Ruriko Kojima Expresses Gratitude and Determination to Meet Supporters’ Expectations in Exclusive Interview

Kojima says her current life has become quite simple. In her single days, she spent the money she earned freely, but now she invests only in what is truly necessary.

“I’ve been surprised at how much my desire for material things has disappeared. I used to love fashion and buy lots of clothes, and I even lived in an expensive apartment. Looking back, I feel like I want to lecture my past self, saying, ‘You should have lived somewhere with lower rent and saved more money’ (laughs). A place so big that you have to run down the hallway when the intercom rings is unnecessary, right?

That said, while I don’t want to be wasteful, I also don’t want to be stingy. As a business owner, there is still so much I need to learn, so I don’t hold back on expenses related to my work—such as acquiring knowledge or traveling around the country to visit tea farmers.”

She also says her awareness of time costs has changed significantly.

“Customers who come to the store are giving not only money but also their valuable time. I really felt the weight of that. Since my Horipro days, I was taught not to be late, but I’ve come to realize that it’s not just manners—it’s because you are taking the time of many staff and people involved.”

She says that at Horipro, where she joined as a high school student, she learned all basic social etiquette.

“And I also realize now that I was being protected. Only after becoming fully responsible for everything myself did I understand how big it was to have an organization that protects you.

Now, I sometimes feel the weight of responsibility on my back so strongly that it stings, so it would be a lie to say I don’t feel any hardship at all. But it’s not all hard. Many people are helping me do what I want to do. That’s why I truly feel blessed, and I want to live up to the expectations of those supporting me.”

“I am truly blessed”—she repeated this phrase many times during the interview. Even after experiencing the sudden death of her husband, why can she still say this?

“In the past year, so many people have helped me. From the day my husband passed away until today, I’ve never been alone—there has always been family or friends with me.

Some friends simply listened and nodded when I was drowning in grief, and then held my hand when I tried to stand back up. Others gave me ideas or helped with practical work when I started my business. I sometimes wonder if it’s really okay to be this blessed.”

At work, her family helps take care of her two-year-old son. Kojima also revealed a single rule she has set for herself.

“I think there will come a time when my son asks, ‘Why don’t I have a father at home?’ I’ve imagined many times how I should face that moment. But I still don’t know what the right words are.

There is only one thing I’ve decided. When that time comes, I want him to first hear about his father from my own words, not from information on the internet. And I want to keep telling him how irreplaceable he is to us.”

Her tea business is currently in the process of exploring a business model that can reach more people.

“For example, mothers raising children often don’t have time to drink tea slowly. So I’d like to create something like a daycare-equipped café service where people can take a relaxing break. A space where parents can leave their children with childcare staff and enjoy tea in peace.”

Her goal for the future is to be able to tell her 40-year-old self, “Thank you for working hard in your 30s.” As she says this, a strong light returns to her eyes.

“In the past, I had moments where I admired certain people and wanted to become like them, but over the past year I’ve completely lost that feeling. I realized you can’t become someone else just by admiring them.

And while I don’t want to be disliked, I also don’t try to be liked anymore. There’s no need to force myself to put on a front. I think it’s fine to just be myself… You know, SMAP has been singing it for a long time—‘It’s not about being number one, it’s about being one of a kind’ (laughs).”

A flexible strength that goes beyond society’s evaluations. Perhaps this is the true form of Kojiruri’s so-called dominance.