This is a day in the life of a Japanese
toy maker.
[Music]
[alarm sounding]
[Music]
This is Kana, 27 years old living in Tokyo and she's just waking up for work.
she lives on her own in this 1LDK (Living room/Dining Room/Kitchen)
apartment
[Music]
Her morning routine is fairly simple,
because like most Japanese she prefers
to take a bath at night so getting ready
is quick, and finished after applying her
makeup.
Oh! She's wearing circle contact lenses,
quite common in Japan! In fact 1 out of
4 Japanese women in their 20's and 30's
wear either circle or color contact
lenses [eye] see what they're doing! ;D
How long does it take you to get ready?
You don't eat breakfast?!
Although she gets ready quickly, before
she leaves the house she makes sure to
quickly check her personal email as it's
typical in Japanese business culture to
only read work emails during work hours.
[Upbeat music]
Kana is originally from Aichi prefecture
but moved to Yamanashi prefecture to
attend university, majoring in regional
sociology. Like many Japanese university
students she started her 'shushoku katsudo'
aka job hunting while in school,
and was able to secure employment before
graduation, which led her to Tokyo to
start her new life and career. And as a
person who has a deep appreciation for
all things cute and fun, she naturally
found a fit at a job for the last four
years as a toy planner!
Hey y'all we're doing another day in the
life this time with a Japanese toy maker,
maker. Kana should be coming on the next
train, so excited for this one! Let's see
how she's doing this morning!
[Music]
Good morning!
So how did you sleep last night?
She works at Sega Toys, creating some of
the most popular toys in Japan. Formed in
1998 from its parent company Sega. One of
the largest video game and entertainment
companies in the world! Although many of
the Sega Sammy companies are located in
the same building, Sega Toys operates
independently with 110 hard-working
staff to create award-winning 'omocha', in
English, [it means] toys, even with major brands like
Anpanman and Disney.
[Music]
So our first task of the day is to check
emails. How long does it usually take?
Can you show me a toy you created?
Wow! I guess this is a stock room for
previous products! So cute ~
Now, Kana has her weekly meeting where each
member is responsible for sharing how
their own project is coming along; such
as schedule milestones as well as
possible delays or issues. And these days
because of covid, what was once highly
frowned upon in Japanese business culture,
online meetings with co-workers at home
has become part of everyday business in
Japan.
Otsukaresama desu ~ (Thank you for your hard work)
Oh, it seems like they're done with the
meeting!
[Music]
Where are you going now?
So the company has a wellness system
called the 'input day', which allows employees
to use up to 3,000 yen (about $26) every
month to experience new entertainment to
help encourage creativity and understand
new trends!
[Music]
Oh she's going somewhere! Where are you
going?
Kana usually goes to lunch around this time,
but since she has a bit more work in the
office, she's gonna grab a little snack to
tide her over. Fortunately there's a
convenience store in the building just a
few floors down. Fairly common for large
office buildings in Japan. How many toys
do you plan a year?
[Music]
So it looks like Kana has a little bit
more desk work, so while she's doing that,
let's go toy around this place! :D
[Music]
Alright so this looks like the break
area on this floor. They've got basic
kitchen appliances and vending machines!
Let's see what they have in the fridge!
Oh! I guess people put their bentos in
here! Wow and check this out, and this is
the history of all the Sega arcade games.
They even have the first one, the Sega
1000!
Wow! Check out this amazing view!
Ooh ~ That guy's playing with toys! Hi can
I talk to you? What are you doing right
now?
So you made this toy?
So what's Chain Rencer all about?
Oh, I see! The little mini cards are propelled by
the power of springs and slopes, and you
can link together these mini tiles to
make a unique track! Damn, the
combinations must be endless!
[Music]
What was the hardest part about making
this?
So this is pretty cool seeing what
everyone is doing, let's see if we can
find some more people!
Hello! Can I ask what you're doing?
What does this dog do?
[Music]
Oh it dances too! Apparently Coco can
understand and perform 24 different
tricks! What was most challenging when
making Coco?
Apparently Japanese kids have a distinct
voice compared to other countries, so
there aren't many existing programs made
for them. So, it was a challenge for her
team to make the right adjustments.
So which one did you choose?
Thank you! :D
Hello! Can I ask you a question? What
do you do here?
Oh, you're the CEO? Why are you sitting in
the same room as everyone?
So what do you think is the most
important thing when making a toy?
Apparently she was promoted to CEO this
last April from the global and planning
division! Must be inspiring for the
employees to see someone from within the
company to become its leader!
[Music]
Hey! Why are you reading a magazine?
So Kana needs to produce four new toy ideas a month, about one
idea per week. Everyone in her 12-person
department set a goal for each term, and
this is her goal for this term. In order
to generate so many product ideas it's
critical for her to gather information
on trends, in addition to personally test
new toys on the market. Today she's
working on one of her new toy ideas
using slime. Can I see what an idea board
looks like?
So cool~ Did you draw this?
What are you doing now?
It's also her job to help update the
company's social media for toy she's
managing. One of these toys is 'Maskook', where
kids can design and personalize their
own mask! Did you decide the color of the
frame?
Why blue?
She says that the best part of her job
is that she can think about ways to have
fun, while also being creative at the
same time. In reality it's not just her
but a sign of the company culture. She's
surrounded by co-workers who likewise
enjoy toys and entertainment. Oh! You can
make it like an earring!
So what's the deal now?
Yay! Finally lunch time! Kana usually goes
to lunch with her co-workers but since
she had some work to finish today she's
eating by herself. Damn! Look at all these
options! I must say the company has a
dope "Shain Shokudo". In English,
employee cafeteria. It's not free, but
definitely a lot cheaper than
restaurants outside. All the dishes on
the menu today are all under five
dollars!
Itadakimasu! What did you order?
White baked fish with half a boiled egg
over rice! Looks delicious!
[Music]
So it looks like Kana's still busy at
her desk, so while she's doing her thing,
let's take advantage of this time and
explore a little bit more.
[Music]
On the top floor of the office building,
SEGASammy have their shared reception
for all of the group companies.
It looks like they even have a shop at
the SEGA office to buy goods! You can buy
a mega drive, a nanoblock, and even a
ninja trainer!
Nice free SEGA water! And it looks like
these are all the client-facing meeting
rooms! Cool! Each room has its own design
and theme! Since we have a little bit
more time, let me see if anyone's having
a meeting right now.
Excuse me, can I ask you a question?
What are you guys doing?
[Music]
What does it do?
Ah! Got it! You can even press the
forehead to make it blink and talk! And it
also plays music!
Oh, it also comes in leopard, unicorn, and
fox! All based on what kids think are
popular colors and patterns these days.
So what's important to consider when
making toys like this?
So what's next after this?
Ooh, can I have a peek?
[Laughter]
[Music]
Excuse me! What is that?
You made this toy?
So it's a toy laptop with a popular
Japanese character "Sumikko gurashi." In the
Japan toy industry, it's considered a top
seller when the toy has sold more than a
hundred thousand units. This one launched
this year and is already a top seller! So
it must be ultra popular!
Nice, you can switch characters as well!
How long did it take to produce this one?
Thank you!
oh Kana's co-worker is doing something!
What's that?
Where did you get all of this?
So which one do you think is usable?
[Music]
Now, she has a meeting with a 3d designer
to discuss the design improvements for
the next version of masscook.
[Music]
Oh, it looks like one of their Hong Kong
office staff, who manages the factory
production, is joining via video
conference as well!
Apparently when designing a toy, it's
very important to consider the age of
the kids using it, and absolutely
imperative that every safety measure is
taken to protect their customers. Meaning
that any new revisions they decide today
maintain or even improve safety.
As her final task of the day, she writes
a daily log of her activities to share
with her co-workers.
Are you done?
Yay! Finally done!
After work, Kana often has dinner with
co-workers. But due to Covid, like many
other workers in Tokyo, she goes straight
home.
[Music]
Oh damn, it seems like she's pretty good
at jisui, cooking at home. Interestingly,
the average monthly cost of food for a
single japanese working household is 40,
331 yen per month, about $350. So cooking
at home is fairly common.
[Music]
So tonight, she has an online nomikai. In
English, drinking get together. With some
of her co-workers.
These days, this is what a typical night
would be like for her. She says she
appreciates being able to catch up with
her co-workers outside of the office, as
well as see what everyone else is eating
at home.
So it looks like Kana is going to be
in here with her co-workers until 11
o'clock, drinking. And then after that,
probably go to sleep around midnight. But
that's pretty much a day in the life of
a Japanese toy maker. Let me know what
you thought in the comments. If you guys
want to see what I'm doing on the daily,
check out my Instagram account. If you
want to help support the channel then
check out the Japan merch. And if you
guys have any questions about Japan or
Japan travels check out my discord
community. Finally, if you want to see
more videos like this or day in the life
videos, hit that subscribe button and the
bell button and I'll catch you guys in the next one!