"Bringing the Excitement Further Into the City": DeNA's Tomoko Namba and Yokohama Vanilla's Yuto Takahashi on Wonderia Yokohama and Yokohama's Potential

Wonderia Yokohama is a hands-on experience facility that opened inside BASEGATE Yokohama, a mixed-use complex in front of JR Kannai Station, and it uses the latest digital technology. The facility has six zones with different themes, laid out so that visitors move through spaces such as the deep sea, caves, the open sky and the city in sequence.

A dedicated "Wonderia app" is also available. When visitors scan creatures that appear in the visuals with a smartphone, detailed information is displayed on the spot. The experience is structured like a game, with visitors moving through the zones while clearing missions, and during filming it was introduced as something children can enjoy too, with a screen shown displaying a creature that had been "caught." The program highlighted the LED immersive tunnel, one of the largest in Japan, as a key attraction. Visitors can reportedly experience being surrounded by visuals from overhead to underfoot.

How will an experience-based facility change the flow of people and the energy of the Kannai area? Answering this question, Namba noted that Yokohama Stadium already has the excitement of the BayStars, and said the company wants to spread that excitement "further into the city, together with the city." Namba said they are very much looking forward to seeing it spread.

Takahashi explained that Yokohama Vanilla is a company that creates "Yokohama's new go-to souvenir." Takahashi hopes there will be more facilities that make Yokohama even livelier, and feels that the arrival of Wonderia Yokohama will significantly change the character of tourism in Yokohama. Takahashi also said a facility packed with the latest technology is a good fit for Yokohama. Takahashi's view is that one of Yokohama's attractions is its balance of preserving historic buildings while new ones keep going up, and that the city's color is visibly changing as new tourist spots are added to that mix.

Asked about touring the facility together, Takahashi recalled that Namba's way of looking at things was a "seriously, seriously real inspection," and that the feedback was given in a very practical way. Namba said this was the first time seeing the facility in its completed state. To Takahashi, Namba appeared to be looking for points where a final round of polishing could still be done just before the opening.

Takahashi was interested in this because they have the same struggle. At Yokohama Vanilla, the packaging and store design have to be entrusted to creators. Takahashi feels that the "clean" approach would be to sign off as long as the requirements are met, but ends up getting bothered by details and chiming in more and more. Seeing how Namba engaged, Takahashi thought, "So this is how you get involved," and asked how deliberate Namba is about the comments. Namba replied, "I can't help noticing things either."

According to Namba, they always speak too bluntly, and apparently a lot of people end up discouraged. With one week left before the opening, the team on the ground had already built up a great deal of work. Namba feels bad about "me, who hasn't broken a sweat," showing up and pointing out one thing after another, but still ends up saying it. Namba added, however, that at this stage they are careful about how things are said, and understand that some things can be done and some cannot.

Namba also touched on the difference between IT companies and food makers. With food, what you release goes straight into people's mouths, so there is no undoing it. IT companies don't launch services lightly either, but the real work starts after launch. After release, every team member is exposed to user feedback far harsher than Namba's comments, and they update the service in response. For DeNA, the opening is the beginning, and the organization is used to making repeated improvements based on users' voices. Namba said they are not too worried about that, since trusted team members are in charge.

Namba says they are not a representative user, either. Once, at a management meeting, Namba said, "I would never use something like this," only to be told, "Unfortunately, Namba-san, the target users are women in their 20s," and the comment was not taken on board. Namba thinks that is about right and healthy. In Namba's view, it goes without saying that customers are far more important than people who act important within the organization, and things should be improved through direct feedback from customers.

When Takahashi asked when this way of thinking changed, Namba talked about the early days. Namba used to give detailed instructions about things like button sizes, how rounded the corners were and colors, to a degree that would make designers laugh. But users were dropping off at points Namba hadn't paid attention to, and sometimes the version before the changes turned out to be more popular. On the internet, you can run as many A/B tests as you like. Wonderia is a physical space, so that isn't easy, but Namba said it is possible to change things from time to time and gauge the difference in reactions. Namba recalled initially using terms like "finished product" and "finished version." In the internet industry that sounded amateurish, and people said, "Namba-san doesn't get it," but Namba said they learned quickly.

What Namba paid the most attention to during that day's inspection was reportedly the user repeat rate. Since it would be a problem if people came once and never returned, Namba checked whether there was a system in place to properly track it. Takahashi said it was striking how thoroughly Namba asked about that point. Namba laughed and said they want to ask much, much more about it and can't help being curious.

As for the experience itself, Namba said it was "fun." Namba is surprisingly "someone whose soul doesn't get easily captured," but said there were spaces that were quite immersive. Takahashi singled out the second zone, themed around the ocean. Takahashi said you are drawn into its world the moment you set foot in it, and Namba agreed that you get pulled in because there is nothing superfluous. Takahashi said that beyond the visuals, the music, which draws you deeper and deeper into the experience, was also enjoyable.

What got the two most excited were the effects that work not only on a flat plane but also above and below. Takahashi said the visuals underfoot, which make it feel like falling from above the clouds, were nerve-racking. Namba said, "Maybe we'd want all of it to be like that," and suggested that it might go that way once the facility is earning a certain amount properly.

They also talked about catching creatures with the app. According to Namba, the record of what you have caught is not reset after one visit but accumulates like a card collection. Whether you can encounter certain creatures depends on the time of year and the season, and new creatures can be added. When Takahashi said that if new creatures arrive, they would want to go catch them again, Namba replied, "We have to show what a game company is really capable of." The facility is positioned as something that will keep changing after it opens.

The conversation turned to the idea of making Yokohama a city where entrepreneurs grow. Namba considers Yokohama a place that is open to new things, and said there could be more entrepreneurs emerging from it. On the other hand, Namba pointed out that because it is so close to Tokyo, civic pride has a hard time developing, and many people commute to Tokyo during the day. Takahashi agreed, saying it has become a bedroom community and some people see "Tokyo as the final destination." Even so, Namba said the atmosphere of Yokohama is something special: relaxed, and somehow feeling more historic than Tokyo.

Takahashi shared a message written to convey their feelings about Yokohama in their first fundraising pitch: "Tokyo is a sauna; Yokohama is a bedrock bath." Tokyo is hot, but the comfort of Yokohama is like a bedrock bath. Takahashi attributes this atmosphere to the concentration of entertainment facilities in the Minato Mirai area, which means you can have fun without going to Tokyo, and to the fact that the city has a baseball team that represents Yokohama and generates excitement. Takahashi then said there could be more people starting businesses in Yokohama, and Namba responded, "I think so too."

Namba asked why Takahashi came to love Yokohama so much. Takahashi is a true-born "Hamakko," a Yokohama native, and had never once gone to Tokyo before starting a career in entertainment at 15. When Namba said, "So this was your universe," Takahashi said yes. Wherever they go in Yokohama, there are memories, and back then Takahashi was so content that they never even felt stressed. After heading to Tokyo alone as a teenager, the feelings from that time and the occasional trips back to Yokohama kept Takahashi going. Leaving made Takahashi realize how much they love Yokohama. That is why Takahashi started the company, out of a vague desire to create something that could become the face of their hometown.

Namba's involvement with Yokohama began with the acquisition of the baseball team. Namba is from Niigata, and DeNA is a company born in Shibuya, so Yokohama was new territory. Locals would ask, "What's DeNA?" but Yokohama was a warm place for newcomers, Namba said. At first, Namba didn't know how to run a baseball team and was desperately going through trial and error. Even then, the people of Yokohama supported them, Namba said.

The turning point was acquiring the operating company of Yokohama Stadium through a tender offer. Once in the position of managing a building, Namba said, you can feel the history in a building and the land, and the feelings of many different people, including those here now and those who have passed away, and that power is something mysterious. Until then, Namba had been working hard at running the team and desperately trying not to cause trouble for the people of Yokohama, but now felt an overflowing affection for the city. This time, DeNA is in the position of developing land and is also a tenant. Namba said they are pursuing "Excitement into the city" with the attitude of "sticking with it all the way."

Takahashi said the BayStars also played a big part in falling in love with Yokohama. The team was not originally strong, finishing last again and again, and fans were sometimes ridiculed. One employee at Takahashi's company was a senior teammate from the baseball club. That person was originally a Chunichi fan and is now a BayStars fan, but back then went as far as saying, "If the BayStars win the pennant, I'll shave my head."

Even so, Takahashi said that after DeNA became the parent company, fans could support the team with their heads held high. Being able to have that pride as an elementary and junior high school student deepened Takahashi's love for Yokohama, and that became one of the major factors in deciding to found Yokohama Vanilla. Namba responded that the team's staff would be very happy to hear this, since they too had struggled and worked hard. The two exchanged the words "Team Yokohama, let's do our best," and Takahashi said they hope it becomes a city where more and more people take on challenges.

As a concrete collaboration between the two, there is Yokohama Vanilla's Wonderia Yokohama-exclusive packaging. It uses Wonderia's colors, and the actual product arrived for the first time at the filming. Namba had assumed it was already on sale, but it had not yet been released. Takahashi explained that they really wanted to incorporate Wonderia's futuristic, memorable colors. Namba described them as colors that lift your spirits, and after tasting the product, said it was "delicious."

Takahashi also talked about the difficulties of product development. They visited the factory many times, and even when a prototype finally seemed right, the flavor would change once it was adapted for factory production. After repeating this many times, it took about a year and a half to get to where it is now. Namba told Takahashi never to forget that commitment to flavor and product, no matter how big the company gets. Takahashi said they made this packaging feeling as if they had been welcomed into "Team Wonderia."

Looking ahead, Takahashi said they are currently focused earnestly on becoming the first thing Yokohama residents think of when they hear "Yokohama souvenir," in other words, achieving top-of-mind recall. Takahashi aims for "Yokohama souvenir equals Yokohama Vanilla," and as a company, wants to grow into a Yokohama-born startup that can deliver "delicious, happy and fun."

Finally, the two were asked for a message to viewers. Takahashi described Yokohama as a city with history that isn't afraid of change, a city overflowing with entertainment where smiles never fade. Takahashi said that is Yokohama's unique strength, and that it is a city that captivates anyone who visits once. Saying they want to work together with everyone who wants to energize the city to make Yokohama even more attractive, Takahashi called on viewers to "Come to Yokohama and be captivated."

Namba said Yokohama is a wonderful city with its port, blue skies, flowers, baseball, and Yokohama Vanilla too. Namba wants people not only across Japan but around the world to know how good this city is. Namba closed by saying that once people have come, they hope those visitors will join the side that brings others in and help energize the city together.