About

I’m a creative director based in Chigasaki, a surf town on the coast of Kanagawa, Japan. Over about 30 years, I have worked on more than 200 brands in Japan and overseas.

I think of my work as transcreation. I find what is at the core of a brand or a business, then recreate it in the form that communicates best: not only words, but plans, names, video, design and experiences. And I stay with it all the way to launch.

It started when I was a kid. In third grade my family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and later to Los Angeles. I arrived barely speaking English. When I came back to Japan in ninth grade, I hit the same wall again, this time in Japanese. Growing up between two languages taught me how hard it is to be understood, and how much it matters. That is still at the heart of everything I make.

Career

• Graduated from Keio University (Faculty of Environment and Information Studies) in 1996, then joined Sharp Corporation.
• Left to become a filmmaker, and began by making music videos, including one for the rock band Dohatsuten in its indie days.
• In 1999, joined Indiviso, which later became Hakuhodo DY InterSolutions, as its first employee, and built a digital manga business with major Japanese publishers.
• Spent 13 years in the Hakuhodo DY Group as a producer and creative director, and headed the group’s first social media division, leading a team of more than 20. Helped the company grow from 3 employees to about 200, and led its training for new hires.
• Worked on national campaigns for clients such as NTT, Japan Post and Nippon Life. Won advertising awards in Japan and abroad, including the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards (Internet category, top prize) and a silver at the Times Asia-Pacific awards.
• In 2012, founded Aloha Branding and moved to Hawaii to raise our three children there. For five years I worked with brands from Japan, Taiwan and Hawaii.
• Came back to Japan at the end of 2016 and settled in Chigasaki.
• Today I lead brand projects and teach creative thinking with AI at companies, local governments and universities. More than 1,500 people have taken my training and talks, including 11 sessions so far at Resona Bank.

Books (in Japanese)

• The Art of Turning Ideas into Form (Sogo Horei Publishing, 2015)
• Publishing Branding: Publishing Marketing for Purpose Strategy (co-author, Paru Publishing, 2025)

English titles are translations. There are no English editions.

Columns (in Japanese)

• “Why Did These Cosmetics Ads Work?” in Shukan Shogyo, a weekly cosmetics industry newspaper (since September 2026)
• “Why Did These Tourism Ads Work?” in Kanko Keizai Shimbun, a travel industry newspaper (since October 2026)

Writing in English

I also write about Japan in English as Japanese Dad Explains: family travel stories from Kyoto, Nara and Ise, answering the questions visitors actually ask.

• Substack: japanesedad.substack.com
• Medium: medium.com/@japanesedadexplains

Also

• Licensed drone pilot (Japan’s national certification, 2026)
• Bilingual in Japanese and English (Eiken Grade 1)
• Surfer, since junior high in Los Angeles.

Contact

For projects, training or talks, please write to hirokinagasawa@gmail.com

Company: www.alohabranding.com