The Secret of Why This Company is So Energetic Season 2 [40]Information tends to be biased. We want to change that.
This series explores the secrets behind vibrant companies with originality, led by Dentsu Inc.'s 'Company Design' team. The 40th installment features UUUO (Woo), a company pursuing the challenge of creating new distribution channels for Japan's fisheries industry through technology, guided by its slogan (vision): "Making every town a delicious port town."
Written by: Shuji Shibata (Dentsu Inc. BXCC)
Through this series' interviews, I've found myself wanting to know something: What is the essence of creativity? Past interviews with " Kane-ga-e," " Creema," "CoeFont "... each offered profound lessons.
This time, I knocked on the door of a company called UUUO. It's a startup that has made "smartphone-based buying and selling of fresh fish" a practical reality. It seems like a business far removed from creativity. Yet, for some reason, I desperately wanted to hear President Itakura's story. Raised in a fishing town in Tottori Prefecture, he worked at a logistics company before starting his business in Hiroshima. To be blunt, I sensed no creative elements whatsoever.
But my intuition was right. Every unadorned word that came from President Itakura made me pause and think. His approach was remarkably simple: "Huh? Why isn't this working?" This time, I learned a great deal—a real privilege—about what true creativity means: zero to one, or "creating something from nothing."
Kazutomo Itakura: Representative Director, UUUO
Born in Tottori Prefecture. A port was a 10-minute walk from his family home, and many relatives and childhood friends worked in fishing. After graduating, he joined a major logistics company. Every time he returned home, he witnessed the decline of the fishing industry, such as the decreasing number of fishing boats. He started his business aiming to solve information asymmetry by digitizing the existing fisheries distribution system, thereby creating new distribution channels for both production and consumption areas.
The catalyst for starting the business was shock and surprise at his hometown
"You're from a fishing town, right?" That question kicked off our interview with President Itakura. "Yes. I grew up in a town in Tottori where the fishing port was just a short walk from home. But that didn't mean I ever thought, 'I'm going to be a fisherman!' After all, I joined a logistics company in Tokyo right after graduating. But every time I returned home, it was obvious the number of boats had decreased. The once-bustling fish market had lost its vitality. I think it was precisely because I had left that I noticed it, but the sight was shocking and deeply unsettling."
In a drama, this would be the moment to immediately start a business! But for President Itakura, it was different. "First, I decided to listen to my relatives and childhood friends. What shocked me most was when one childhood friend said he didn't want his own children to take over (a fishing-related job). They bear risks that could cost them their lives, yet they don't earn income commensurate with that risk."
Again, in a drama, it would be "Alright, I'll fix this!" But what welled up in President Itakura's heart? Why weren't fish prices rising? "To be honest, it wasn't a feeling of wanting to help people or society. I just couldn't suppress this overwhelming urge to understand. So I met with everyone I could—fishmongers, anyone—and investigated everything I possibly could."
He wanted to do something about the fisheries industry, desperately
Meeting people, listening to their stories, reviewing documents, and meeting more people. As he diligently pursued his research, a certain conviction gradually began to take root within President Itakura. "I thought, 'I want to do something about this industry itself, desperately!' Everyone must be struggling with this situation, I thought. Why doesn't anyone try to change it?"
The first step President Itakura took was acquiring purchasing rights (the right to participate in auctions) as a middleman. Though he embarked on this with the business vision of revitalizing the fisheries industry, the reaction from fellow industry players was cold. "Buying and selling fish with smartphones? What are you talking about? That was the attitude eight years ago. I think part of it was that newcomers like us were seen as rivals threatening their vested interests."
President Itakura had a reason for insisting on buying rights. "We were overwhelmingly lacking in knowledge. Before creating a new platform for fisheries distribution, I thought we should start with the basics—actually buying and selling fish ourselves. When the market was closed, we went out and developed new customer shops one by one. The result? 'In just six months, you bought ten times the amount of fish? You're doing well, kid. That's crazy!'" It might be a bit of a dirty-nosed approach, but doing it that way changed how people around us saw us. Like, 'These guys are serious!' (laughs)." Hmm? This is starting to sound like a drama, I thought, and at the same time, I became intensely curious to hear the rest of President Itakura's story.
Challenge within the rules
Of course, I got yelled at plenty of times too," President Itakura continues. "There's this thing called 'age-zeri'. Let's say the going rate for a box full of horse mackerel at auction is 5,000 yen. You really want it, so right from the start, you raise your hand and bid 8,000 yen! Well, you can win it, but then there's this custom where the next auction starts at 8,000 yen. Later, the seniors would scold me, 'Hey, buddy, could you try not to disrupt the market too much?' I was clueless about so many things, so I was just desperately trying to learn."
Challenges must be undertaken within the rules of business customs; otherwise, they won't work out in the long run. "That said, existing players may recognize the issues, but they rarely take new actions. The same goes for acquiring new customers. So, we're the ones who have to try it first." If acquiring new customers itself is something outside the existing business customs, then challenging that leads to earning respect from others. President Itakura's challenge is by no means a reckless, self-indulgent runaway.
We want to be both players and users
President Itakura states that the very concept of a matching system connecting "sellers" and "buyers" via smartphones was already clear to him before starting the company. "It's about providing a mechanism to correct information asymmetry (imbalance). However, when building such a platform, we knew nothing about the fundamentals of fish distribution—things like the detailed tuning methods needed to meet sellers' expectations or the actual business realities on the buyer side. That's why we felt we had to become players and users ourselves first and foremost. If we use the system we built ourselves and are satisfied with it as individual users, that becomes the most compelling argument when promoting the service we provide."
President Itakura states that the goal is to enhance our expertise as players or users, build a unique platform, and ultimately create a network covering the entire fisheries industry. I couldn't help but blurt out, "Wow, that's killing three birds with one stone!" His comments on UUUO's three core values—Perseverance, Everyone as Stakeholders, and Start with One Small Case—are equally straightforward. "What are our values? We all brainstormed and decided together. For 'Never Give Up,' everyone said, 'No matter how discouraged I get, I stubbornly refuse to quit,' which is my strong point, so I just went with that (laughs)." This, I thought again, is precisely the spirit and resolve of "Zero to One."
A seafood company that handles marketing—that's our strength.
UUUO's services are built on two pillars: "UUUO," a marketplace for fresh fish distribution, and "atohama," an order management system for seafood businesses. Hearing direct feedback from customers like, "Since accessing UUUO, our sales have doubled!" or "The pre-Atohama days of (handwritten & fax-based analog) order processing are unimaginable now!" is the greatest encouragement for President Itakura.
"While we actively change business practices that need improvement, I also believe it's crucial to cherish the good old-fashioned ways. For example, on UUUO, sellers themselves are increasingly taking the initiative to publish photos and videos they've shot themselves and evaluate the quality of their products. Why would sellers honestly disclose information that puts them at a disadvantage? Because they understand that customers who get a bad fish even once will never come back. That kind of proud spirit, I think, is a wonderful business practice that remains unchanged, even when using digital tools." UUUO isn't just matching the needs of sellers and buyers. It's matching hearts and minds.
At the end of the interview, I asked President Itakura: "If your envisioned business were achieved in the future, what landscape do you imagine?" "Well," he replied thoughtfully. "Rather than just a tool for buying and selling fish, I hope it becomes indispensable infrastructure for the entire seafood industry. The journey from tool to infrastructure is still long... maybe 20 years. But that also means there's still so much we can do, so much we want to do." His eyes shining as he spoke, President Itakura concluded the interview: "Because right now, we're the only company that wants to turn every town into a delicious port town." His calm expression revealed an unshakable conviction and noble confidence.
UUUO's website is here.
This series explores the secrets behind "vibrant companies" with originality, investigated by Dentsu Inc.'s "Company Design" team. In the 40th installment, we introduced UUUO (Uoo), a startup breathing new life into Japan's seafood distribution through technology, under the slogan (vision): "Making every town a delicious port town."
The Season 1 series can be found here.
Visit the "Company Design" project site here.
[Editor's Note]
At the end of the interview, as usual, the editorial team threw a slightly oddball question at President Itakura. "I'd like to hear your thoughts on matching versus romance. For example, if you had a couple who met on a marriage-seeking matching site and got married, and another couple who fell madly in love and essentially eloped to get married, which would you say is more dramatic? Which would you feel more romantic about? I think it's overwhelmingly the latter." President Itakura's answer was this:
"I'm not sure if you can call it romance, but solving problems—that process is incredibly fun. It's like getting that tingly feeling when you think, 'Ah, I can solve this!' It makes your heart race and gives you butterflies. That's what it feels like." That phrase, "that tingly feeling," gave me chills. Creating something from nothing. And doing it alongside our customers, as one of the players... That tingly feeling transmitted through the smartphone—I thought, this is romance.
The joy of shouting, "Got a great fish!" feels special for both the seller and the buyer. That deep, slow-filling happiness, gratitude toward Mother Ocean, pride... It's romantic. Truly, there's no other word for it. Writing this editor's note, I suddenly got an overwhelming craving for fish.
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Author
Osamu Shibata
Dentsu Inc.
After joining Dentsu Inc., transitioned from sales to copywriting. Recipient of the TCC Newcomer Award, ACC Gold, and others. Recently added "Conceptor" to business cards, expanding beyond copywriting into broader linguistic domains.
