The Road to a New Launch, Part 25. On this auspicious deadline day, I head toward a new journey starting March 31st.

Phew, it's almost done. While the anchors who are finishing up the data to be handed to the printing house are still silently continuing their work, my editorial tasks are complete. All that remains is the occasional check of the final data to be entrusted to the printer.

How many nights have I spent here?

My goodness, it was an intense job, to say the least. It is a single volume consisting of 132 pages, including the cover. Thanks to the 8 pages of advertisements, I managed to create and check 124 pages and get it to the point of final proofing.

It has been a long time since I last launched a magazine. It feels strange, but I feel like I am in a dream. I don't want to wake up. I have never experienced such a dreamlike state in my life. These days have reaffirmed that I truly love magazine work. No matter how many nights I spend here, it is not a burden.

Magazine making is heavily influenced by luck, with things not going as planned or, conversely, manuscripts coming in that exceed expectations. And ultimately, the editor-in-chief's true ability seeps through. I have to gather editors, writers, photographers, designers, and supporting staff, and guide them so that each can demonstrate their strengths. In that respect, I have some regrets, but there are also many parts where I feel we did well. A perfect score of 100 is likely impossible in a lifetime, but I highly praise myself for the fact that I poured my time into it to the fullest.

Creating a barrier and summoning

Someone told me that the "Kanreki Ishin" (60th Birthday Restoration) is the world's first magazine specializing in the 60th birthday. Indeed, while there are countless magazines for the elderly as a generation, it is refreshing to be so direct about the 60th birthday. I see, we are not a lifestyle magazine, but a specialized magazine. A Honda man I once respected was amazed at the motorcycle magazines I launched one after another and called me a categorizer. This is a very happy compliment and the concept of my work. Create a barrier and breathe heat into it. Then, excitement, emotion, and impossible communication are created. This is my catchphrase.Kanreki Ishin is the world's first magazine specializing in the 60th birthday. Indeed, while there are countless magazines for the elderly as a generation, it is refreshing to be so direct about the 60th birthday. I see, we are not a lifestyle magazine, but a specialized magazine. A Honda man I once respected was amazed at the motorcycle magazines I launched one after another and called me a categorizer. This is a very happy compliment and the concept of my work. Create a barrier and breathe heat into it. Then, excitement, emotion, and impossible communication are created. This is my catchphrase.

I call the barrier for those who love the Showa era the "Showa-bito Secret Base." The activity that serves as its symbol is the Showa 100th Anniversary Festival. Added to this as a new symbol is the magazine version of "Kanreki Ishin." The "R55+" crowned on the cover will become this year's buzzword award winner (!?), but many people in this age group love the Showa era. They can become members of the "Showa-bito Secret Base" just as they are. The three-stage application of the barrier is completed here. Therefore, this launch is highly significant, and it will strengthen the barrier in tandem with the "Showa 100th Anniversary Festival."

Now, from here on, it is a complete digression. This auspicious day happens to coincide with my 300th consecutive day on "note." As for the "Showa-bito Secret Base," it has been 1133 consecutive days, which feels as auspicious as having two Oh-sans and two Nagashima-sans. 1, 3, 7, 8—isn't that nice? The company name that became my gateway to the current industry was Sanwa Kikaku, my birthday is the 31st, and the release date is also March 31st. It is a coincidence, but I couldn't feel better. And with that, I apologize for the digression.