Not an easy company for everyone to work for

When did you join Kaikai Kiki?

I joined as COO in July 2023.

What made you decide to join Kaikai Kiki?

It all started when I was approached by Mr. Yokota, a former Mercari employee who is now at Layer X. He told me that a company called Kaikai Kiki was looking for a finance manager, and that it was Takashi Murakami’s company. Both of my parents worked in the arts, so I liked art myself, and I knew about Kaikai Kiki and Takashi Murakami.

I had always had a yearning to create things through self-expression, and thought it sounded interesting, without knowing any details.

At the time, I was helping various companies out as a freelance, so I thought why not find out what this was about. It was Mr. Tamonoki, the current advisor, who had reached out to Mr. Yokota. After hearing what Mr. Tamonoki had to say, I thought it sounded different from the world I had been involved in up until then and was still interested, but I honestly didn’t yet feel it was the right fit.

How did you feel after joining Kaikai Kiki?

I joined Kaikai Kiki as a contractor to help with the closing of accounts, and once inside, I found the company in a very chaotic situation, with employees suddenly quitting, among other predicaments. I caught up little by little, started attending regular meetings of the accounting department, and was soon talking directly with Mr. Murakami. I didn’t know why myself, but three months in, for some reason I found myself wanting to do more.

Part of it was because things had just settled down with the other companies I was helping, but I had always made decisions based on intuition, and I had a gut feeling that Kaikai Kiki was the place for me.

Looking back on it now, it may have been because I prefer working in a chaotic environment with many areas for improvement, rather than in a well-organized organization, and because I felt a sense of mission that only I could do this, given the challenging reality I saw inside the company. In a normal sense, I don’t think I would have chosen this company if I thought about it as a career move because the company is not aiming for IPO, and there doesn’t seem to be any career advancement opportunities. However, I had a mysterious confidence that I would be okay even if I joined and failed in the worst case scenario; I felt that I had to take risks and challenge myself here.

What kind of work are you in charge of?

As COO, I am a jack-of-all-trades. My basic responsibilities include accounting, human resources, and corporate planning, but I also take on everything from miscellaneous tasks to project management.

Please tell us about your daily routine.

I am a morning person, so I usually wake up around 5:30 in the morning. My morning routine consists of dealing with LINE messages, e-mails, and other communications that have accumulated during the night. If I have time, I ride my bicycle along the Tama River and then head to the office by bicycle. Sometimes I go to our headquarters in Motoazabu, sometimes to the studio in Miyoshi or to Nakano when I have a meeting with Mr. Murakami. During the daytime, my schedule is usually filled with meetings, and in between I work on creating documents etc. In the evening, I sometimes have work dinner, but basically I go to bed by around 11:00 pm because I’m not a night person.

Please tell us about the most challenging and rewarding aspects of working at Kaikai Kiki.

Mr. Murakami is a world-class contemporary artist, and his clients are among the top-tier collectors globally. Naturally, working with such people means that the standards required for everyone involved are extremely high, and I’d say it is both very rewarding and challenging to not only meet but exceed these expectations.

I think there are very few individuals or companies from Japan that have made such a significant global impact. Additionally, there are almost no individuals or companies that have created such a wide variety of businesses in the art world and continuously taken on new challenges. Being part of Kaikai Kiki, a rare entity even on a global scale, and contributing to its significant impact, even in small ways, is the greatest source of motivation for me. Moreover, working alongside Takashi Murakami, a world-class artist and a top-tier entrepreneur, is an invaluable experience.

Please give a message to those who are considering working at Kaikai Kiki.

I don’t think Kaikai Kiki is an easy company for everyone to work for. It is a very selective company. It is a chaotic environment, and you have to endure and adapt to drastic changes on a daily basis. However, if you have the mindset to enjoy such an environment and have something that clicks with you in your work, I believe that there is no other company where you can have more fun and be more rewarded. We are looking for partners to join us in taking on challenges that will make a global impact. If you are interested, please contact us.