Always ambitious and ever-evolving: SAYEGUSA\u2019s CSR activities <\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- This volume closes this interview series, so as my last guest, I would like to welcome Mr. Saegusa, a founding member of the website and the person featured in Volume 0. The series has continued for 72 volumes, but would you happen to remember how many years ago that was? <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- It was six years ago.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- No wonder my children have grown. They are growing out of your clothing (laughs). How quickly time passes!<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Now, that makes me feel old. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I know you are mostly known for your clothing, but SAYEGUSA is also involved in other activities, including summer camp and rice branding. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- As a children\u2019s clothing brand, we have always proposed ways to enjoy fashion and culture through clothing, but from the strong desire to expand our activities to support children\u2019s growth, we are also involved in CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities. For example, we launched the Green Project a few years ago. Under this project, we invite children to learn the importance of energy using \u201cgreen electricity,\u201d generated from renewables, such as hydropower and solar, as well as camping in nature. This way, we can support the growth of their minds and bodies. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- My children have also participated in one of your kid\u2019s camps. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Thank you.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- They seemed to have enjoyed it very much. They came home stronger and I felt that they had become mature. Of the many summer camps that I have sent them to, your program had the largest number of staff members and I felt assured that they were in safe hands. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- At camp, even children who don\u2019t usually eat their veggies have large helpings of vegetables. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Maybe it is the environment that they are put in. I wonder if I would become able to eat vegetables if I were to join that camp (laughs). <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_01.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n![\"\u81ea\u7136\u4f53\u9a13\u30d7\u30ed\u30b0\u30e9\u30e0\u300cSAYEGUSA](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_02.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNature Experience Program \u201cSAYEGUSA GREEN MAGIC\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_03.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nA new store with unchanged values <\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- I have heard that you recently reopened The Main Store in Ginza.<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa <\/dt>\n
- Yes. Our company is celebrating its 148th anniversary this year. This April, we moved to Gasto Dori in Ginza 4-chome. It had been fifty years since we last moved our main store. We also moved our Osaka store to the basement floor of the Hilton Plaza. Both stores have maintained our concept of specializing in children\u2019s clothing, but they embody fashion culture better. I hope our customers can come into our store and feel the fashion culture if children\u2019s apparel. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It is such a pretty shop.<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. We were very careful about the details. Even the speakers have been arranged so that children, who are very sensitive, can listen to real sound. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I always notice that there is a lot of hem to take out as children grow, so they can continue to wear the same piece when they are older. My mother would always say, \u201cThey are expensive but can be worn for a long time.\u201d<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa <\/dt>\n
- Children\u2019s shoulder-width does not change as does their height so if we keep the hem long, a piece of clothing can be worn over a couple of years. However, there are limits to the length that can be kept when hemming with a sewing machine, so we hem our products by hand. Although it takes time, that is one the details that we are very careful about, so that our customers will be able to wear their favorite outfit for as long as possible. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
![\"2017](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_04.jpg\")
<\/p>\nfrom the 2017 AW collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n![\"\u30b6\u30fb\u30e1\u30a4\u30f3\u30b9\u30c8\u30a2\u9280\u5ea7\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_05.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Main Store, Ginza <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\u30b6\u30fb\u30e1\u30a4\u30f3\u30b9\u30c8\u30a2\u9280\u5ea7](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_06.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Main Store, Ginza (inside) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_07.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_08.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\nGinza is home to unique and advanced efforts and a homey atmosphere <\/h4>\n\n- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- What is your role in the Ginza community? <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- At the moment, I chair the Information Committee that takes care of all communications in Ginza, including operating \u201cGinza Official,\u201d the official website that you have made a great contribution to, installing \u201cG Free,\u201d a town-wide Wi-Fi system and launching \u201cG Info,\u201d our tourist information center. Our former website was called \u201cGinza Concierge,\u201d which was closed six years ago when we renewed our website to better communicate the attractiveness of Ginza. One of the new contents that we included was a series of interviews with storeowners in Ginza. An increasing number of people have accessed our site and we are all very thankful to you for hosting this interview series. Having interviewed 72 people associated with Ginza, what is your impression? <\/dd>\n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- Every person I met was openhearted and gentle. And all of you sound like you are part of a big family! It would always make me smile to know that whenever I mentioned someone else from Ginza, they would know each other. The relationship was so close that I would sometimes feel as though the interview was taking place in a very local shopping street. I could get to know the presidents of the oldest companies or stores and find them to be very friendly. In a good sense, Ginza has become a more casual place for me. Also, each person I met took pride in their stores, but they were all very modest and would say \u201cThere is no limit to excellence.\u201d <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_09.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_10.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nA revival of the \u201cennichi\u201d!? The future of an ever-innovative Ginza<\/h4>\n\n\n- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Is there anything that you would be interested to see in Ginza in the future? <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Yes! I would love to see an \u201cennichi\u201d (street fair) on Friday nights, for example. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- There was a time when they had an \u201cennichi\u201d every night on Ginza-dori. I would love to reintroduce this to Ginza, but there are many regulations today that make it difficult. Yet, we started \u201cYukata de Ginbura\u201d eleven years ago as an event that may eventually lead to \u201cennichi.\u201d This year, we were finally able to hold a small festival similar to \u201cennichi.\u201d Taimei Elementary School agreed to let us use their schoolyard and a \u201cyagura (scaffold)\u201d was erected in the yard for a \u201cBon-Odori\u201d dance festival. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Did you also have food stalls?<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Yes. We did not have a large number, but famous restaurants, including Tsubame Grill, Mikasa Kaikan, Ishingo, and Ginza Sembikiya provided food and drinks, and it was a great success. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- How luxurious!<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- We had always wished to host a festival like a \u201cennichi\u201d that local residents could take part in, so we feel that we have been able to take an important step forward.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- When did you hold it?<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- It was on the first Sunday of August. Hopefully, in 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympic Games, we will be able to erect a \u201cyagura\u201d in the Ginza 4-chome intersection. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That is a must do!<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Next year, we would love to have you join us. Please come in your yukata. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. I surely will! I will bring my children. Now, before we close, please tell me your personal feelings for Ginza. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- I believe Ginza is one of the few places that customers visit in pursuit of genuine products. We do face the challenge of living up to our customers\u2019 expectations and keeping a good store, but there is much to learn from endeavoring to satisfy customers with high standards. I sincerely hope that Ginza will always be a town that can offer genuine things to people of all ages, from children to the elderly. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Ginza was originally one of my favorite places, but having had the opportunity to listen to the sincere feelings that everyone here has for the town through this interview series, I have become even more fond of the town. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- This will be the final volume of the interview series, but please continue to support our work here, as Ginza\u2019s face. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. I would be more than delighted.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_11.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n![\"\u4e09\u679d](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_73_12.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nChisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Takashima started taking violin lessons from the age of 6. After a successful career abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, where she currently performs in concerts across the country. Highly noted for her character in TV and radio appearances, she has currently opened up her career to more diverse fields with an unchanged focus on her profession <\/p>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- This volume closes this interview series, so as my last guest, I would like to welcome Mr. Saegusa, a founding member of the website and the person featured in Volume 0. The series has continued for 72 volumes, but would you happen to remember how many years ago that was? <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- It was six years ago.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- No wonder my children have grown. They are growing out of your clothing (laughs). How quickly time passes!<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Now, that makes me feel old. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I know you are mostly known for your clothing, but SAYEGUSA is also involved in other activities, including summer camp and rice branding. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- As a children\u2019s clothing brand, we have always proposed ways to enjoy fashion and culture through clothing, but from the strong desire to expand our activities to support children\u2019s growth, we are also involved in CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities. For example, we launched the Green Project a few years ago. Under this project, we invite children to learn the importance of energy using \u201cgreen electricity,\u201d generated from renewables, such as hydropower and solar, as well as camping in nature. This way, we can support the growth of their minds and bodies. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- My children have also participated in one of your kid\u2019s camps. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Thank you.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- They seemed to have enjoyed it very much. They came home stronger and I felt that they had become mature. Of the many summer camps that I have sent them to, your program had the largest number of staff members and I felt assured that they were in safe hands. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- At camp, even children who don\u2019t usually eat their veggies have large helpings of vegetables. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Maybe it is the environment that they are put in. I wonder if I would become able to eat vegetables if I were to join that camp (laughs). <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n
Nature Experience Program \u201cSAYEGUSA GREEN MAGIC\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nA new store with unchanged values <\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- I have heard that you recently reopened The Main Store in Ginza.<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa <\/dt>\n
- Yes. Our company is celebrating its 148th anniversary this year. This April, we moved to Gasto Dori in Ginza 4-chome. It had been fifty years since we last moved our main store. We also moved our Osaka store to the basement floor of the Hilton Plaza. Both stores have maintained our concept of specializing in children\u2019s clothing, but they embody fashion culture better. I hope our customers can come into our store and feel the fashion culture if children\u2019s apparel. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It is such a pretty shop.<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. We were very careful about the details. Even the speakers have been arranged so that children, who are very sensitive, can listen to real sound. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I always notice that there is a lot of hem to take out as children grow, so they can continue to wear the same piece when they are older. My mother would always say, \u201cThey are expensive but can be worn for a long time.\u201d<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa <\/dt>\n
- Children\u2019s shoulder-width does not change as does their height so if we keep the hem long, a piece of clothing can be worn over a couple of years. However, there are limits to the length that can be kept when hemming with a sewing machine, so we hem our products by hand. Although it takes time, that is one the details that we are very careful about, so that our customers will be able to wear their favorite outfit for as long as possible. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
from the 2017 AW collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\nThe Main Store, Ginza <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\nThe Main Store, Ginza (inside) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\nGinza is home to unique and advanced efforts and a homey atmosphere <\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- What is your role in the Ginza community? <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- At the moment, I chair the Information Committee that takes care of all communications in Ginza, including operating \u201cGinza Official,\u201d the official website that you have made a great contribution to, installing \u201cG Free,\u201d a town-wide Wi-Fi system and launching \u201cG Info,\u201d our tourist information center. Our former website was called \u201cGinza Concierge,\u201d which was closed six years ago when we renewed our website to better communicate the attractiveness of Ginza. One of the new contents that we included was a series of interviews with storeowners in Ginza. An increasing number of people have accessed our site and we are all very thankful to you for hosting this interview series. Having interviewed 72 people associated with Ginza, what is your impression? <\/dd>\n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- Every person I met was openhearted and gentle. And all of you sound like you are part of a big family! It would always make me smile to know that whenever I mentioned someone else from Ginza, they would know each other. The relationship was so close that I would sometimes feel as though the interview was taking place in a very local shopping street. I could get to know the presidents of the oldest companies or stores and find them to be very friendly. In a good sense, Ginza has become a more casual place for me. Also, each person I met took pride in their stores, but they were all very modest and would say \u201cThere is no limit to excellence.\u201d <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
A revival of the \u201cennichi\u201d!? The future of an ever-innovative Ginza<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Is there anything that you would be interested to see in Ginza in the future? <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Yes! I would love to see an \u201cennichi\u201d (street fair) on Friday nights, for example. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- There was a time when they had an \u201cennichi\u201d every night on Ginza-dori. I would love to reintroduce this to Ginza, but there are many regulations today that make it difficult. Yet, we started \u201cYukata de Ginbura\u201d eleven years ago as an event that may eventually lead to \u201cennichi.\u201d This year, we were finally able to hold a small festival similar to \u201cennichi.\u201d Taimei Elementary School agreed to let us use their schoolyard and a \u201cyagura (scaffold)\u201d was erected in the yard for a \u201cBon-Odori\u201d dance festival. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Did you also have food stalls?<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Yes. We did not have a large number, but famous restaurants, including Tsubame Grill, Mikasa Kaikan, Ishingo, and Ginza Sembikiya provided food and drinks, and it was a great success. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- How luxurious!<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- We had always wished to host a festival like a \u201cennichi\u201d that local residents could take part in, so we feel that we have been able to take an important step forward.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima <\/dt>\n
- When did you hold it?<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- It was on the first Sunday of August. Hopefully, in 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympic Games, we will be able to erect a \u201cyagura\u201d in the Ginza 4-chome intersection. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That is a must do!<\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- Next year, we would love to have you join us. Please come in your yukata. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. I surely will! I will bring my children. Now, before we close, please tell me your personal feelings for Ginza. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- I believe Ginza is one of the few places that customers visit in pursuit of genuine products. We do face the challenge of living up to our customers\u2019 expectations and keeping a good store, but there is much to learn from endeavoring to satisfy customers with high standards. I sincerely hope that Ginza will always be a town that can offer genuine things to people of all ages, from children to the elderly. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Ginza was originally one of my favorite places, but having had the opportunity to listen to the sincere feelings that everyone here has for the town through this interview series, I have become even more fond of the town. <\/dd>\n
- Saegusa<\/dt>\n
- This will be the final volume of the interview series, but please continue to support our work here, as Ginza\u2019s face. <\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Thank you. I would be more than delighted.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\n
Chisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Takashima started taking violin lessons from the age of 6. After a successful career abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, where she currently performs in concerts across the country. Highly noted for her character in TV and radio appearances, she has currently opened up her career to more diverse fields with an unchanged focus on her profession <\/p>\n
![\"\u3081\u3056\u307e\u3057\u30af\u30e9\u30b7\u30c3\u30af\u30b9](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_cd_mezamashi.jpg\")
<\/p>\n