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[Entrepreneur Interview #09] Yume Oki (The Salons Japan) – Part 1

  • Interview
2025.02.13

Aiming to Improve Services to Solve Problems in the Beauty Industry While Supporting Two Founders

Last year, our company entered into a strategic capital and business alliance with The Salons Japan, Inc., which leases private salon studios for professional beauticians, and we began our journey together as partners in the Venture Ecosystem.

☆You can see the press release regarding this strategic capital and business alliance with The Salons Japan Inc. on the following page:
https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/the-salons-japan/

For this article, we interviewed Yume Oki, the first employee at The Salons Japan supporting the company’s two founders. (This interview was conducted in January 2025.)

◆The Path to Joining the Company

Sugihara:
Today, we are interviewing Yume Oki, The Salons Japan’s first employee. Thank you for your time. To start, could you tell us about how you came to join The Salons Japan?

Oki:
The first member I met was Director Kuboshima. I had previously worked as a receptionist at a hair salon. Knowing my background, Director Kuboshima told me, “Actually, we have a private salon studio leasing business at our company, The Salons Japan.” I felt that this beauty mall service could solve the issues I had felt were a problem when I was working at the salon reception. Because of that, I became very interested in The Salons Japan and hoped to join the company.

Sugihara:
When did that happen?

Oki:
I first met him in 2019, and I joined in April 2020. It was right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sugihara:
The Salons Japan was established in November 2018, and the first location opened in 2019, so you became the first employee following the two founders. Could you tell us about your current role at The Salons Japan?

Oki:
My main duties are handling inquiries from beauty professionals and managing the facility viewings that accompany them. I conduct the viewings together with President Shimizu, our CEO, and arrange the procedures up to the application and contract stages.

I also handle various arrangements for new store openings, contract writing, and tasks related to facility management, such as setting up communication devices. I also handle correspondence with external vendors and take care of troubleshooting.

Sugihara:
So, you also manage contracts! I would assume the number of tenants moving in is high, but just how many contracts have you prepared at this point?

Oki:
Yeah…I can’t even count them, ha ha. Initially, I had no knowledge of contracts or real estate, but for contracts related to our company, I can now explain the important points written in them. I prioritize communication most highly in my work. Not just day-to-day communication, I make sure to properly convey important things while empathizing with the other person’s feelings.

This is where my previous experience as a salon receptionist truly comes into play—making sure communication isn’t one-sided and staying close to the other person’s feelings. Since my reception work included customer support and handling complaints, I value using feedback to solve problems, as this is a step towards continuous improvement.

Sugihara:
That’s wonderful. Do you feel that experience in the beauty industry is necessary to handle contracts and viewings for THE SALONS?

Oki:
Yes, I think it might be smoother for someone who has been involved in the beauty industry compared to someone who has experience in real estate.

However, this is also the most frustrating part for me: while I have been involved in the beauty industry, I am not a practitioner myself. When I meet beauty professionals, I feel there is a mutual understanding that exists only between them. Sometimes, when a viewing progresses quickly, I get asked, “Are you a beauty professional?” Every time that happens, I get this mild sense of regret that things would be even better if I were one.

After all, during viewings President Shimizu often says, “I’m a beauty professional too!”, ha ha.

◆The Difference Between THE SALONS and the Shared Salon Model

Sugihara:
Now, we hear the term “shared salon” quite frequently. But could you explain how THE SALONS is different from a shared salon?

Oki:
Certainly. The clearest difference is that while typical shared salons offer only chairs or semi-private spaces for rent, THE SALONS provides fully-partitioned individual units that can be used in the same way a business owner can use a street-facing storefront.

With the chair rental model I just mentioned, even though the entire floor is rented by the operating company (as is the case for THE SALONS), the control of all sales and operations is tied to the owner that rents to the beauty professionals.

However, at all THE SALONS locations, we obtain permission from the building owners to treat each private studio like a separate salon. Therefore, the biggest difference is that our clients can operate as if they owned their own shops, and build track records as business owners even though they’re renting private rooms.

Sugihara:
So, they can truly become the owner of their own shop. In that case, I guess there are beauty professionals who choose THE SALONS after comparing with shared salons?

Oki:
Yes, absolutely. And quite a few people switch to THE SALONS from shared salons, as well. We also think there must be some professionals who wish to be independent but can’t immediately afford to move into THE SALONS.

We now offer many plans to lower the barrier slightly. However, the people who are not fully decided are probably more interested in hearing “By becoming independent at a shared salon or chair rental space, you can increase your salary” than “You can have your own shop.”

However, I get the idea that those who consider both and ultimately choose THE SALONS are often those who eventually want to open a ground-level shop.

Sugihara:
I haven’t seen any advertising put on the outside of THE SALONS’ private studios. Is this because most of the salon owners’ clients are already fixed?

Oki:
Basically, yes. While some are aiming to attract new customers, the overwhelming majority of salon owners already have a secure client base. To explain why, I’ll use the shared salon model as an example for comparison. Shared salons take a percentage of sales, and seat usage fees are in the tens of thousands of yen.

If a stylist makes ¥500,000 in monthly sales, their payment might be 10% (¥50,000) plus the seat usage fee. In our THE SALONS model, the cost to rent a space is around ¥300,000 to ¥400,000 per month. This amount is difficult to afford for those who don’t have established sales. Therefore, when they consider their revenue, my impression is that most have the confidence that their customers will reliably follow them.

◆Characteristics of THE SALONS Studio Renters

Sugihara:
What kind of people are most of THE SALONS studio renters?

Oki:
Beauty professionals generally have an intense desire for improvement, and my overall impression is that most of them have very strong personal preferences. However, there are surprisingly few clashes or facility-related troubles between them. To help prevent such issues, we set a rule that price lists and menu displays are not to be shown on the outside of our salon studios.

Also, since our salon studios are private, most are operated by appointment only, and the customers go directly to the studio where their reservations are. Given that, I don’t think customers typically wander around inside of THE SALONS checking out all of the different studio spaces. As a result, there is no competition between our salon studio renters for customers nor for staff.

Sugihara:
Are there any success stories of beauty professionals who went from ordinary employees to becoming salon owners after moving into THE SALONS?

Oki:
Yes, there are! Salaries in the beauty industry are expected to be low. Working hours are long even though the pay and benefits aren’t great, and it takes a long time to become a full-fledged beauty professional. But one individual, after having worked under those conditions for a long time, joined THE SALONS and received a sevenfold increase in income.

Sugihara:
A sevenfold increase in income?! That’s incredible!!

Oki:
It is! I was truly shocked when I heard that. Of course, I couldn’t ask for details about the person’s previous salary, but the fact that it increased sevenfold was one surprising thing, and it also left me thinking that if such growth is possible, the potential for THE SALONS tenants is truly unlimited.

Also, the use of THE SALONS spaces is varied. One salon started with a single studio space, but their sales grew faster than expected, so they hired employees and decided to rent the neighboring spaces. In the end, they expanded to a total of four studios.

Oh! And this is a super heartwarming story, but there was a lead salon owner and an assistant who rented a studio together. They both increased their sales, and the assistant eventually “graduated” and began to rent a separate studio.

The fact that someone who started out in THE SALONS chose to rent another of our studios even after attaining independence showed that they thought highly of THE SALONS’ service, which made me very happy.

Sugihara:
So, what this means from a beauty professional’s perspective is this. In the shared salon model, payments to a shared salon owner increase proportionally as sales increase, while payments to THE SALONS are fixed, so anything above those fixed costs becomes capital for their own salon. In that respect, they are truly the owners of their own business. Speaking of which, are all your tenants able to handle the business management aspect of things?

Oki:
Business management is what everyone worries about most, at first. When giving facility tours, we meet a lot of people who say, “I don’t know anything about running a business.” However, since it essentially becomes their own salon, they have to learn as they go. Of course, if they do have questions, our company is happy to provide support.

Now, one impressive thing about beauty professionals is how many of them are truly dedicated to learning. Some consult with tax accountants on their own, while others start by figuring it out themselves and then hire tax accountants when they incorporate their businesses.

Sugihara:
Does THE SALONS provide services to tenants for introducing tax accountants and such?

Oki:
Yes, we do. Tax accountants offer their services at a special rate for THE SALONS members. As for social insurance consultants and lawyers, in case our tenants have any issues or troubles, we are connected with individuals who are available for consultation. However, this is not a package deal…we can introduce them to lawyers and consultants who are familiar with THE SALONS’ services, but the contract is directly between them and the professional.

Sugihara:
President Shimizu once told me a story about a very popular salon owner who kept money in a cardboard box for a while after moving in, ha ha.

Oki:
Ha! Yeah, we do have people like that. When they first open their salons, they have so much to do that they get overwhelmed and lose their composure.

Along those lines, the rent at THE SALONS includes utilities. I think people who are busy might forget to pay if they have too many bills, so we hope this arrangement reduces the hassle of payments. Some tenants really are that crazy busy at the start.

◆Characteristics of THE SALONS Facilities

Sugihara:
I’m sure it would be helpful to have a single, all-inclusive payment like that.

Now, to change the subject, THE SALONS had opened a total of seven locations until last year. Do they each have a unique characteristic?

Oki:
First, we have one consistent, overall design concept: not to upstage the individual salons. From a stylistic standpoint, the common areas tend to be simple rather than overly extravagant, so that they won’t offend most people’s tastes.

However, while the Omotesando location was initially founded on a really simple white design, it has gradually evolved. President Shimizu often talks about a “New Vintage” or American hotel style, so while we stayed out of the way of the salon studios, we upgraded the design of the common areas by trying to add light gray tones to make them more satisfying.

Also, at the Harajuku Cat Street location, we upgraded the space by addressing two issues that were brought to our attention. Since THE SALONS houses many individual salons, many people walk through the common areas, and the sound of footsteps is sometimes bothersome. So, starting with the Harajuku Cat Street location, we’ve been installing carpet tiles to dampen the sound. Secondly, since pure white floors show dirt easily, we’ve been changing to a slightly darker color. These improvements from previous locations are used to upgrade other locations in the future.

Then there's atmosphere. The Aoyama location is below the ground level, so we added extra lighting to make it feel less subterranean, and we utilized the existing steel doors to create a somewhat warehouse-like ambiance. It’s full of President Shimizu’s distinct personal touch.

For the Harajuku Cat Street location, President Shimizu started to entrust some of the decision-making to me. I got to help choose materials for the flooring and other things! And for the Shinjuku location opening this month, we decided on everything together with the new members who joined the team.

Sugihara:
With eight locations just in Tokyo currently, do the beauty professionals at each location have any distinctive characteristics?

Oki:
In the case of the Harajuku Cat Street location, the Harajuku area has tons of salons that specialize in bleaching and dyeing hair, so most of our tenants in that location focus on bleach and high-tone hair dyeing. Also, their customers as well as the stylists themselves are often younger in age.

By contrast, at our Ginza location, the age range of both customers and professionals is greater, and there are many high-priced salons focusing on hair-quality improvement and straightening.

At the Kichijoji location, which is a bit more suburban, there are many community-focused salon owners. Many of their clients apparently live nearby, and all of the beauty professionals there say they want to continue working in Kichijoji. I feel that many of them put a high value on creating an at-home atmosphere.

Sugihara:
What is the occupancy status of your locations?

Oki:
Almost all locations are fully booked. Currently (as of January 2025), the only studios available for immediate move-in are one at our Aoyama location and two at our Harajuku location.

The Kichijoji location is completely full, and yet there are people who come for viewings who tell us, “We want to move in as soon as someone leaves”, which makes us feel very grateful.

◆ Challenges and Sense of Fulfillment

Sugihara:
After working here for the past five years, do you want to share any stories about challenges you faced or satisfying moments?

Oki:
One big challenge was when we were getting ready to open our Aoyama location, and the communication equipment shipment was delayed. We had placed the order, but due to the global semiconductor shortage, we were told the equipment wouldn’t arrive on time…

Since the Aoyama location has a basement floor, nothing could be done there without a Wi-Fi connection. The time when we had to rely on pocket Wi-Fi was the biggest pinch. Because they were small devices, they would overheat when everyone was using them. So, we placed fans in front of the machines to cool them down, and in order not to overuse them, we used every other trick in the book before connecting to them.

Having no internet meant our tenants couldn’t take appointments, they had no way to process their sales, and they couldn’t receive contact from their customers, so it really was a terrible time.

As for moments of satisfaction, in addition to the story I shared about the sevenfold income increase, I occasionally get to hear stories from people whose working environment has improved. For example, being able to take days off on weekends and holidays.

In an ordinary salon, the days when the average working person is free are the busiest days. However, since their loyal customers will come on whatever days the salon owners designate, their clients are understanding of them taking weekends off, and I’m always very happy to hear how they can finally go traveling and stuff.

Also, at one of our THE SALONS location’s year-end parties, I heard one of the beauty professionals say, “I’m so glad I moved in!” I was so touched that I even cried a little. I felt incredibly happy to realize that we have created a service that can truly change a tenant’s life.

On a personal note, securing a salon studio contract on my own was a huge moment. It felt like my efforts had helped an individual to imagine the future and solve problems, so that was also a source of fulfillment.

 

Interview conducted by D-POPS GROUP’s advisor Genta Sugihara.

The Salons Japan

Company President and CEO: Hidetoshi Shimizu
Address: 2F Kid Ailack Building, 2-43-11 Matsubara, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Established: November 30, 2018
Website: https://www.thesalons.co/

 

Next, in the latter part of the interview, we discuss:

・Changes since the company’s founding
・Changes after the strategic capital and business alliance
・The founders, President Shimizu and Director Kuboshima
・The status of new store openings
・“Realizing a Venture Ecosystem”
・And other topics

Be sure to check it out here:
https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/the-salons-japan-interview2-latter-part/

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When the idiom was coined, the word “stress” didn't even exist, but to put it in modern terms, “stress physically prevents your neck from turning”. I once treated a CEO from a foreign company who didn’t know much Japanese. Suspecting that his chronic headaches and neck pain were purely stress-induced, I asked him in English, “How do you like your new boss?”, to which he replied, “He’s a pain in the neck.” In Japanese, the equivalent phrase would directly translate to ‘He hurts my head’, but it’s clear that in both Japanese and English, people express the biological truth that stress targets the neck. ◆Cranial Nerves Directly Affect the Neck and Shoulders: the Biological Mechanism of Stress Sugihara: So, continuing to internalize all that pressure will impact the body. Yamaguchi: Exactly. People who spend an entire day working alongside someone they have to tiptoe around or completely clash with, they’ll often have stiff necks and headaches by evening, even if they weren’t sitting down. That isn’t physical exhaustion; it comes entirely from emotional fatigue. The reason for this is that most movements below the shoulders are controlled by nerves originating from the spinal cord—a body part with no emotions—so no matter how mentally exhausted or stressed you are, your arms or legs won’t suddenly refuse to move. However, motions in the head, neck, and shoulders are connected to the cranial nerves, which emerge directly from the brain itself, which processes your emotions. Mental stress, anxiety, frustration, and worry travel directly along those nerves, causing the muscles in the neck and shoulders to immediately tense up. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves. Among them, the 11th pair—known as the accessory nerves—directly stimulates the major muscles responsible for moving the neck and shoulders, such as the sternocleidomastoid muscle. When this specific nerve is compromised by emotional stress, your neck won’t turn and your shoulders become as hard as rocks. Also, nerves come out of either the left or the right sides of the body. If a right-handed person experiences tension exclusively on their left neck and shoulder, there’s a chance that it’s not being caused by a behavioral habit like how they hold their smartphone, but rather, it might be resulting from a cranial nerve. ◆The Path from Young Train Enthusiast to Chiropractor Sugihara: Spoken by a true professional, ha ha. By the way, had you been aiming for this specific career path since your student days? Yamaguchi: No, not at all, ha ha! Back in my student days, I was completely obsessed with steam locomotives. I spent all my time traveling across Japan, from the wilderness of Hokkaido down to the southern tips of Kyushu, just to take photos of trains. I was a total fan of train photography. But since I had absolutely no money, I traveled on an incredibly grueling budget and schedule. I’d catch a train at midnight, scramble to make a transfer around 3:00 AM, and finally arrive at my destination around 6:00 AM. Combined with the return trip home, it was quite rough on my body. My family home was in Shinjuku, so I would frequently drop by the Kinokuniya bookstore to stand in the aisles, using books about stretching as references. Even after graduating from university, that habit of visiting Kinokuniya stuck with me. One day, while wandering through the orthopedics section, I found a book written by a chiropractor titled Improper Backbone Shape Triggers These Illnesses. When I picked up that book, I had no idea what was inside, but it became the very reason why I entered the chiropractic world. The book’s contents were absolutely fascinating to me. Until that moment, I had always assumed physical pain was exclusively caused by overdoing things or bumping into something. But this book claimed that poor posture alone could cause problems for all sorts of body parts. I found it so intriguing that I immediately called the phone number printed in the book, and they pointed me toward an institution where I could actually study chiropractic medicine. ◆Quitting a Job, Working Part-Time Every Night, and Studying until Morning Yamaguchi: I agonized over the decision for a few months, but I finally made up my mind, quit my corporate job, and worked part-time while studying. At the time, I worked at Potomac, a traditional-style coffee shop inside the Akasaka Prince Hotel. My shifts ran from 4:00 PM until 12:30 AM. Afterward, I’d get a ride back to my home in Waseda and keep studying until daybreak. However, that study schedule didn’t bother me in the slightest. Perhaps because my sympathetic nerves were stimulated from my part-time job, I was able to stay very focused deep into the night. Just like when I was studying for university entrance exams, my brain was operating at full power. Every single day, I would completely lose myself in anatomy textbooks until dawn. Just as it was becoming light outside and people were starting to walk around, I’d fall asleep. Then, I’d wake up in the afternoon, and head back to work again. Looking back, I sometimes wonder if my father’s experience as a combat medic treating wounded soldiers in the war got passed down to me through DNA or something. He wasn’t a military surgeon, but as a combat medic, he still treated countless individuals under extreme pressure. I am not a medical doctor either, but the fact that I have dedicated my life to preserving people’s health makes me feel connected to him somehow. Sugihara: How many years ago did you first become independent? Yamaguchi: My first time trying to go independent was about 40 years ago. I was naive, so I simply registered my home address as a chiropractic research institute and mailed advertisements to dozens of companies listed in the quarterly business journal. I remember pouring a drink and eagerly waiting by the phone to see how many responses I’d get…but of course, there weren’t any, ha ha. There were no personal computers back then, so I had simply typed a plain text document on a word processor. No diagrams, and no one whom I could use as a reference. It was just a letter stating, “I wish to help meet the health needs of your company’s employees.” However, when I shared what I was doing with my mentors and close friends from university, three of them actually went out of their way to negotiate with their respective employers. They managed to get permission for me to utilize their companies’ medical rooms and employee lounges once a week or twice a month. Instead of having to force my way in, I was able to build up my practice through those companies officially. Later on, I was contacted by a famous practitioner in Shibuya who recruited me into one of Japan’s top-tier chiropractic clinics. Their clients were prominent figures from various fields, including three former Prime Ministers, professional athletes, executive members of major businesses, major real estate companies, and the aviation industry, well-known celebrities, etc. Sugihara: And you call that your ‘training period’? Ha ha… Yamaguchi: Yes, that really was my training period before I went independent. At that clinic, some of the patients wouldn’t pay any attention to me, but when the director entered, they would smile happily and start a conversation. When I saw that, it ignited a fighting spirit inside me. After all, it was perfectly natural that none of them would be particularly interested in talking with a young kid, since they were coming to see the director, who they felt would keep their bodies in good health. At some point, I had the thought that I would become like him someday. ◆A Professional’s Perspective: Analyzing a Person through Walking Style, Facial Expression, and Tone of Voice Sugihara: In your line of work, dialogue must be a critical component of administering an effective treatment, right? Yamaguchi: It is absolutely necessary. Observing the way a patient walks through the door, their responsiveness when speaking, or any subtle deviations from their usual baseline is part of the treatment, not just the physical adjustment. Keep in mind that patients who are bordering on clinical depression, for example, present themselves with a rounded spine and a downward gaze the moment they enter. Even the person’s response to a greeting can signal that something is not right. I approach every treatment by holistically evaluating a person’s walk, sitting posture, facial expression, and voice. Sugihara: I resonate with that deeply. Back when I worked in business development, and even now when I interview entrepreneurs as an investor, it is exactly the same. Naturally, I ask structural questions about their business model, market domain, and technical solutions. However, what I am truly analyzing is the expression on their face when they walk into the room, the level of confidence radiating from their answers, and the way their eyes light up when you hit them with a poignant, spot-on question. My primary goal is to thoroughly evaluate the individual’s underlying OS. It’s the same sort of evaluation. Yamaguchi: I actually conducted a survey among students at Waseda University regarding their impressions of individuals with rounded backs. The overwhelming responses were descriptions like “lacks confidence”, “frail”, or “looks like life isn’t going well”. Furthermore, a slouched posture is a primary reason people look prematurely aged. Conversely, an upright, elongated spine not only projects youthfulness but physically lifts the muscles that control facial expression and optimizes blood flow to the brain. When posture collapses, cerebral blood flow stagnates, causing brain activity to decelerate. Correcting your alignment is truly a strategic investment that simultaneously optimizes both your internal state and your external presence. Sugihara: Absolutely, a slouch immediately projects a lack of confidence. I pay close attention to facial micro-expressions during interviews as well. Occasionally, someone will give off a distinct negative vibe or energy. No matter how eloquently they speak, it makes me pause and reconsider forming a deep partnership with them. Alternatively, when reconnecting with an entrepreneur after a while, even if they say, “I’m doing great,” I will cross-reference that statement against their posture, eye strength, and overall expression. If I sense an underlying misalignment, I gently prompt them to tell me if anything is wrong, and adjust how I interact with them if necessary. Yamaguchi: Facial expressions dictate your physical state, and your physical state dictates your facial expressions. This goes both ways. For example, when a patient’s stomach lining is inflamed, the distress often manifests as acute tension in the upper back. While I cannot physically massage someone’s internal organs, relieving the tension in the back muscles can indirectly soothe the stomach. The same principle applies to depression. By physically unburdening and loosening the spine, I can often alleviate some of the emotional weight clouding the mind. The body and the mind are profoundly and inextricably linked. ~To be continued in Part 3~ Interview conducted by D-POPS GROUP’s advisor Genta Sugihara. Aoyama-Itchome Chiropractic Clinic Director: Hiroshi Yamaguchi Address: 740 Win Aoyama, 2-2-15 Minamiaoyama, Minato, Tokyo Website: https://aoyama1.jp/ Next, in the third part of the interview, we discuss: ・The move to Aoyama-Itchome and the spirit of altruism that led to appearing on TV ・Essential reasons why business leaders must be healthy, according to Soichiro Honda ・Similarities with a Venture Ecosystem ・And other topics Be sure to check it out here: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/aoyama1-yamaguchi-part3/
  • Interview
2026.05.29
[Founder Interview #6] Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Aoyama-Itchome Chiropractic Clinic) – Part 1
Before Your “Health Circuit Breaker” Trips: What Executives Need to Know About the Body’s Warning Signs and the Power of Posture For this installment, we interviewed Director Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a chiropractic professional with a career spanning nearly 40 years. After encountering one single book, Dr. Yamaguchi quit his job to pursue chiropractic medicine, studying while working part-time jobs in the evenings, and began working at a chiropractic clinic in 1987. Driven by a desire to practice a treatment philosophy aligned with his own values, he went independent and opened the Aoyama-Itchome Chiropractic Clinic, which has been operating to this day. He has treated a cumulative total of over 90,000 patients. As a director of the Japan Posture Education Association, he has taught courses at the Open University of Japan and appeared across various media platforms, serving as a prominent figure in the field for many years. We sat down with Director Yamaguchi to learn a professional’s perspective on why leaders ought to consider their bodies as an asset, which provided critical insights for building a Venture Ecosystem. (This interview was conducted in April 2026.) ◆What is a “Health Circuit Breaker”? — The Moment the Body Hits Its Limit Sugihara: One passage from the pre-interview report you shared with me left a deep impression on me. “For people who work incredibly hard, even if they aren’t sick, sometimes their physical health will very suddenly fail. I think of this as a “health circuit breaker” tripping. To use an electrical analogy, it’s like running your appliances right at maximum capacity, and the moment you turn on the microwave, the breaker trips.” I think a lot of people have seen this happen to themselves or their coworkers. Could you elaborate on the intent behind these words? Yamaguchi: When you are throwing yourself entirely into your work, you are usually aware that your body is tired. But if you aren’t experiencing actual pain, how do you react to that? Most people think, “If it doesn’t hurt, I must be fine. I can keep going.” This sort of “no pain means I’m fine” mindset is exactly what makes it easy for your health circuit breaker to trip all of a sudden. Even when the body is fatigued, even when joints are stiffening and muscles are swimming in lactic acid, it can still maintain high performance. This is because the body secretes “hustle hormones” like adrenaline to override the fatigue. Furthermore, the brain has a built-in filter that blocks out minor discomfort signals so they don’t disrupt our focus. In fact, if our brains didn’t do this, we wouldn’t be able to get any work done. To return to the electrical analogy, if an average person operates on a 30-amp capacity, an adrenaline-fueled executive’s capacity gets up to nearly 60 amps. Even while using a massive amount of electricity, the breaker doesn’t trip. However, because a person like that is running so close to the limit, the smallest, most trivial thing could suddenly blow the entire circuit. What I hope is that leaders will intervene before their bodies reach that point. ◆The Body Speaks in Tension and Stiffness, Not Words Yamaguchi: At the stage where you start thinking, “Am I using too much power?” like in the electrical example, tension and stiffness are the body’s signals. I want people to catch themselves at that exact stage and do something about it. Your body cannot communicate in words. Instead, it uses stiffness and tightness to tell you, “I’m exhausted”. For example, it can’t say, “If you stay seated for another 30 minutes, your lower back is going to seize up when you stand.” Instead, it gives you a heavy, dull ache while you sit. Your body gives you these kinds of signs. The thing that’s dangerous to do is to mask that discomfort with painkillers and keep pushing. There was a case where a patient repeatedly took medication to numb back pain and be able to keep playing golf, only for it to escalate into excruciating agony. The person finally went to the hospital, and learned it was a compression fracture. This is the equivalent of a small fire breaking out in your house, the smoke detector going off, and you disabling the alarm because it’s too noisy. If you ignore the warning, the entire house burns down. I am by no means anti-medication; it is absolutely necessary. However, using medicine solely to silence pain so you can continue working past your limits will result in damaging your body. Sugihara: I am sure this hits home with many of the executives and hard workers reading this right now. There must be a lot of people who experience a dull, lingering ache in their backs that they don’t think they could convey to a doctor even if they went to a clinic, but then the moment their stress levels drop, it vanishes naturally. At least, I know I myself experienced that during times when I had a lot of stress, ha ha. ◆What Diverse Leaders from Office Workers to Cruise Ship Captains Have in Common Sugihara: For our second question, from what professional backgrounds do Aoyama-Itchome Chiropractic Clinic’s patients come? Yamaguchi: The majority of my clients are everyday office workers and homemakers. However, I also treat a significant number of business executives and high-profile leaders. For instance, the captain of one of Japan’s largest luxury cruise ships is a regular patient. While a cruise ship’s route is predetermined, it is the captain’s responsibility to assess the waves and wind conditions in real time, deciding whether to steer slightly ahead or take a wide detour, and ensuring the passengers enjoy the safest, most comfortable voyage possible. In short, they are the ultimate decision-makers responsible for thousands of lives. Because of that heavy burden, they realize their own bodies must remain healthy. That is the mindset that brings them to my clinic. Sugihara: That’s a great point. To use a corporate analogy, the ship’s crew members are the employees, and the passengers are the customers receiving the service. The captain is the President or CEO. If the person at the top isn’t healthy, you simply cannot provide a safe, high-quality service. Yamaguchi: Precisely. Businesses are the same way. I also treat a woman who served as a top executive for a world-renowned theme park. She oversaw multiple massive divisions, including the theme parks, retail shops, music, and films, and she achieved incredible results. Even though she is highly dedicated to her own personal fitness training, she visits us regularly in order to keep up her physical condition. She once told a friend of hers, who was the CEO of a TV network, “The only reason I can perform this job properly is because I have a chiropractor looking after my body.” The role of chiropractors is to act as the behind-the-scenes supporters who help leaders to be able to succeed and smile, so hearing that was incredibly rewarding. Another long-time regular is a legendary broadcasting executive who led Japan’s massive transition from analog to digital television. The switch required replacing every single piece of broadcasting equipment and receiver in the country. He had to negotiate extensively with major electronics manufacturers, saying, “The networks are switching to these specifications, so you need to build products that match them.” For the manufacturers, making massive financial investments to build new factories in an uncertain climate was an immense risk. One of his subordinate directors later visited my clinic and admitted, “I could never have pulled off a negotiation that intense.” So, the fact that we enjoy seamless digital broadcasting today as a matter of course is entirely due to the grueling efforts of leaders like him. He came to us during a time when his body was under severe physical strain, and I am profoundly grateful I could be of some help. I urge everyone in your Venture Ecosystem, please take care of your bodies. Despite their demanding schedules, many of the executives who visit us make time for sports and hobbies—golf, tennis, mountain climbing, playing musical instruments, and so on. I like to ask them, “What do you do with your sports gear or instruments after you finish using them?” Almost all of them reply, “Of course, I clean and maintain them thoroughly before putting them away.” It certainly feels good to see your beloved tools looking nice and clean. Now, all I’m asking is for you to take just a fraction of the care and respect you show your gear, and direct it toward your own body. Strangely, many leaders meticulously maintain their equipment but leave their own bodies pushed to the absolute limit. If you keep stacking task after task onto an exhausted body and falling asleep without first winding down, fatigue will build up until it manifests as severe, debilitating symptoms. Even if it’s only for a brief moment in between tasks or after getting home, slowly stretching your joints and muscles will improve blood circulation and be beneficial to your health. ◆The Terrible Experience and Perception of Posture Both Shared by Executive Regulars Sugihara: You’ve shared several fascinating case studies of high-level leaders. Assuming their initial visit to your clinic was triggered by acute physical discomfort, do they typically continue to visit you on a regular basis? How do they end up there? Yamaguchi: Of course, I get many patients who only walk through my door after their circuit breaker has already been tripped. However, there are plenty of corporate executives who establish a routine of regular visits explicitly to prevent that breakdown from happening in the first place. The reason is simple: almost all veteran leaders have suffered some sort of terrible experience at least once in their past. They know from firsthand experience that if you wait until the system crashes to seek help, the pain is severe, it takes time, and it costs money as well. They have learned for themselves that regular maintenance ensures that symptoms remain mild or are prevented entirely. The more seasoned the executive, the better they understand the strategic value of regular checks and corrections. Unfortunately, they almost always have to go through a painful experience to learn that lesson initially. It is easy for people to respect conditions like bone fractures because the pathology is visible on an X-ray. Conversely, it’s much harder to keep in mind the compounding value of maintaining proper posture and proactively conditioning the body. People frequently interpret good posture as simply one type of hygiene, but actually, I want to tell people that keeping proper posture is an investment that leads to the success of what they’re doing now. Companies have a leader at the top, the directors, the employees, their families, clients, and shareholders. The physical vitality of that leader directly dictates the performance of the entire organization. Therefore, health is an investment towards realizing your corporate vision. ◆The Mechanics of Poor Posture: What Happens When We Stop Moving? Sugihara: Depending on the industry, leaders face vastly different physical environments. Some stand all day, while others are entirely sedentary. For executives, sitting in a boardroom for a five-hour marathon meeting is part of the job. What kind of negative mechanical impact does prolonged poor posture have on one’s physical health? Could you walk us through that specific mechanism? Yamaguchi: To put it basically, humans are animals. As the word suggests, we’re supposed to move. *Note: ‘animal’ in Japanese is dobutsu (動物), which literally translates to ‘moving thing’. When you sit for hours without moving, freezing your joints and leaving your muscles unengaged, your blood circulation stagnates. Blood is the transit system responsible for delivering oxygen and vital nutrients throughout the body while carrying away metabolic waste. What happens when that infrastructure stalls? Imagine forcing an employee to work from dawn until dusk while denying them meals and locking the restrooms. Anyone would collapse under those conditions. When you sit continuously and restrict your blood flow, that exact same systemic deprivation is occurring inside your tissues. Specifically, habits like crossing your legs or staring down at a low monitor compound this structural stress. The point I emphasize most heavily to patients is the layout of the environment where they spend the vast majority of their lives: the height of the chair, the height of the desk, the position of the monitor, and the ergonomics of the keyboard. This setup is critically important. Not just for five or ten minutes, you are locking your body into these positions for hours on end, so how it’s set up has an immeasurable impact on your body. Sugihara: I try to be mindful of it, but maintaining perfect posture over a long period feels incredibly difficult. Before I know it, my alignment slumps. Furthermore, modern business professionals can accomplish work via a smartphone, so is it definitely bad to have a posture that’s looking down? Yamaguchi: When you use a smartphone and tilt your head forward by 15, 20, or 30 degrees, the burden on your neck increases dramatically. It’s said that the posture typical of smartphone usage can be equivalent to placing roughly one-third of your entire body weight directly onto your neck and shoulders. The human head alone accounts for approximately 10% of your total body weight. Think of it like holding two 2-liter plastic water bottles. If you hold them tightly against your chest, it requires very little effort. But if you extend your arms straight out in front of you and try to hold those same bottles, the physical leverage multiplies the strain. Your muscles will give out in less than five minutes. That exact compounding fatigue is what accumulates in your upper back and shoulders every time you look down at a screen, triggering chronic shoulder stiffness, tension headaches, and an inevitable drop in mental concentration. The above illustration shows how much the tilt of one’s head impacts the strain on one’s neck. ~To be continued in Part 2~ Interview conducted by D-POPS GROUP’s advisor Genta Sugihara. Aoyama-Itchome Chiropractic Clinic Director: Hiroshi Yamaguchi Address: 740 Win Aoyama, 2-2-15 Minamiaoyama, Minato, Tokyo Website: https://aoyama1.jp/ Next, in the second part of the interview, we discuss: ・An entrepreneur’s body is like an “OS”, and posture is an investment towards maximizing productivity ・Stress stiffens the body – the mechanism of mental fatigue ・The path from young train enthusiast to chiropractor ・And other topics Be sure to check it out here: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/startupecosystem-part2/
  • Interview
2026.05.27
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