Yoko Hoshi, the proprietress of “Bicycle Shop in Town,” overcame a serious illness and married love behind her major label debut.

Even now, Bridgestone’s sales per store are among the highest in Japan. When we sold the most cars, we sold 2,500 a year. And that was just from Bridgestone. We sold a lot of cars to Yamaha and other manufacturers, too.

Kasugai City continues to develop as a bedroom community for Nagoya City in Aichi Prefecture. Even today, when major bicycle chains dominate the town, Kasugai Cycle is still a very popular bicycle store.

The store is now a spacious two-story building, but it was originally started in an 18-square-meter store in a place called Kouzouji. My husband’s parents had a bicycle shop in the current location, so we opened a store in another location as a couple.

We both worked hard to run the business, and the store prospered. When I reported this to my in-laws, they were so pleased with the business that they said, “We’ll leave everything here to Yo-chan,” and retired from the business. I said, “Well, I’m coming back,” and we decided to stay in business here.

Yoko Hoshi, the proprietress of Kasugai Cycle, says with a big smile on her face. She used to be a clerk at a jewelry store, and her affable personality and interesting conversation are top-notch.

There were many small bicycle shops in town at that time. It must have been 30 years ago. Most of them were a little dark and only did repairs, but they didn’t sell new bicycles. In the midst of all those stores, we lined up 70 to 80 new cars in a store of 18 tsubo. We were packed to the gills (laughs).

Also, bicycle shops at that time were not very friendly. If you told them you had a flat tire, they would just blithely say, “Leave it around, we’ll see you in two hours. But we fix it fast. We fixed it right away.

The “bicycle store in town” has grown while the couple supports each other. But Yoko is not only the proprietress of the bike store; she is also a professional singer.

On June 28, she finally made her major label debut with a new song, “Haruiro Fuusha/Dose, Dose, Dose,” on Nippon Crown Records.

I was originally aiming for a major label debut, so I’m very happy. But I still don’t really feel it yet. I don’t know what it’s like to be a major artist. …… (laughs).”

What made Yoko decide to make her major label debut?

Before I debuted as a singer, I had surgery for uterine fibroids. It was extremely painful. The person who performed the surgery said it didn’t hurt at all, but I was so surprised at how painful it was. Moreover, even six months after the surgery, I was not getting well at all. ……

I told him that even if I did get well, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life just riding a bicycle. Then my husband said, “Do whatever you want. Right around that time, a local FM station asked me if I would like to do a radio show to promote the store. When I started, the director said, “You can sing on the radio, too,” and we made our debut with a bang.

In May 2007, they made their independent debut with “Five Stars/Small Wishes. In February 2008, they released their second album, “Kusen-nen no Toki wo Koukae – Kuwon no Koiga” (Beyond the Thousands of Years – Love Songs of Kyuwon).

And now she has finally made her major label debut, and her husband, Takamitsu, has been by her side supporting her.

When I heard about the idea of debuting, I thought, well, I’ll give it a shot anyway. After all, being a singer is an unknown world.

My wife has been working hard with me since she was 21 years old at the bicycle shop, and she has helped me grow the store. It’s not like I’ve been playing around. I want her to shine as a singer.

Haruiro Kazeguruma” is the first major album for the company, and it was a happy coincidence. There was also a happy coincidence.

This time,” she says, “it’s a gentle song with a bit more of an enka (traditional Japanese ballad) feel, like a message song. Actually, my husband’s parents cried when they heard it for the first time. They remembered the old days when they had a hard time. ……

The lyrics have “Kuru Kuru” in the chorus and “Karakara” in the second verse. The lyricist didn’t know I was a bicycle shop, but he wrote these lyrics for me. Of course, it is about a windmill, but coincidentally, it fits perfectly with bicycles (laughs).

In March ’22, part of the store was renovated to open a karaoke cafe. In March 2010, part of the shop was renovated to open a karaoke cafe, which has become not only Yoko’s home base, but also a place of relaxation for neighborhood “song lovers.

I wonder what the future holds for Yoko. It would be nice if she made her major label debut, but I think she might fail. …… No, no, no. If we become a major player, we might be able to gain momentum and become a real success.

A female customer said to me earlier, “Yo, don’t sell too much. She said, “If I sell too much, I won’t come to the store anymore. (Laughs.) Since we have such warm customers, I’m thinking of offering free karaoke for a week or 10 days as a celebration if this song sells well. To commemorate the celebration (laughs).

Yoko’s smile is full of hope. Surrounded by her husband and wonderful “singing friends,” the proprietress of the bicycle shop will continue to deliver her wonderful singing voice.