“I’ve Always Struggled With Organization”—Nitori Chairman Reflects on a Lifetime of Challenges and Extraordinary Success

Nitori Holdings founder and chairman Akio Nitori was diagnosed with a developmental disorder at the age of 74 after watching a television feature and deciding to visit a medical institution on his own. Unable to stay organized, unable to listen to a lesson for even three minutes, and unable to read other people’s emotions—despite carrying these things he couldn’t do, how did he build one of Japan’s leading furniture and interior design companies over the course of half a century? We spoke with him following the publication of his book, “Because I Have a Developmental Disorder, I Was Able to Succeed.”

Learning about his traits at age 74

—You were diagnosed with a developmental disorder at age 74 and have said that it finally made sense and allowed you to piece together the answers to the difficulties you had faced. Looking back on the 74 years before that realization, do you feel you lost anything by not knowing sooner?

Akio Nitori (hereafter “Nitori”): Well, one thing was that I often couldn’t understand other people’s feelings. There were times when I realized afterward that I had made mistakes, apologized by saying, “I’m sorry,” or retracted comments I had made to employees. There were also many occasions when I simply wasn’t listening to what the other person was saying.

All kinds of thoughts keep popping into my head. If it’s a topic that interests me, I can concentrate and listen, but if it doesn’t, I’ll be carrying on a conversation while thinking about something completely different. Even when sightseeing, while the guide is explaining something, I’ll wander off to the next historical site and ask, “What’s that?” only to be told, “I just explained that!” (laughs). If it’s something moving or inspiring, though, I do listen.

And I simply can’t organize or tidy up. My secretary cleans up the pile of things that accumulates beside my desk every two or three weeks. She tells me, “You should do this yourself,” but I never do.

I also hate throwing things away, so I keep all my documents and materials.

I organize my ties and dress shirts by color in separate drawers, but they’ve piled up so much that I now have five dressers in my room and another five or six in the room next door (laughs). I like flashy things, so I keep buying them. Even when I get tired of them, I can’t bring myself to throw them away. I have mountains of golf shirts too, so whenever we hold a golf tournament in Vietnam, I bring them along and tell the employees, “Take whichever ones you like.”

I hate throwing things away, so everything just accumulates. I’ve heard that my mother and grandmother were exactly the same way, so I suppose it’s hereditary.

The manga that saved him from bullying

—You’ve said that even as a child there was a huge gap between what you could and couldn’t do. What kind of child were you?

Nitori: I don’t think there was much I was particularly good at. I could hardly memorize anything, and with sports, I’d join the judo club, table tennis club, or badminton club, only to quit after a year. In high school, I started going to a boxing gym, and in college I managed to stick with karate for two years. I’d become interested in all sorts of things, but nothing ever lasted.

I loved reading and drawing manga. When I couldn’t afford to buy them, I’d pick up copies friends had discarded or borrow them to read. If I drew manga during class, classmates would actually bring me money for my drawings (laughs), and I’d use it to buy bread or pay for ramen. Back then, a bowl of ramen cost about 20 yen.

I even wanted to become a manga artist and took lessons, but I couldn’t come up with stories. I was bad at writing letters and prose, so I eventually gave up.

I also read a lot of biographies. I loved books about explorers and researchers like Magellan and Columbus.

—You’ve also said that you were bullied when you were younger.

Nitori: I was bullied continuously from elementary school onward. In junior high school, every time I went to the restroom during breaks, about three boys would surround and attack me. I was also an easy target in high school, so I realized I needed to do something and started learning martial arts. After building up my body, just glaring back at people was enough to make them afraid. I developed a kind of intimidating presence.

People used to call me “Nitari” and bully me because I would approach them with a goofy grin on my face. I suppose I still have that side of me today (laughs).

But even while being bullied, I never became truant. I never thought I hated school. During class I could just draw manga, and although I only had one or two friends, I managed to get by.