanted to do all those fun things, so I recklessly started a restaurant 14 years ago.
What I look back on is not the situation before COVID, but the strong feelings I have.
The desire to share with everyone something that you truly enjoy is what makes people happy.
That was the night I learned this from this energetic superwoman.
