I Visited the Kaiyodo Headquarters

■I Visited the Kaiyodo Headquarters

“Kaiyodo” is a company that Japan boasts to the world.

They have worked with Jurassic Park, Gamera, and the American Museum of Natural History, while their Choco Egg became a big hit, leading to its development as gashapon

I visited Shuichi Miyawaki, who holds the title of Managing Director despite being the Representative Director, to ask him to cooperate with iU and become a Super Visiting Professor.

Their headquarters are in Kadoma, Osaka.

It is the first modern building built by “Kongo Gumi,” the world’s oldest company that was founded in 578 and built Shitenno-ji.

In the entrance stands a guardian deity in the form of the real “Daimajin,” which the company took in upon hearing that it was about to be discarded by Daiei Film from Kyoto.

The “Choco Egg,” which they made in collaboration with Furuta Confectionery from Osaka in 2001, became an explosive hit.

Managing Director Miyawaki states, “This building was built thanks to the Choco Egg.”

It is an elite production group that has remained a compact organization of just over 40 employees and continues to only do the things it wants to do, despite this level of success.

Mr. Miyawaki also hosts the “Wonder Festival,” which is the world’s largest garage kit event.

This is a festival for Japan’s vaunted otaku.

Heroes, monsters, beautiful girls, military equipment and personnel, animals, and everything else. Pop culture and manufacturing.

This is a concentrated form of Japan’s strengths. Extremely high-level makers line up their booths.

Quiet fans with a very strong passion come to make purchases.

Kaiyodo has also helped with international film festivals in Okinawa and Kyoto.

“Let’s Break and Make” is a workshop involving breaking down figurines before putting the pieces together to create new figurines.

Figurines from Disney or Marvel are taken apart to make something unique.

I want to do this “You Can’t Do That” workshop!