"Udatsu no Agaru Machinami'' in Mino City, Gifu Prefecture. “HAPPA STAND” was opened in August 2017 in this location where historical scenery still exists. Based on the concept of "classy things that transcend time,'' they promote traditional Japanese culture such as tea and tableware. It is a popular brand that has been attracting attention in recent years, with 80 stores in Japan and 8 stores in LA.

In the store, you can also enjoy drinks and sweets made with carefully selected organic tea in HAPPA STNAD original bowls.

This time, we interviewed Mr. Yosuke Sato, the representative of HAPPA STAND, about everything from the background to the launch of HAPPA STAND to the thoughts behind the store and products.

About 1 hour by car from Nagoya. HAPPA STAND is located in a corner of the streets of Mino City, Gifu Prefecture, which is designated as an Important Preservation District for Traditional Buildings. Look for the white curtain.

When we entered the store, we were enveloped in the pleasant scent of tea leaves. The space is much more open than you might imagine from the outside. The store that renovated an old private house that was built more than 150 years ago is a masterpiece.

The road to the birth of HAPPA STAND

Mr. Yosuke Sato, representative of HAPPA STAND

First, we interviewed Yosuke Sato, the representative of HAPPA STAND.

Yosuke: "First of all, I would like to talk about my background. When I was in the 6th grade of elementary school, my mother suddenly sent me to Vancouver, Canada for a homestay. I still don't know why, but I was pretty naughty back then. (laughs)

I couldn't use Japanese there. I had no friends. I couldn't go back to Japan even if I wanted to. I could talk to my family only once a week for 2 minutes on the phone. I felt so lonely... I cried every night.

This experience made me realize the wonders of Japan, the importance of family, and the kindness of Japanese people, which I had taken for granted until then. It has become one of the major factors that made me who I am today. ”

Japanese society is tough. New graduates struggled

After that, Yosuke went on to high school in Gifu City and then to college in Tokyo, but a certain ordeal came his way.

Yosuke: "It was quite difficult to find a job right after the Lehman Shock, but I managed to get a job at a food company headquartered in Kobe. I had lived my life as I pleased until then, so the atmosphere of "tough society" in Japan was quite hard. I could not express my opinions, and even if I did, it would be crushed. Looking back, I think I was in a mild depression for about three months after I joined the company.

When I consulted with my parents, they gave me strong advice, saying, "That's Japanese society. To get along with people you don't like, you have to take the first step yourself." I thought there was no way I could do that, but my father had a similar experience in the past, so if he was doing it, I thought I'd try it too.

I made up my mind that I had no choice but to change myself, and when I changed my attitude toward work, the environment around me began to change little by little. ”

Studying abroad in California inspired by Mr. Masayoshi Son's words

A year later, Yosuke became a store manager. Another turning point came.

Yosuke: "In a book I happened to be reading, I saw the words of Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank, who said, 'You can't grow unless you get out of your comfort zone.' A comfort zone is a space in which you are comfortable. I feel comfortable in the place where I was born and raised and in the company of people I know well. Conversely, meeting new people and living in new places can be stressful. But it was written that if you don't do it, you won't grow.

I've been avoiding going abroad ever since studying abroad in Canada when I was in elementary school. However, in order to become a manager, which I had been aiming for since I was young, I felt keenly that I needed to know a wider world. I'm the type to act as soon as I think about it, so I submitted my resignation letter in February and moved to California in April. ”

As a Japanese, I have to convey the real Japanese culture.

In this way, Yosuke went to California by himself. This study abroad was a big trigger for the birth of HAPPA STAND.

Sato: "When I was studying in California, Japanese food was registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The matcha green tea and ramen noodles that were not tasty at all, Koreans and Chinese waiters in kappo-clad suits... there were no Japanese elements at all and  lots of "fake Japanese food" was increasing rapidly.

I felt a sense of crisis when my friends overseas ate such “Nanchatte Washoku” and said, “Washoku is delicious. Japan is really good.” If things go on like this, traditional Japanese culture will change. As a Japanese, I have to do something. I established the company in 2015 with the idea that something must be done first to change things. ”

Mr. Sato: “First of all, I was selling strawberries in order to learn the trade. There's no way I can make a profit (laughs), so I started an organic food online store. rice field.

One day, I looked back on the two years I had been working on, based on the concepts of ``organic foods,'' ``wanting to convey traditional Japanese culture,'' and ``food.'' What we ended up with was organic tea, which we had been handling since our founding. Mino-yaki is an industry from my hometown. It was dark under the lighthouse. ”

Thoughts in the brand name and logo

This is how HAPPA STAND started. The brand name and logo mark had such thoughts.

Mr. Sato: "The design team I was introduced to was a team that creates designs from the concept. I was told that the concept is important, as to what you want to convey and what kind of people you want to convey. Even though I was supposed to be the client, I was rejected many times (laughs).

The concept that was born in this way was "NOT OLD, BE CLASSIC."

The logo mark is based on the motif of "88 (Happa)". In the Orient, the number 8 is the "eight" of the expanse. In the West, the number of rebirth and the infinity symbol "∞". It is an auspicious number regardless of time or place. The letters HAPPA STANDO also use the original college font. ”

Thus, “HAPPA STAND” was born in August 2017. Currently, it is a very popular brand that is handled in 80 stores in Japan and 8 stores in LA.