A leader who continues to run at the forefront of the business scene and his beloved cars who have walked the rugged path of corporate management together. For them, is a car just a way to commute, or a dream itself? A serial project “President and Car” that unravels the wonderful relationship between the president and the car. The 5th guest is Mr. Satomi Toguchi, the chairman of Puma Toguchi Boxing Gym, the representative director of the Japan Cryotherapy Promotion Association, and the representative of “℃RYO TOKYO”.
Satomi Toguchi
In 2001, she opened “Puma Toguchi Boxing Gym” with her former professional boxer and ex-husband Puma Toguchi. She currently serves as chairman. After that, she felt the possibility of “cryotherapy”, which relieves pain in inflamed areas by cryotherapy, and opened the cryotherapy salon “℃RYO TOKYO”. She also established the Japan Cryotherapy Promotion Association, a general incorporated foundation, and became its representative director in order to further spread cryotherapy in Japan.
Puma Toguchi Boxing Gym
Opened in 2001. As the only professional boxing association affiliated gym in Minato-ku, Tokyo, we handle training of professional boxers and exercises for beginners.
[Puma Toguchi Boxing Gym Official Website]
℃RYO TOKYO
Located in Azabu Juban, Tokyo, this salon offers state-of-the-art cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is called “cryotherapy” and uses liquid nitrogen to cool the whole body for 2 to 3 minutes in an ultra-low temperature cabin of -120 ℃ to -196 ℃, reducing inflammation and blood flow. promote the flow of The US-made impact cryo was introduced for the first time in Japan.
[℃RYO TOKYO official website]
Boxing gym and cryotherapy salon management
──First of all, please tell us about the company you currently run.
He is the chairman of Puma Toguchi Boxing Gym, the representative of ℃RYO TOKYO in Azabujuban, and the representative director of the Japan Cryotherapy Promotion Association.
──I heard that the first thing you started was a boxing gym.
yes. Jim is 21 years old this year.
──Could you tell us more about ℃RYO TOKYO?
It is a salon that provides cold therapy called cryotherapy. Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to cool the inside of the cabin to about -180 degrees, and entering the cabin efficiently promotes blood flow in a short time.
When I was looking for a new recovery method when I saw a professional boxer who went to a boxing gym and was struggling with injuries and weight loss, I discovered this cryotherapy and thought, “This is it.” At Cryo Tokyo, we import the latest models directly from the United States and install them.
──I sometimes see overseas athletes using them on social media.
The sensible temperature in the cabin is about -5 degrees, so many people say that they were able to complete it unexpectedly. I feel my whole body getting cold, but it’s smoke so my body doesn’t get wet. Once you get used to it, it becomes a habit, and I use it almost every day (laughs).
──I would like to ask about your career and your favorite car over the years. When did you get your license for the first time?
I am 21 years old. It was the time when I had just become a member of society. At that time, there was still a cultural feeling that a man would drive a car to pick you up.
──By the way, what kind of work were you doing at the time?
I used to work in the real estate industry, but at the time, it was a very fortunate time and company, and I was driving the Crown Majesta that the company prepared for employees. I think it was treated as a company car, but I used it as I liked as if it was my own (laughs).
── At the age of 21, you had “Someday a Crown” in your hand.
yes. But at the time, I didn’t even know what kind of car the Crown was, so I said, “Why is it so big?” However, the president’s idea was, “If you first get into a small car, it will be difficult to ride even though it is big.
──How long have you been riding the Crown?
I rode for about two and a half years. After working in real estate, she also worked in the jewelry industry, but after having a child, she quit her job and was a housewife for about 10 years. You started a boxing gym the same year your third son was born.
──What kind of car did you drive when your child was little?
After my third child was born, I was driving a navy step wagon. I remember it being handy for getting kids in and out. It was a convenient car that carried a lot of luggage and was easy to drive.
I can die because I love you
──Please tell us how you started the boxing gym.
My ex-husband used to be a professional boxer, but when he was active, he was also a trainer, so he seemed to know the joy of teaching others. My goal was to create a gym where I could do it.
At that time, I was a housewife, so I started from a place where I didn’t know anything, found this place, raised funds, and practically took shape in two months.
──It’s amazingly fast. I think speed is an important factor for managers.
Anyway, it’s about being “addicted”. When I decide to do something, I do it thoroughly. Nowadays, we often hear the phrase “turn what you love into a job”, but in the past, it wasn’t like that.
But my way of thinking is a little different.
──So this is the 21st year of the gym you started.
The theme of this gym is how to maintain the original form at the time of opening. It’s a place where many stars from home and abroad have set foot in so far, so I want to leave that atmosphere.
The other is for the hungry spirit. In a famous story, there is an episode that Floyd Mayweather does not train at a high-class gym, but still uses a very old gym in the suburbs. I think I’m doing it so I don’t forget.
Of course, we incorporate the latest science in areas where it is necessary, such as diet and recovery, but in the end, it is blood, sweat, and tears. If you don’t practice in a place where you can feel that kind of thing, I don’t think you’ll be able to stick to the last step.
Cryotherapy and boxing seem to be polar opposites, and both are very important to me.
Why cars are essential for business owners
──What kind of car did you drive after opening the boxing gym?
It’s a Jaguar XJ that I inherited from my mother. The combination of black body color and red interior looks like a poisonous spider, and I really like it. At that time, gym players were playing matches at Korakuen Hall, so I often went to Suidobashi. The XJ is the car I’ve owned the longest, I think he had it for about 8 years.
──Please tell us about your current favorite car.
I currently drive a Jaguar XJ (4th generation). I bought it at a store run by a former gym trainee. The crown, which is the origin of my car history, was a white sedan, so I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.
──When you bought the Jaguar XJ, what kind of time did you spend as president?
He had just started a cryotherapy business and established an association. Therefore, every day was a series of decisions, and it was a time when I needed a lot of time to be alone. There was a cafe I liked on the shores of Lake Sagami, so I used to drive there for about an hour each way, have tea, read, and listen to music in the car on my way home.
With the sunroof, you can drive comfortably on sunny days, and you can drive long distances comfortably without getting tired. Since it is frequently sent out for maintenance, there are no major problems so far.
──If you were the president of an automobile manufacturer, what kind of car would you like to make?
I try to bring water when I get in the car, but I often forget to buy it on the way, so it would be nice to have a water dispenser in the car (laughs).
──Please tell us about your future goals, Mr. Toguchi.
Currently, at Cryo Tokyo, we have introduced the latest equipment from Europe and the United States. Originally, I think that this kind of trade is something that large companies proceed slowly and carefully, but in my case, I am a small company with a light foot, so there is no time lag with overseas and almost at the same time. Progress is being made.
Flying to my favorite country and discovering new things has been something I’ve longed for since I was a child, so I would like to continue flying around the world through cryo in the same way and spread it to Japan.
As for the boxing gym, my son, who turned 20 last year, became the manager and has been entrusted with the operation. The boxing gym opened the year his son was born, and considering the generational change, I focus on aftercare and support maintenance for trainees.
──What does a car mean to you, Toguchi-san?
When I’m pressed to make a decision, when I want to refresh myself, and so on, when I hit a wall, I always ride, so it’s a very important time mentally. I spend most of my time alone in the car, so it’s a must-have for me.
Managers think that every day is a series of decisions. In that sense, the car is like a “moving room” and is very useful for organizing my thoughts. When I was a kid, I always wanted a door, but now a car is close to that for me.
Although he had no experience in management, he managed to open a boxing gym by himself, and then started a cryotherapy business, which had not yet penetrated in Japan. In addition, she is Satomi Watakuchi, who is currently serving as the representative director of the Japan Cryotherapy Promotion Association. Mr. Watakuchi, who believes in “don’t lie to yourself,” has seen over the years his power and consistency as a manager, a boxer whose insides and results are all exposed in the ring. It may be an aesthetic eye that was born because I saw it in front of. Her views on management and recent boxing industry content that couldn’t be written here is available on MOBY’s official YouTube.
Written by Go Yonaga
Photo by Ryota Sato
Interview shooting location ・ Puma Toguchi Boxing Gym (1-25-3 Higashiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo Tomita Building 2F)
[Video]Satomi Toguchi x Jaguar XJ
Please watch the video for the interview content that could not be posted!