RISSHODO

Q.What made you decide to join the company?

The reason why I decided to join the company may be a little more unusual than others. I used to work in the transportation industry and visit Risshodo, which is why I’m standing here today.

Even back then, I loved the atmosphere where employees would greet and help me whenever I visited. When I saw the recruitment information, I honestly thought, “I want to work at a company with a comfortable atmosphere like that,” and I immediately applied.

Another reason I decided to join the company was that it has a long history. In particular, the fact that they continue to make the famous Junmai Senbei rice crackers gave me a great sense of security as I could work there for a long time.

Q.What are your current job responsibilities?

I am in charge of the process of turning rice into high-quality mochi. Specifically, I am in charge of the first steps in making junmai senbei: washing and milling the rice.

I arrive at work at 5am and start my day by putting rice into the tanks according to the production volume for that day. When there are a lot of orders, I sometimes have to put in several 30kg bags of rice, which is quite physically demanding.

The most important thing to pay attention to when washing the rice is adjusting the moisture content. If you get it wrong, the rice will be smaller than the specified size, or the crackers you’ve worked so hard to bake might be broken.

Although it is a process of trial and error, I feel that it is rewarding to be able to continue to maintain the quality of our Junmai Senbei. Before I knew it, a year and a half had passed since I started this job.

Q.Have you ever had any difficulties in your work?

Although I got used to the work itself after six months, there’s still a lot I don’t know about machine maintenance.

The “rice washing” and “flour milling” tasks I’m in charge of involve the use of a variety of machines, such as rice washers and polishers. If there’s a problem with one machine, the entire process stops, so we need to keep an eye on them all the time.

That being said, I can’t say that I currently have the skills to immediately pinpoint the cause when I feel that a machine is behaving strangely. My senior colleagues always pick out 3 or 4 possible causes when something abnormal occurs and then quickly resolve the problem.

I also would like to acquire maintenance skills as quickly as possible and contribute to smoother operations.

Q.Please tell us about the atmosphere and environment of the company.

I think one of the great things about Risshodo is that the whole company has an atmosphere of wanting to pass on the techniques to make Junmai Senbei. I was able to do the work on my own in about six months thanks to my seniors who always tried their best to answer any questions, no matter how small.

In particular, the fact that I was taught that “it is important to always think about why you are doing this task” remains a core value for me to this day. Thanks to that, I was not only able to find meaning in the content of my work, but also grew to the point where I can confidently answer questions from my juniors.

My goal for the future is to be able to work on my own at any stage of the process. I think it would be great to become a professional who knows everything about Junmai Senbei.