Former Japan National Team Footballer Keita Suzuki on "Investing in Your Appearance" and How to Build Confidence

Suzuki's position is clear. Grooming leads to confidence, and confidence leads to performance. Grooming is not only for oneself but also for building relationships with others, and today's businesspeople should place investment in their appearance "quite high" on their list of priorities.

Suzuki's day begins by waking up at 5 a.m. Right after getting up, Suzuki goes out to exercise, has breakfast, and then heads to the office. On days with business dinners, Suzuki eats out, but because Suzuki has recently come to consider sleep very important, the aim is to be home by around 10 p.m. and in bed by 11.

Asked about time that is truly their own, Suzuki answered that it is the roughly two hours from 5 to 7 a.m., between waking up and going to the office. Getting up early feels good, and so does going to bed early. That is why Suzuki wants to make the most of the morning hours, which has been their routine for the past four or five years. On the morning of the recording, too, Suzuki apparently got a good workout in before coming.

MC Okui described people who handle demanding days as "business athletes" and posed the question of whether, for such people, taking care of their appearance is not a chore but an investment in building their condition for the day.

Asked first what "good condition" means, Suzuki answered that it means being healthy in both mind and body. Good relationships are also part of one's condition, but even to have good relationships, it is important first for one's own mind and body to be in good shape. Breaking it down further, it divides into diet, exercise, sleep, and mental state. Suzuki considers "building condition" to mean keeping these in good shape and running as a cycle.

From there, Suzuki talked about their own habits along three themes: "what I always do on the morning of a big day," "the one thing I never skip, even on busy days," and "moments when work changed because I took care of my appearance."

As the thing Suzuki always does on the morning of a big day, Suzuki named walking. In practice it is sometimes strength training or running, but the goal is the same: to increase blood flow.

The morning of a big day brings tension, and you need to get your body awake. In Suzuki's case, raising the heart rate to around 120 once and getting the blood circulating makes the body feel very energized. Conversely, heading out still sleepy, turning things over in your head and thinking "but today is an important day," is not good, Suzuki says. Wake the body, wake the mind. That is what the walking is for.

When Okui asked whether increasing blood flow calms the mind, Suzuki said that is part of it, but added that it could also be described as the head working better, becoming clearer. Clearing not just the body but the head is a key point, Suzuki said.

What was surprising was how short the exercise is. Even when running on an important day, it is only about 5 or 10 minutes. People are surprised when Suzuki tells them, asking "Is that really enough?" But since Suzuki is aiming not at the time spent running but at raising the heart rate and improving blood flow, Suzuki considers it sufficient. Doing it longer is not necessarily better, in Suzuki's view.

For the second theme, Suzuki answered, "I always eat breakfast." When asked in the studio, many people, starting with Okui, said they skip breakfast. To Okui's comment that on busy days people tend to prioritize sleep over breakfast, Suzuki acknowledged that sleep is also important, but said that the busier the day, the more Suzuki makes a point of eating properly. Suzuki would like to sit down to eat, but if there is no other option, will sometimes eat standing up.

Suzuki gave two reasons. One is that humans move their bodies using what they metabolize from the food they eat, and their bodies are made of it as well. The other is that eating breakfast, like getting morning sunlight, is like pressing the switch on your body clock. That is why Suzuki thinks it is better to make a conscious effort to eat regularly, at as close to the same time as possible each morning.

When traveling abroad with the Japan national team, Suzuki also adjusted by the timing of breakfast. Exercise and sleep also help adjust to time differences, but eating properly creates your own rhythm. Even when busy, putting something in your mouth, even just a banana, and getting energy into your body before starting your activities improves performance, Suzuki says.

You don't need to worry too much about what exactly you must eat, Suzuki says. Suzuki would like people to choose foods that are good for the body, but even more important is "chewing," so if possible, rather than getting by on drinks alone, it is better to properly chew solid food, Suzuki recommends. However, Suzuki also noted that this is simply what they do personally and that they have no intention of imposing it on others.

The third theme was appearance. According to Suzuki, for a professional athlete, not taking care of one's appearance is basically out of the question, because being looked at is part of the job. Suzuki also wanted to be a player children would look up to. As a child, Suzuki admired professional footballers and professional athletes, and would have hated it if those people looked sloppy. So Suzuki wants athletes to look cool, and has tried to do so themselves.

So what changes when you take care of your grooming? Suzuki's answer is that "it leads to confidence." There is a way of thinking where you ask how you would behave, and how you would treat people, if you had the mindset of a player you admire. In the same way, Suzuki suggests, once your grooming starts to come together, your mindset may start to become like that of a top-ranked business athlete. Suzuki says that was actually true in their own case.

As a concrete episode from their playing days, Suzuki revealed going to a hair salon once every two weeks. As someone who was in the public eye, keeping their hair neat gave Suzuki confidence and became a kind of "ritual." Suzuki apparently disliked it when their hair grew out even a little. Okui responded that she had also felt that footballers' hairstyles always looked the same on TV.

Suzuki went on to say that businesspeople who keep themselves properly groomed look confident and look capable. Whether they are actually capable is another matter, but Suzuki considers looking that way to be important. It was a given in the professional world, but Suzuki says they still pay close attention to it after retiring. Suzuki also said, "Don't you want to buy products from someone who's confident?"

In response, ANGFA's Sakuraba said this overlaps with what they hear in customer interviews. Many people say that during periods when they were worried about their hair or scalp, they lost confidence in themselves and didn't want to see people. On the other hand, there are also voices saying that by using the products and taking care of themselves, they gained confidence, became able to talk to the opposite sex with assurance, and became more positive about their work.

Okui also said that after a haircut she feels like seeing people, while when her hair has grown out a lot she sometimes feels like she doesn't want to, expressing empathy with the sense that grooming leads to confidence and sociability.

When Okui prompted, "Confidence and performance go hand in hand," Suzuki brought up the question of which comes first, confidence or performance. Do you gain confidence because your performance is good, or does performance follow because you have confidence? Suzuki thinks it doesn't matter which comes first.

However, Suzuki says there is an advantage to going in with confidence. If you play with apparent confidence and the performance doesn't follow, you simply need to practice. But if you play without confidence, it becomes hard to tell what went right and what went wrong mentally. That is why having confidence is important.

And to have that confidence, you need to do your daily training properly and build up a track record of "I've done this much." Confidence doesn't come from doing nothing; it builds up precisely because you have done the work. Performance lies beyond that—this is the relationship as Suzuki sees it.

Asked whether taking care of one's appearance also contributes to building condition, Suzuki answered, "It's all linked." First there is a goal, and grooming, confidence, and effort are the means to achieve it. So the appropriate grooming changes depending on what you want to gain, Suzuki says.

For example, if you want to treat the people you do business with sincerely and want them to see you as serious, taking care of your appearance is the quickest way. From the perspective of building relationships as well, grooming is not just for yourself; it is important for building relationships with others, Suzuki said. Suzuki added that of course it differs by type of job.

Asked whether appearance is an investment, Suzuki answered that it is an investment in yourself and also an investment in doing your work. Finding grooming a hassle may, in a sense, also mean that you don't have to worry about the small details. Even so, Suzuki considers being thought of as "that person really has it together" an important point in building relationships.

Asked whether, as an executive, there had been moments when Suzuki felt a return from investing in their appearance, Suzuki answered that rather than feeling a return, there had been times of failure. At a gathering in a very casual setting, someone showed up properly dressed, and Suzuki thought, "I should have brought a jacket," "I should have worn something with a collar." Suzuki doesn't think anyone would be judged on appearance alone, but felt they might lose a little credibility.

According to Suzuki, because there are few times when they aren't groomed in daily life, it is actually hard to feel the benefit of "I'm glad I was well groomed." That is why the loss is felt more strongly. During the conversation, the topic also came up of having heard from a psychology expert that Japanese people tend to feel anxiety easily and perceive losses more strongly.

On the other hand, Suzuki also cited the experience of going to a business dinner properly dressed and feeling that the restaurant staff treated them a little differently. Although occasions requiring formal attire have decreased recently, Suzuki feels somehow uneasy without a jacket. Even if the cut is a bit relaxed, Suzuki says they make a point of looking proper, since at their age they need to present themselves well.

How much priority should ordinary businesspeople give to investing in their appearance? Suzuki's answer was that nowadays, not putting it quite high on the list might be a problem. Of course, this rests on the premise that the essence is having a clear goal and being good at your job, which comes first.

With that said, Suzuki sees that a culture of "being healthy and working hard" has now arrived in Japan too. The era when it was fine to be poorly groomed as long as you were highly capable is over. Suzuki feels there has been a big increase in businesspeople who are capable, live healthy lives, and are well groomed. That is why grooming should be given higher priority. However, Suzuki stressed that this is purely a personal opinion.

ANGFA's Sakuraba reiterated that when hearing directly from customers, many say that people who previously lacked confidence became more positive after using the products. Sakuraba feels that even if results don't appear right away, the act of taking care of oneself itself leads to confidence. Sakuraba said they hope people who are struggling will casually start by taking care of their grooming.

When Okui said that perhaps hair care could also be thought of as a ritual, Suzuki said something had struck them while listening. Thinking about why self-care leads to confidence, it comes down to the difference between "things you can control" and "things you can't control." Taking care of yourself is something you can control. As that gradually builds up, it becomes confidence. On the other hand, the results of your performance are not something you can control. So rather than chasing results, it is better to keep steadily doing the things you should do that are within your control. Suzuki said they now understood that this is what customers mean when they say "I gained confidence."

In the second half, Sakuraba explained the brand and its products. According to Sakuraba, ANGFA originally started as an AGA clinic, beginning by making shampoo for patients. In 2005, it began offering shampoo to the general public under the Scalp D brand, and it is now in its 21st year. Sakuraba says that having sold scalp shampoo based on the idea of washing not just the hair but the scalp has been supported as a functional strength. Currently, centered on shampoo, the company handles a variety of products related to hair and scalp, including hair growth tonics, hair growth treatments, and wax that makes hair look thicker.

What the brand values, Sakuraba says, is easing anxieties and worries through continued reliable care, and creating breathing room in people's minds. Some people don't see results right away, but many customers say they gained confidence and peace of mind from taking care of themselves, so the company believes it is contributing on the emotional side as well.

There was also discussion of how the entry point is changing. According to Sakuraba, the company's sales have been strong recently, and the AGA market itself is booming. Many people think of clinics when they hear AGA, but sales of hair growth treatments are also growing in society at large. Sakuraba said they want to be an accessible brand that can reduce even a little of the "time spent worrying" for people who want to take care of themselves but don't know where to start, or who want to start with home care but don't know which product to choose. Sakuraba also said that preventive medicine is at the core of the company's thinking, and it recommends starting care early once you begin to notice concerns.

Sakuraba introduced the hair growth treatment "Scalp D Medical Minoki 5 Premium" as a men's hair growth treatment for androgenetic alopecia. Before explaining, Sakuraba asked Suzuki about the difference between hair growth tonics and hair growth treatments, and Suzuki answered, "I have no idea." According to Sakuraba's explanation, a hair growth tonic keeps existing hair healthy and prevents hair loss. A hair growth treatment, on the other hand, is a pharmaceutical that grows new hair.

Sakuraba listed three key points. The first is the ingredients: according to Sakuraba, the product contains 5% minoxidil, the maximum amount within approval standards, which is the only ingredient recognized for its hair growth effect in OTC drugs. The "Minoki 5" in the product name comes from this. The product also contains an ingredient that suppresses excess sebum secretion and an ingredient that conditions the scalp environment, for a total of three active ingredients. Sakuraba also explained that while products like this tend to drip when applied, this one is designed to drip less.

The second is the purchasing method: because everything from the medical questionnaire to the purchase can be completed online, Sakuraba cited as a strength that people can take the first step anytime, anywhere. The third is building the foundation. If the scalp is clogged with dirt, no matter how good a medicine you apply, it won't penetrate, so Sakuraba says it is important first to wash away sebum and dirt with shampoo and prepare the foundation. The brand as a whole is designed to support that kind of care, and the company's view is that it offers the ease of being able to continue by leaving things to the brand, rather than just using the hair growth treatment.

After hearing this, Suzuki admitted that, honestly, they hadn't paid much attention to scalp care until now. Suzuki often hears that scalp condition is important, but came to understand that it isn't about seeking immediate results—what matters is building it up day by day as prevention—and said they thought it was about time they started taking proper care too.

Finally, looking back on the day's theme, Suzuki said they were reminded once again that grooming leads to having confidence. Hair care, eating breakfast, and walking in the morning are all things you can control. Steadily continuing to do what you can leads to confidence, and that confidence leads to performance. So we should keep building up the things we can do—that was what Suzuki said they had learned, by way of closing.