Suzumi Yasuda

“Why ‘Time & Style?’”

“I always hope that the Japanese designs as well as its values towards these traditional products will fulfill lives in China. “This was my original goal of the furniture store, as it will always be despite the time and gap until reaching it.

Q: Where is your home country? What was your experience coming to China?

A: I came from the Northern parts of Japan, in an environment covered with ice and obsessed with winter sports. Along with the frequent earthquakes and tsunamis, we have amazing hot springs as well.

I was born in 1972— a period in history where Japan and China began normalizing our relationships and increased contact. Unsurprisingly, I grew up with a sense of familiarity towards China. A panda sent from China to Japan marked the start of the normalization between the two. At the beginning of communications, the friendly atmosphere between the former-hostile countries was a salient aspect of my childhood memories. This sparked my interest towards China at a young age. From that time on, I have always dreamed of coming to China and working here—thus resulting in my choice of taking Chinese courses in college to support my life in China.

Q: As a foreigner of a Japanese background living in China, how accepting has the society been throughout your experiences—were there challenges in terms of that?

A: Having spent decades in China, there are only very few that still see me as a Japanese expat, thanks to my fluent Chinese. At first, I studied abroad with a major in Japanese at the Capital Normal University in Beijing. My classmates were all exceptionally welcoming as I managed to develop friendships quickly. I also especially appreciate the way that Chinese people get along with one another—- something that I learned through my own experiences meeting and befriending people. This led me to set a personal business principle: I should be conducting tasks in China with a Chinese partner. This is because every company that I have worked for has had a Chinese co-founder.

*Around the aspect of the Chinese society, a connection with the Japanese society has led to one unique experience of Yasuda:

Over the 30 years I spent in China, an event that occurred in 2005 left a touching memory in me. At the time, anti-Japanese parades began rising in Beijing, where the relationship between the two countries grew hostile over the years. Some locals began rioting and throwing things at the Japanese embassy in Beijing. As a Japanese myself, I was hard hit by the news . I desperately wanted to change the situation. Communicating with the head of our company at the factory I started, who quickly analyzed and understood the issue from all his years of experience living in both countries, I was advised that starting a media company would bring effective solutions. Temporarily putting aside my ballet shoes factory, I started a media company would allow the voice of Japanese enterprises to be heard. Our advocacy potentially turned the crisis around and towards a positive direction. That was the creation of my third company, which shut down in 2008 as the relationship between Japan and China recovered. I transferred my focus back to the factory and continued my work on ballet shoes.

The majority of my work in China have been focused on companies that I founded. This is the business career I have always imagined and wanted.

Q: What was behind your story leading you to China?

A: After my graduating from college, I came to China. My first decision was to find employment in China because of the economic conditions that could prompt various opportunities to create my own business, as the country’s reform allowed for market liberalization. Despite concerns with the environment and facilities in China, I continued my initial goal and created my first company with Chinese friends who studied abroad in Japan. Our company was responsible for expanding the production of Chacott’s ballet shoes. Our choice of starting this business in Beijing was due to consideration in terms of how the standard mandarin spoken there could benefit my language skills and give me a better chance to grow.

Q: How hard was it to develop your career in China? How did you get in touch with your current career?

A: I have transferred from job to job over the many companies I have founded. Nowadays, I am focusing on maintaining a Japanese furniture store. My first official, permanent job was at a company that helped create costumes for theme parks like Disneyland. Because product values and processing charges were higher in Japan, my first company often cooperated with Chinese performance groups as their target. The creative designs from our company in Japan were brought into production in China. From this business model, I was then inspired to start a company of my own—the second company of my professional career. It was not only an opportunity to challenge myself by stepping into the international market, but also an opportunity to connect businesses around the world. I created a factory for overseas companies, introducing them to Chinese productions. I wanted to prove the quality of products produced in China as well as aiding international dance companies in their ballet shoes productions.

Q: Why did you choose to begin a furniture store named Time & Style?

A: Japan has always been obsessed with housing and lifestyles. As a result, materials and products from Japan have gained high popularity in China. Ten years ago, few enterprises in this industry existed in China, therefore giving me an opportunity to expand my own business. I took this opportunity and founded my 3rd individual furniture company. Till this day, this company is still my main business focus. The goal of the company was to bring the innovative designs and materials from Japan to China, introducing original Japanese furnitures to a foreign country.

The past ten years of maintaining this business were also filled with struggles and unease. There were often moments of tears. I faced a closure of my original store in Shanghai under numerous pressures. At the same time, I faced many obstacles in opening of my second store in Beijing, Because of all I’ve been through, I really wish that the future ten years of my furniture business will become bright and filled with success. “I always hope that the Japanese designs as well as its values towards these traditional products will fulfill lives in China. This was my original goal of the furniture store, as it will always be despite the gap until reaching it.”

Q: As someone who has experienced gradual changes over long spans in China, how has the development of the Chinese culture reflected an impact on you?

A: First arriving in China in 1994, I felt that the change within the country has not been that major. I have seen the economic and infrastructural development of China over the past 28 years first hand, yet I felt that the values of the country have remained similar. The continuity of values throughout China is something I admire. In Japan, the culture has totally shifted. As seen through China’s reaction towards the pandemic, even though the country was hard hit, the fundamental parts of the Chinese lifestyle and identity remained intact.

Q: Were there anyone that helped you during the process of fitting in with the Chinese society? Who were they and how did they help you?

A: Many people have come to my side as support. I am glad that the turnover rate at my current business is not as high, allowing us to build lasting and meaningful connection with each other.

I always believed in the importance of challenging myself. Unless I have reached an achievement, I will never give up.

Q: Through all your personal experience in China, are there any words and thoughts you would want to share with the Chinese society?

A: Many Chinese people have been extremely welcoming and supportive, and I wish for the same level of care and support for my Chinese counterparts in Japan. However, with an increase in the Chinese-speaking population in Japan, there are very few Chinese enterprises that have the opportunity to cooperate with local Japanese businesses. Instead, Chinese enterprises often work with one another. Despite this, I still feel that it is important to build the connection between the two countries through business ties. More cooperation means more understanding.

Suzumi Yasuda is truly a memorable woman, not only because of her fascinating story living and conducting business in china, but also for the charisma and acute business mindset she has demonstrated throughout our interview.