From a love of stationery to a career in lifestyle design. When I turned my passion into my job, every day became like a school festival.

Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd., TSUTAYA BOOKS Business Division, East Japan Operations Department, Hiroshima T-SITE Media Promotion (Hiroshima) (Joined the company in 2024)

Yo ItoMinami Ito

A former major retail buyer joined CCC for broader lifestyle curation. After Daikanyama Tsutaya Books, they now bring expertise to Hiroshima Tsutaya Books. (July 15, 2026)

I've loved collecting stationery since I was a child.

Influenced by my family, I've loved stationery ever since I was a child. I like collecting things more than writing them. I kept thinking, "No matter how you look at it, they're all the same pink," and ended up collecting several fluorescent pink markers from different manufacturers (lol). The great thing about stationery is that it's affordable with pocket money, and looking back now, I think it was a really great hobby.
Every time my father went on a business trip to Tokyo, he would buy me stationery from famous stationery stores in the city that weren't sold in Hiroshima. Those experiences of discovering "things like this are sold in Tokyo" piled up, my interest in stationery grew and grew, and before I knew it, I had made it my profession.

My passion became my job, and I wanted to expand it even further.

After graduating from university, I joined a major retail chain that handles household goods, and for about four years I was in charge of the stationery floor, handling pens and notebooks. After that, I achieved my long-held dream of becoming a stationery buyer at headquarters, and I was in charge of setting up and preparing new stores, as well as sourcing stationery from all over the country.
The main job of a stationery buyer is to communicate the functional aspects of a product, such as "It feels so good to write with," or "Even though it's an oil-based pen, it writes so smoothly," as well as the trends that should be promoted at the moment. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, having delved so deeply into the single field of stationery, I naturally developed a strong desire to "work on things other than stationery" and "broaden the scope of my work." That's why I was drawn to CCC's vision of "proposing a new lifestyle," and decided to change jobs.

The culture shock I experienced at TSUTAYA BOOKS

The first thing I felt after joining the company was a sense of being "overwhelmed," in a good way. I thought I loved stationery myself, but the world that the concierges at TSUTAYA BOOKS possessed was so deep that I was truly overwhelmed.
In my previous job, it was important to deliver the latest trends that were selling well. However, the way TSUTAYA BOOKS presents products and brands is to offer suggestions that, while highlighting the points they want to recommend now, also leave room for "how it will enrich your life in the long run."I was really struck by the idea of suggesting to customers, "This is how it can be used," or "This product was made by someone with this background," and then asking them, "How will you use this product?"
Rather than telling customers, "This will be the next big trend," we create fairs with "room for interpretation" by talking with our customers. I found that approach very appealing.

An exciting workplace that feels like "a school festival every day."

This is a picture of Yo Ito.

The atmosphere at my workplace is, in a good way, like "having a school festival every day."Because fairs are being set up and taken down simultaneously in various parts of the large store, something is always changing. It's busy, but I feel excited every day. I think it's a stimulating environment.
While we're setting up the fair, concierges from other genres will casually come over and offer advice from their respective areas of expertise, saying things like, "We actually have books like this too," or "I think customers will enjoy this arrangement more."It's always fun from the setup stage, and there are so many professional people in the company whose work I want to emulate. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful people and to be in such a great environment.

My next challenge, chosen by myself.

In April 2026, I transferred from Daikanyama TSUTAYA BOOKS to Hiroshima TSUTAYA BOOKS using the company's internal recruitment system, "C-Challenge."
In previous stores, there was an environment where we could consult with others, and we were able to plan fairs while receiving advice from various people. But then I felt a sense of crisis, thinking, "I might mistake that for my own strength, and that's not good."I also felt that you can't really understand what makes a store unique unless you step outside of it. Above all, there are things I can only understand because I was born and raised in Hiroshima. I approached this with the intention of training, hoping that I could use this as a weapon to hold some kind of fair. Hiroshima TSUTAYA BOOKS will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year, so I'd like to help make it a success with my own projects.

To those who are hesitant about joining the company

This is a picture of Yo Ito.

The store operates on a shift system, and there are weekend shifts, and the work can be physically demanding, so it may not always be easy. The reason I still want to work in a store is because I can be at the forefront of trends and create work with my own hands. You'll have the autonomy to handle everything from planning the fair and creating posters to arranging the sales floor and ultimately generating sales.
While working, you can learn more about the things you love and be among the first to experience new trends. For me, the best thing about a store is that it's a place where I can feel like I'm in a playground to satisfy my curiosity.
We would love to work with people who enjoy talking, who want to deepen their passions, and who want to discover new passions.

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