Richard E. Tanaka, Tanaka of Tokyo

Richard E. Tanaka

Chairman & CEO

Tanaka of Tokyo Restaurants Ltd.

“Tanaka of Tokyo Restaurants opened its first restaurant in Waikiki in 1978.

For the first ten years we struggled to survive. We knew that capturing more of the Japanese visitor market was the key to survival, and although we hired a Japanese Advertising agency, the results were dismal with very little improvement.

In 1990 it was our great good fortune to meet Chihiro Kitagawa, the founder of Media Etc.

She understood our problems and agreed to take us on as a client. Media Etc. completed revamped our print advertising and placed our ads where they would be the most effective. More importantly, Chihiro provided advice and guidance in how to capture the Japanese market based on her extensive knowledge of Japanese culture and business practices.

Within just a few years, our Japanese visitor counts soared from 5% to 63%.

Media Etc. did such a good job for us that we were unable to handle so many new customers and, as a result, we now have multiple locations. In many ways, I believe that our longevity and success are owing to our partnership with Chihiro and Media Etc. As a team, they are totally responsive and really understand our business and our needs.

They are always looking for promotional opportunities for our company and work with us to keep our business in the forefront of our competition. We also rely on them, and Yuko Porter in particular, for our graphic needs – everything from chopstick wrappers to Christmas cards. She is the very best and always creates beautiful and effective graphics for every type of media. Based on our total satisfaction with Media Etc., we asked if they would re-design and administer our website. Their website designer, Sascha Koki, created the most stunning website for us in both English and Japanese, and continues to make improvements and revisions based on our needs and the ever-changing business environment. She is a real whiz and a delight to work with.

For over 30 years Media Etc. and their amazing team have been our partner and our number one cheerleader.

We truly cherish this partnership and are deeply grateful to Chihiro and her wonderful team at Media Etc.!”