LAMM Inc. (Headquarters: Arakawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kota Nimura), a group of people living their own lives with the concept of "sustaining serious play," operates the radio program "Nippori Seminar," where guests from diverse career backgrounds teach about business and culture.

This time, we feature Eriko Kitao, Representative Director and CEO of Pinpin Kirari Inc., as our 38th guest.

The first part of the guest episode with Eriko Kitao, Representative Director and CEO of Pinpin Kirari Inc., is scheduled to be distributed on various podcasts from 7:00 PM on July 3, 2026 (Fri).

Eriko Kitao was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1988 and raised in Nara Prefecture. In junior high school, she had a strong desire to become a magazine model, and at that time, she traveled to Tokyo's Harajuku Takeshita Street to be scouted, demonstrating her proactive nature. In her first year of high school, she debuted as an idol under the name "Eri Kohinata." Wanting to further her activities in Tokyo, she decided to move and enrolled in Yokohama National University. During her university years, she became engrossed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, even obtaining a Level 1 certification in the Three Kingdoms Kentei. It was through the promotion of the movie "Red Cliff," based on the Three Kingdoms, that she began her activities as a "history idol" (Rekidoru). She gained popularity and was extremely busy with appearances as a main MC on television, quiz shows, and radio, as well as publishing books. Kitao recalls that period as having so little sleep that she experienced hallucinations. Despite this, she continued her energetic activities and in 2012, founded a company that handled the sale of Bakumatsu-era goods. While continuing her entertainment career, she also spent her days learning about company management. It was then that she saw her grandmother, who had worked for many years, retire and lose her vitality. Thinking, "Is there anything I can do?" she was inspired to establish a new company, "Pinpin Kirari Inc. (formerly Pinpin Korori)," in 2015. Centered around the home life support service "Kirari Life Support," the company develops services with the mission of creating a sense of purpose for the senior generation. In 2020, she retired from the entertainment industry to focus on management and is currently striving daily for business expansion.

Kitao states, "I've only accomplished about 3% of what I want to do." She is thinking about a future where seniors can spend their time enjoyably for Japan's super-aged society. She discusses her plans in detail over two parts. Please listen until the end.

▶ Radio Distribution Channels

https://nippori.lamm.tokyo/

https://lit.link/nipporizemi

About the Radio Program "Nippori Seminar"?

This radio program invites guests with multiple titles to learn about "career" and "culture." The program name "Nippori Seminar" was chosen with the desire to grow together through mutual learning, much like a university seminar or research group. The program is divided into "Main Episodes," where we hear the experiences and thoughts of various guests, and "Supplementary Episodes," where LAMM's representative, Kota Nimura, and LAMM members delve deeper into topics of interest. New episodes are delivered weekly. We are accepting questions and feedback via the X hashtag "#日暮里ゼミナール"!

Nippori Seminar Official Website: https://nippori.lamm.tokyo/

Scene from radio recording

38th Guest: Eriko Kitao, Representative Director and CEO of Pinpin Kirari Inc.

Our guest this time is Eriko Kitao, Representative Director and CEO of Pinpin Kirari Inc. Raised in a family of entrepreneurs, including her father, uncle, and cousins, she was influenced to think, "I want to start my own company someday" since her student days. She also describes herself as having an "otaku-like disposition," harboring interests in various fields and pursuing them thoroughly. This spirit of inquiry is the driving force behind her challenges as a "Rekidoru" and an entrepreneur.

Currently, she is developing employment support services primarily for housewives and women after retirement. The origin of this initiative lies in seeing her grandmother lose her vitality after retiring from her long-time job. "Just because you reach retirement age doesn't mean your work disappears entirely. I realized there was a need for a system that allows people to maintain social connections while gradually reducing their workload," she explains her motivation. In the future, she aims not only to provide workplaces for seniors but also to create a community where "Kirari-san" (employees' affectionate nickname) can connect and prevent isolation, and to build a system that allows for sharing work feedback and health status in cooperation with their families.

Under the company philosophy, "Delivering 'joy' to seniors in various areas such as work, learning, and hobbies. A society where people can smile and say, 'Today is also happy,' no matter their age. In this one life, smiling is the winning strategy," Kitao is developing her business. Her social contribution efforts and the future she envisions are noteworthy.

From left: Kota Nimura, Eriko Kitao, Yasutaka Yamamoto (LAMM member)

Part one of the guest episode featuring Eriko Kitao, Representative Director and CEO of Pinpin Kirari Inc., titled "#154 From History Idol to Business Owner [Guest: Eriko Kitao]," will be released from 7:00 PM on July 3, 2026 (Fri), and part two, titled "#156 For a Future Where Seniors Can Shine Brighter [Guest: Eriko Kitao]," will be released from 7:00 PM on July 17, 2026 (Fri). Please enjoy them until the end!

Listen to the radio here

Distributed on various platforms

Eriko Kitao, Representative Director and CEO of Pinpin Kirari Inc.

Born into a family of entrepreneurs. After graduating from Yokohama National University, she founded Casteylla Inc. in 2012, operating an e-commerce site for Bakumatsu-era goods and a ryokan business. In 2014, she served as an executive officer as a founding member of a startup.

In 2017, seeing her grandmother lose her vitality after quitting her job, she established Pinpin Kirari Inc. (formerly Pinpin Korori). Centered around "Kirari Life Support" (formerly "Tokyo Kaasan"), she develops services with the mission of creating a sense of purpose for the senior generation.

Pinpin Kirari Inc. Official HP: https://corp.kirari.co.jp/

LAMM Inc.

Representative: Kota Nimura URL: https://corp.lamm.tokyo/ (Corporate Site)

About LAMM Inc. With the concept of "sustaining serious play," LAMM Inc. is a group of people living their own lives. The key to sustaining "serious play" is balancing business (economics) and art (what one loves). LAMM has no employees. Members who resonate with the concept bring their own desires and abilities, cooperating to advance various projects in this new form of team. We operate the radio program "Nippori Seminar" (https://nippori.lamm.tokyo/), which introduces the second careers of various guests, the house studio "studio HEYA" (https://heya.lamm.tokyo/) in Nishi-Nippori, and the community "Cultural Research Society for Future Beings" (https://miraken.lamm.tokyo/), where people can "autonomously learn what they like" through various cultures.

About Keisosha Group LAMM Inc. is a group company of "Keisosha LLC for Management" (abbreviation: Keisosha), which solves corporate management issues through design. As a member of the Keisosha Group, we disseminate experimental content from a new perspective. https://keisosha.co.jp/

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: ラジオ番組