Ai Ichikawa is involved in space planning, research, and consulting as a planner. He is active in multiple fields, such as serving as the deputy editor of the owned media "Nomulog". Ichikawa, who says that he finds meaning in helping someone in some way without being particular about leading a project, talks about the real pleasure of working and the state he reached after taking childcare leave.
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Ichikawa is a planner by profession. Since joining the company, I have been mainly involved in planning facilities to attract customers.
Ichikawa: In the preliminary stages of facility concept design, the role of the planner is to think about what kind of space to create and make proposals to customers and project members. My job is to participate in the project from the stage where it is not yet in production, and think carefully together with the customer, including what to make in the first place.”
Ichikawa has been involved in a wide variety of projects, including large shopping centers such as station buildings, commercial complexes attached to large office buildings, and hands-on facilities for children. He says that there is a trend within the company that encourages him to take on various challenges.
Ichikawa: For example, we have people who are good at sales analysis and specialists who specialize in museums. For example, I used my ikebana skills to plan events such as an ikebana exhibition held at a large shrine.Since I am good at disseminating Japanese culture and speaking English, I have been able to handle overseas projects such as China and Taiwan. I have also helped with
Ichikawa has built up a career of about 10 years. As a planner, there are things that I value.
Ichikawa “The most important thing is to think about what the customer wants and needs, and to meet the customer’s needs. Ikebana and planning work are actually similar. Just like Ikebana, we think about how we should arrange the arrangement to make the people who see it happy. After collecting the necessary materials, we will organize the unnecessary things to give shape.
We also strive to maintain close communication with our customers. It is similar to ikebana, in which ideas are solidified through conversations with customers and the final form is seen, where the form is created through dialogue with plants. I believe that the role of a planner is to delve into the latent issues that customers are facing and accurately translate them into what should be created.”
In a project, it is common for sales to play a central role, forming a team with people in charge of concept design and production. Ichikawa says that he is always conscious of expanding his range of interests.
Ichikawa “Compared to when I joined the company, I feel that concept design thinking is being required even more in planning. I think it will get stronger.
Since I was a student, I have been conscious of being sensitive to information while setting up antennas. Of course I read books, but I also try to go out into the city as much as possible and collect all sorts of information, whether I like it or not.”
In parallel with his work as a planner, Ichikawa has been involved in the editing of the owned media "Nomulog". From 2022, he will serve as Deputy Editor-in-Chief.
Ichikawa “I have been involved with Nomlog since its launch in 2019. In October 2022, we renewed the logo and significantly improved usability.
When renewing the site, the thought that the editorial department cherished was various "connections". Nomlog is an online media, but we are always creating real spaces. Through Nomlog, I thought that it would be an opportunity to come into contact with the space and experience, and to have a connection with the readers, even if it was a small one. The logo was also inspired from that, and concept design is a series of nom (of NOMURA Group) and log (log = record). I also made a sticker with the logo, so everyone puts it on their PCs and mobile phones, and it also serves as a conversation starter when meeting with customers. The thoughts put into the site renewal are also summarized in this article on Nomlog, so I would be happy if you could read it.
The editorial staff is in charge of everything from article planning to writing requests, editing, and release. I like to gather information and write articles, so I sometimes write my own articles, such as reports on ikebana and kabuki exhibitions.For example, I would like the media to provide an opportunity for people to say, "If there is such a person at NOMURA, I would like to ask him to do this job." In fact, there have been cases where people approached me saying, "This planner is interested in this kind of thing." I think it would be nice if it became a communication tool for people inside and outside the company, so in the future we plan to create a system that allows people who want to write to write more.”
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▲Ichikawa arranges flowers as an ikebana teacher.
Ichikawa has demonstrated her skills not only as a planner, but also as an ikebana instructor. I first encountered ikebana when I was in junior high school.
Ichikawa: When I saw displays of the flower arrangement club in junior high school, which I was planning to enter, I thought, ``I want to try making flowers, too.'' (laughs)
I've always liked making things with my hands, so I started ikebana because I was attracted to being able to acquire qualifications while doing club activities."
Ichikawa obtained a master's license at the age of 18. In the process of learning ikebana, she became interested in space creation, and she says that she wanted to get a job that creates something.
Ichikawa: When I was looking for a job, I focused on whether or not I would be able to get involved in planning and create something. In the middle, only NOMURA was hiring for planning positions.
What made me decide to join the company was that I felt a good compatibility. During the interview, I had a very lively conversation with the person in charge. I was asked questions at the same time by about five senior planning interviewers, but surprisingly I was able to answer them well. I remember feeling like we were in sync, or maybe we could do well.”
Ichikawa also said that he felt a great deal of sympathy for the history of the company's founding, which has its roots as a theater set. There was an interest in traditional Japanese culture in the background.
Ichikawa: When I was in junior high school, my mother took me to a kabuki displays, and I intuitively thought it was cool. Now that I think about it, that may have been the origin of this work.”
Ichikawa recalls that he was more enthusiastic than usual when he was researching demand for Japanese cultural experiences. It is said that NOMURA has a culture of “touching what you like” that picks up on individual interests in this way.
Ichikawa: For example, there was a case like this. When an employee who said he liked whiskey wrote an article about whiskey in Nomlog, he thought, ``That guy was very knowledgeable about whiskey, wasn't he? In particular, the customers who read the article welcomed him, saying, 'I'm glad that someone who likes whiskey came here,' and the work went smoothly.
In addition, the planning department has created a list for internal use that allows employees to view their areas of expertise. I feel that a system for picking up “likes” is being created.”
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▲ I arrange flowers with my children at home. calm moment
Until now, Ichikawa has worked on various projects centered on entertainment, tourism, and commercial facilities. The development of the Seibu Chichibu Ekimae Onsen Matsuri no Yu, which is a complex hot spring facility, is particularly impressive.
Ichikawa: A customer asked me to build a facility adjacent to a station, so I participated in the project from the very beginning. At times, I was involved in details such as product planning and logo concept design, and I was able to see the products on the storefront on the opening day.”
In this project, I came into contact with Japanese culture by chance. It is said that he was able to work on it with interest and was able to demonstrate his true ability.
Ichikawa: “Festivals” were decided as the theme, so during the planning stage, we thoroughly researched festivals in the Chichibu area and picked up elements.
I also think that Ikebana techniques were useful in creating the sales floor. Together with a visual merchandiser (VMD), who is a specialist in creating sales floors, I thought about how to arrange the products to make an attractive presentation. have something in common with The VMD also said, ``When you're doing ikebana, you're particular about it! ”
Large-scale commercial facilities generally take four to five years from planning to opening. It took a long time to take shape, so he says that he felt a great sense of accomplishment when the shop opened.
Ichikawa: The facility was very lively, and the customers and facility operators seemed very lively. I remember feeling a definite sense of satisfaction when I was asked to do this.”
After that, Ichikawa took about a year of maternity leave and childcare leave from September 2019 to October of the following year. He says that this has changed the way he approaches his work.
Ichikawa “I joined the company as a new graduate in 2012, and around 2018 or 2019, I began to feel that I had acquired the skills to run a project on my own, instead of being an assistant to senior planners. However, by taking maternity leave and childcare leave, I was able to blank for about a year.
After returning to work, I was worried about the difficulty of doing my best as a leading player because of the balance between childcare and childcare. I want to be useful to the team in any way.
All the project members came to feel that there was value in being able to proceed with their work in a relaxed and harmonious manner.”
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▲Flowers arranged by Ichikawa in one room of “LOQUAT Villa SUGURO”. Creates a high-quality atmosphere
Ichikawa says that he wants to continue to be involved in work that disseminates Japanese culture. Continue as follows:
Ichikawa: At NOMURA, we are promoting 'social good' initiatives throughout the company that have a positive impact on society and contribute to solving social issues. I think that incorporating it into concept design and passing it on is positioned within that framework. It would be nice if we could proactively make proposals on various themes, not just kabuki.
A perfect example of this is LOQUAT Villa SUGURO, an accommodation facility that opened in July 2022 and utilizes an old Japanese-style house. It is the flagship model of the "whole town resort plan" aiming to further revitalize the Toi area of Izu City. For the opening celebration, I arranged flowers in collaboration with the space so as not to destroy the space concept design of the old folk house. We have written an article on Nomlog along with the points of space concept design that we asked the designer, so I would be happy if many people could read it.”
Ichikawa says that there are many people at NOMURA who like to communicate with others. I would like to talk about the people who are suitable for our company.
Ichikawa “Besides planning, I work as a team with designers, sales, etc., so I think it’s important that I’m not bad at interacting with people. If you are a person who enjoys moving things forward while doing things, I think you will feel comfortable.”
At NOMURA have an environment where you can take on the challenge of various jobs by making the most of your own strengths.
We can't wait to see what Ichikawa will do in the future.
Began Sogetsu Ikebana at the age of 12, and acquired a master's license at the age of 18. Since joining NOMURA in 2012, he has been involved in the development of entertainment, tourism, and commercial facilities. He is good at making proposals that incorporate Japanese culture and challenge new possibilities by making use of his hobbies, kabuki appreciation and ikebana.
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