Why is a bakery deep in the mountains so well-known? [Wazawaza Haruka Hirata × Dentsu Inc. Nagahiro Onoe]

Deep in the mountains of Tōmi City, Nagano Prefecture, stands a single bakery surrounded by rice paddies. This shop, named "Wazawaza," attracts many visitors—not only locals but also people from far away.

Why do people flock to this shop, which is not exactly easy to access—in fact, it's quite difficult to reach?
Why is this mountain bakery so well-known in the first place?

Based on a dialogue event commemorating the simultaneous publication of Haruka Hirata's book "Why People Gather at the Bakery on the Mountain" (Cybozu Books) and Nagaaki Onoe's book "Why Is That Shop More Well-Known Than Ours?" (co-authored, Sendenkaigi), we offer insights on how to make your products and services known and chosen by the world.

*The event took place on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
 

"Wazawaza" sits atop a mountain in Omakihara, Tōmi City, Nagano Prefecture. The shop's name embodies gratitude: thank you for making the special effort to come all the way up here.

A one-of-a-kind shop born from gathering "what we can do" 

――First, please introduce yourselves.

Onoe: I'm Nagaaki Onoe, Creative Director at an advertising agency. I work on building brands across various fields, from corporate advertising to product development and town planning.

Hirata: I'm Haruka Hirata, CEO of Wazawaza Co., Ltd. We operate four physical stores and two e-commerce sites: "Wazawaza," which handles daily necessities encompassing clothing, food, and shelter; "Tou," which focuses on the extraordinary; the convenience store-style "Waza Mart"; and the experiential facility "Yoki Seikatsu Kenkyujo" (Good Life Research Institute).

Onoue: Before this conversation, I visited "Wazawaza." The scenery is stunning. You drive along a path through rice fields, and suddenly, the bakery appears. While the store name means "going out of your way," the journey itself is enjoyable—it's fascinating how that's all part of the design. Every angle of the store is picture-perfect. You can feel the aesthetic sensibility in every detail.

Hirata: Thank you. We've renovated it about ten times, so it's become this strangely ninja-like house (laughs). People naturally end up staying longer. Everyone seems to enjoy wandering around and discovering things.

The interior of "Wazawaza" is labyrinthine; before you know it, time has flown by.

――Now, let's move into our themed discussion. First, what exactly is "Wazawaza"? Hirata-san, could you tell us again about what inspired you to start "Wazawaza" and how it has evolved?

Hirata: In 2009, I opened a shop selling bread and daily necessities on a mountain in Tōmi City, Nagano Prefecture. At first, I worked steadily by myself, but gradually people started gathering, and the staff grew. We incorporated in 2017, then launched "問tou" in 2019, followed by "Waza Mart" and "Yoki Seikatsu Kenkyujo" in 2023.

I started the business at age 32, but before that, everything I tried failed, and I was on the verge of despair about life. I moved to Tokyo at 20, determined to become a club DJ! I pursued that for seven years, but it didn't work out. After repeated setbacks, I came to Nagano. When I thought about how to live from then on, I decided to completely change my mindset. I shifted direction, deciding that from now on, instead of doing what I liked, I would do what I could do to be useful to people.

So, I took stock of what I could do. I had web design skills from building my own site during my DJ days for PR. I had skills from part-time work at a magazine editorial department. I knew fashion well from attending a fashion vocational school. I'd cooked since childhood and baked bread too.

I knew I couldn't become a top-tier chef or web designer, but I realized that if I combined all these skills into a hybrid shop, it wouldn't be something just anyone could do. I thought this could be useful to people, so I started. Opening this shop became a turning point in my life.

Onoe: As mentioned in your book, I was shocked by the incredible twists and turns. Early on, you participated in the Aoyama market five times in a row, right? It was going so well, yet you abruptly stopped. That decisiveness was truly impressive.

Talk Event Scene

Hirata: Back in my DJ days, I learned the hard way that even when things are going well, if you keep doing the same thing, you lose your audience. I knew that continuing with the markets would eventually stop working. So, I decided to set clear goals, and once I achieved them, I would cleanly move on to the next phase.

My goal for the market was "getting featured in a national magazine." Since the shop's location wasn't one where customers would come steadily, I decided to operate on two fronts: the physical store and e-commerce. The market stalls were for raising awareness to drive traffic to the e-commerce site.

From my experience working part-time at a magazine editorial office, I knew editors sometimes scout for features at markets. To get featured, I aimed to be the most stylish shop at the market. As a result, the magazine gave us a feature spanning about seven pages starting from the opening section. Having achieved my goal, I stopped doing the market right then.

Onoe: So even failures as a DJ and experiences at the editorial office held lessons. You mentioned that doing the same thing leads to dwindling customers. Is there anything you still keep in mind?

Hirata: People really do love new and interesting things. But "Wakabayashi" only carries staple items; we don't do seasonal products or sales. Keeping staple items selling consistently is incredibly difficult. That's why we introduce a single product from various angles and contexts, targeting different people each time.

"For example, the monpe pants I'm wearing today are one of Wazawaza's staple items. For those who love traditional culture, we highlight the use of Kurume Kasuri fabric. For comfort seekers, we emphasize how comfortable they are to wear and how they can be worn both at home and out. For those prioritizing convenience, we stress how easy they are to maintain. For fashion enthusiasts, we focus on their fashion appeal... We introduce them from different angles like this," says Hirata. Onoe was also wearing them that day and remarked, "They're incredibly comfortable, aren't they?"

Hirata: We're also very conscious about continuously providing new value. Since opening, we've kept renovating to generate buzz, but when land constraints made further remodeling impossible, foot traffic inevitably dropped. That's when we launched new ventures like "Tou" and "Waza Mart."

Onoe: I actually visited and was drawn to how drastically different each store is. I found myself returning to "Waza Mart" multiple times.

Hirata: While "Wazamart" is located on a mountainside, "Wazamart" is roadside and easily accessible. It's a convenience store-style shop designed for convenience, open year-round with longer hours than the other two stores. The layout is also designed so you can start shopping immediately upon entering, just like a convenience store.

The convenience store-style "Waza Mart"

Onoe: The moment I stepped into "Waza Mart," I could move around naturally like in a convenience store. But everything on the shelves was unfamiliar—it felt like stepping into another world, a very strange sensation.

Hirata: Most people probably feel that way. I think the key is the product selection. Normally, when running a store, you try to deal with just one trading company for procurement. That naturally leads to a uniform product atmosphere. But we deal with about 400 companies. I think the sheer number of suppliers creates an interesting display of products on the shelves, which is what makes customers feel that sense of wonder.

Onoe: Dealing with about 400 suppliers must be incredibly tough... I imagine there was a moment when you thought, "This is a huge hassle." Didn't you feel like giving up?

Hirata: I thought, "This is fascinating!" (laughs). I realized that the fact others couldn't do it created a barrier to entry, and that was exciting.

Onoe: That mindset seems incredibly important.

To avoid getting bored, "shift your own layer"

――Our next topic is the power of "going out of your way." What are your thoughts on this, Onoe-san?

Onoe: I think everyone here already feels it keenly... Let me speak from the perspective of "being known." The book I co-wrote with Yusuke Shimano from the same company, "Why Is That Store More Famous Than Ours?", explores the common factors that make a store "known," based on interviews with various shops and insights gained through our work.

What we discovered is that, ultimately, whether the owner can "enjoyably keep going" is incredibly important. If it's just about "getting noticed once," doing something unique can generate buzz and get you noticed. But what's crucial is being able to sustain that recognition without strain and flexibly keep growing the business.

Another key point is having a solid "principle of action." It's not about reacting to the moment; it's about clearly defining who you are and what you want to spread. While the importance of corporate missions, visions, and values is often discussed these days, talking to various shop owners made me realize this applies equally to individuals.

Mr. Hirata, you've clearly defined your mission, vision, and values. On top of that, you keep trying different approaches to enjoy the process, and your value keeps expanding.

Hirata: Thank you. That's true... I haven't gotten bored at all.

When working on this book, I asked the editor, "At what point does a book stop selling?" They replied, "When the author gets bored, it's over." If the author never gets bored and keeps promoting it, it's likely to keep selling, but once they lose interest, it ends.

Hearing that, I thought, "Oh, 'Betsubadakara' is the same." I'm not bored at all. In fact, right now, I'm writing a business plan to grow our annual sales from 300 million yen to 4 billion yen over 10 years. I'm excited because it's something I've never done before. I wonder if it's because I'm not bored at all that I can keep putting in the effort?

Onoe: Don't you ever feel like you might get tired of it?

Hirata: After 14 years, there are definitely times when I get tired or it feels tough, and my spirit feels like it might break. But when I take new action during those times, I shift to the next phase. I call that "moving layers."

For example, when I incorporated as a company in 2017, I moved from the "sole proprietor" layer to the "company executive" layer. That drastically changed the people I associated with, the topics I discussed, and my own actions. Even when I took action on things I disliked or found uncomfortable, like speaking at executive conferences, it led to new connections and revealed fresh goals. So, when I get tired of the current phase, I shift layers. And I actively seek out phases I dislike.

Onoe: Are you thinking about what your next layer will be?

Hirata: I want to go overseas. Talking with various business leaders made me realize I need an international perspective. Instead of just looking at the Japanese market and pretending to know everything, seeing the cutting edge of global retail and manufacturing gives you a different lens to view your business. I can't speak English, it's scary, and I hate it (laughs). But I think going there will open up the next layer.

Onoe: That's amazing. The "good life" you value in your business seems like it could connect overseas too. I think the concept of "beneficial for all three parties" from traditional Japanese commerce is present in "Wazawaza." I believe such a "Wazawaza" would naturally spread overseas as well.

Hirata: Thank you! That makes me happy.

Wazawaza obtained the international "B Corp (B Corporation)" certification from the U.S. non-profit B Lab in June 2023. B Corp is awarded to companies with high public benefit that consider the environment and society, based on a rigorous assessment of approximately 200 questions. While 7,066 companies in 91 countries hold the certification, only 29 companies in Japan have it (as of July 19, 2023). "When I learned about B Corp, I thought, 'This is exactly the kind of company I wanted to build!' It made it crystal clear why we, as a company, are growing our revenue," says Hirata.

Put yourself in your target audience's shoes and focus on output first!

――Our final theme. Both of you have practiced branding and various methods to gain visibility. Could you share your thoughts on effective social media use? Please include your perspective on whether social media is even necessary.

Hirata: Since I started my practice in 2009, I've benefited greatly from SNS. Before that, there were no free ways to get the word out. But now it's just become the norm, right? Conversely, more people aren't even looking at SNS anymore, so I think different methods, not SNS, are becoming necessary.

Onoe: It's true . Nowadays, with infinite methods and information, I think we've reached a point where we've lost sight of what it even means to "become a topic of conversation" or "be known." Even within that, I believe there are ways to communicate with uniqueness. But I think it's time to return to the fundamental question: "Why am I doing this business in the first place?" By doing so, I believe new rules for business, new rules for how to be known, will become visible again.

Take the brand I'm wearing today, "Midway Quit." It's a brand where the designer buys clothes, remakes them, and sells them. They just keep making clothes they love, then suddenly launch them online at prices that don't prioritize profit. You could buy them before, but now they sell out just from an SNS announcement, making them hard to get. Of course, the product's strength matters, but the business model itself is novel, so it gains recognition purely through that. (I also recommend the book "The School for Quitting Part-Time Jobs" – it's fascinating!). To gain recognition, you change the rules. I think how you pin that idea is crucial.

In terms of tactics, where and what you communicate is also crucial. "Wazabetsu" shared their company story on note, and that's what spread it. The shop's story was written so carefully, and the surprise of discovering such a place made me want to visit even more.

・See note "Why People Gather at the Bakery on the Mountain" here

Hirata: While SNS gets good reactions to products, company-related posts didn't resonate well. We researched which platform would best receive company news and strategically chose note. We also repurposed content from talks that got positive reactions.

Onoe: So note was used after first gauging objective reactions. Beyond this specific case, I feel Mr. Hirata is very conscious of maintaining objectivity. When releasing information or products, he seems to anticipate reactions, gather feedback, and then refine them into a form more easily accepted by the public.

Hirata: Yes, I'm very conscious of it. To gain that objective perspective and tailor my message to the intended audience, I've trained myself to "become someone else." Since we have customers of different ages and life stages, we'll immerse ourselves in their roles and just talk endlessly among ourselves as employees.

Onoe: That's a crucial point in advertising too. We're often told to "become a medium." You channel the person you want to reach into yourself, deeply consider what their true feelings are, and then shape that into a plan.

I've never tried the role-playing method like Hirata-san, where you fully become someone else to talk with them, but it sounds interesting. I think it's very effective to first put something out there, observe reactions through role-playing, and then make adjustments.

Hirata: Exactly. Whether it gets noticed or not, the key is just putting it out there first, right? We ended up back at the fundamental principles (laughs).

Onoe: That's the conclusion (laughs). I felt the same while writing the book—it always comes back to the fundamentals. Thank you so much for today!

・For Haruka Hirata's book "Why People Gather at the Bakery on the Mountain" (Rights Publishing), click here

・For more on Mr. Nagaaki Onoe's book "Why Is That Store More Popular Than Ours?" (co-authored, Sendenkaigi), click here