“cakes note FES ‘18” Day 2 Report (Part 1) #cakesnotefes

So that everyone can start creating and keep going.With that theme in mind, “cakes note FES” was held over two days on June 29th and 30th. Here is the report from the morning of the second day.

The first speakers of the morning were Asami Saisho, a community manager at News Picks who started the community magazine “How to Create Store Media” on note in June, and Charlie, who gained attention on note for his business model diagrams and launched the Business Model Diagram Production Committee. The theme was “Secrets to Community Management”.

Saisho, who says she “continues to write 60–70% of her articles every day,” says that when she writes on note, she imagines “who she is delivering it to and how she will get them to share it.” Using the “Straw Millionaire theory,” if an “influential person” shares it, a small buzz is created, the range of viewers expands, and a cluster is formed. To avoid being a “one-hit wonder,” she says she is conscious of steadily producing content that makes people think, ‘I want to read what this person writes’.”

One month into starting a paid community on note, the benefits she feels are that it is a place where people who share the same context gather, making it easy to share information. Being able to deliver paid content directly, and because all members are note users, there are many “good people” who upload their impressions and reports on note.

Charlie, who launched the Business Model Diagram Production Committee and continues to produce diagrams with his team every day, lists the following three points as conditions necessary for a vibrant community:

1. Improve the quality of onboarding (held 3 orientation sessions) 2. Improve the quality of retention (organized teams and thoroughly implemented workflow) 3. Improve the quality of results (decided on output formats and published them)

Vibrant communities give birth to the next stars! With that in mind, the “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Diagram” created by Kyon, a member of the Business Model Diagram Production Committee, reportedly generated more buzz than Charlie’s own work!

Time passed in the blink of an eye...

Next to take the stage were Shinji Hayashi, owner of the wine bar “bar bossa,” and Saku-chan, manager of the cookie shop “SAC about cookies.”

Hayashi drank a beer by himself to calm his nerves, and reacting to Saku-chan’s murmur of “How cute...” at the sight, he passionately argued, “Do you know? When a woman says ‘cute’ to a man, it means ‘I’m okay with sleeping with you’!” Where would the talk go...? Night...? (laughs) But actually, they talked plenty about “working, writing, and living.”

Hayashi says he writes his articles in the evening before the bar opens, creating a time where he doesn’t meet anyone and isn’t connected to the internet. Although he checks his computer for about 30 minutes a day at a set time, he says he doesn’t own a mobile phone so he doesn’t look at social media aimlessly (incredibly, since 1997)! He says he accumulates material by taking notes on conversations with customers who come to the bar. The secret to continuing to write is to make it a habit, just like brushing your teeth, to the point where you feel unsettled if you don’t write.

In contrast to Hayashi, who imposes rules on himself, Saku-chan does not. Without knowing the word or phenomenon of “going viral,” she started writing by telling herself “no one is watching,” and focused on what she had done and thought about, writing something every day no matter what. She says that while she doesn’t have special rules, she is thoroughly conscious of what not to write.

Hayashi is currently publishing the paid note magazine “bar bossa Shinji Hayashi’s Daily Updated Diary and Stories I Can’t Write in Public,” and Saku-chan is publishing “Monthly Self-Affirmation” with Dr. Yusuke. Hayashi’s paid note magazine currently has 600 followers at 300 yen per month!

At the end of the talk, there was an announcement of the publication of Hayashi’s romance novel! His novel “Love Always Starts Casually and Ends Casually.” (Gentosha), which he says he rewrote 16 times over a year and a half to make it a bestseller, will be released on July 12th!

Next, three people appeared: soup writer Kaoru Ariga, who has a series on cakes; Saori Mada, organizer of “Portugal Shokudo”; and writer/cook Naoya Higuchi!

A toast with beer from noon! The talk began at the same time. With the theme of “Communicating through cooking,” each speaker shared what they keep in mind when writing recipes and the underlying thoughts behind them.

Ariga-san, who has been making soup for over 2,000 days, says, “I want people to cook it, not just read it and be done—that’s why I explain even simple things in detail and with care.” For example, she says she is conscious of creating recipes that can accommodate even cooking beginners who might not know the difference between “ooba” (shiso leaf) and “aojiso” (green shiso).

Mada-san, who shares appetizer recipes that go well with Portuguese wine, says, “I try to keep my recipes simple enough to make even when you come home tired.” She shares her recipes with the thought, “Because our bodies are built by what we eat, I want to make home cooking effortless as a source of life force.”

Higuchi-san, who explains basic cooking techniques like how to cook rice from a scientific perspective, says, “Rather than my own opinions or so-called recipes, I am conscious of conveying things based on principles and evidence in an easy-to-read way. It is necessary to release recipes that match the times.”

For each of them, “cooking is like a letter addressed to someone.”

Listening to them talk has made me hungry. The three of them prepared original menus for this FES! Ta-da!

Kaoru Ariga’s “Salt Pork, Daikon Radish, and Barley Tea Pot-au-feu”
To think that barley tea could become a broth! I usually associate pot-au-feu with winter, but perhaps because of the barley tea, it’s refreshing and easy to eat even on a hot summer day. The gentle, Japanese-style flavor that maximizes the umami of the ingredients soaks into my heart and body. The aroma and texture of the sesame are also great! As someone muttered, I want to marry someone who can make soup like this.

Saori Mada’s homemade “Portuguese-style Pork Sandwich”
The ultimate sandwich: meat on a baguette! It’s a simple combination unique to Portugal (?) that you don’t often see in Japan. Apparently, it’s a Portuguese B-grade gourmet dish. The acidity of the wine vinegar and the punchy garlic whet the appetite, making it the perfect companion for a cold beer! I take a big bite!

Naoya Higuchi’s “Chili Con Carne (with Tortilla)”
A mild chili con carne finished with butter infused with spices. The secret ingredient is “Marmite,” a yeast extract rumored online to taste bad. According to Higuchi-san, this seasoning brings out the umami. The chili sauce also enhances the flavor. Served with the chili con carne is the “ultimate mashed potatoes,” which is also a hot topic on note. It’s so smooth it melts in your mouth. This is the chili con carne that Yukos was munching on and raving about the whole time she was on stage (the recipe is currently available on Higuchi-san’s note).

All dishes are 500 yen! At the venue, Curry Banchō Jinsuke Mizuno’s “Final Curry” was also very popular.

Now that we’re full, the last part of the first half of Day 2 is the 2nd cakes Creator Contest Awards Ceremony!

Seven editors read through the 9,396 entries submitted, with each reading about 1,300 articles, and selected 26 winning works in total for the [Selected], [Honorable Mention], and [note Award] categories!

The judging criteria were: “written with the reader in mind, being in a unique environment, having overwhelming writing ability, being useful to others, and having a sense of breakthrough madness.”

You can view the winning works here.

It’s still just past noon! The afternoon report continues.