This series is a fictional podcast show in which writer Hagiwara (who met three people, Nishioka, Yoshida, and Haruka, on #WednesdayBudouzakaRen) delves into various topics related to milestones.

The year 2026 has already begun. So, what kind of stories will we hear this month?

・Because of relationships


Nishioka (hereinafter, Nishi): Happy New Year!

Yoshida (hereinafter Yoshi): Congratulations!

Omori (hereinafter, Haruka): Congratulations!

Hagiwara (hereinafter, Hagi): Thank you for your continued support this year.

Nishi: "Tell Me! Milestone" is now in its fourth year. We renewed our website at the end of the year, so I thought I'd talk about that today. This is the third version, but the last one was created five years ago. We put a lot of effort into making it.

Haruka: There was a light moving on the top page.

Nishi: The movement during loading has an origin. We shot a promotional video for Lucy and the Trail Master in France, and the French video team created the effects for us. We thought, "This is so cool!" and recreated it on our website.

Haruka: Is there any footage left?

Nishi: Of course, it's on YouTube . That was good too, but after five years it was about time to rebuild it.

Haruka: The number of products has increased. Products are displayed in order of the most recently uploaded, so older products get buried.

Nishi: For example, the new colors of the Onion Hoodie are at the top, but the rainwear and Cloud Hoodie are in between, and the standard colors are at the bottom. It was all a bit messy (laughs).

Hagi: There are also headlamps mixed in with the apparel.

Nishi: Well, let's start again. When did that start? I kept saying we should try.

Yoshi: We saw the renewal of the website as a major mission for 2025. To achieve this, Yamane-san asked us to appoint a person in charge. He said that he probably didn't think either Nishioka-san or Yoshi-san could do it.

Nishi: Not us (laughs)

Yoshi: Because I have too many other tasks to do, and they keep getting put off. I need someone to think, "This is my main job." If there's no clear person in charge, emails stop getting answered and deadlines become unclear.

Haruka: Just to clarify, Yamane-san is the owner of ROCK STEPPERS , an outdoor shop in Higashi-Osaka , but he also works in web design.

Yoshi: That was my main business originally, and the shop came later.

Nishi: It was good timing for Haruka to come. It's probably her specialty.

Haruka: I also worked on web-related matters in my previous job, so I had some knowledge in that area.

Yoshi: Yamanenko and Haruka have a relationship where they pace each other during races.

Nishi: That's it! It's work, but we're connected outside of work as well, and we understand each other's personalities. It was great to have a partner we know and can trust join us.

Yoshi: It's like asking Hagi to write this column, rather than asking a writer who has no knowledge of it at all.

Nishi: It's great to be able to create something like this with colleagues who understand the background so well. So, this time we focused on Haruka.

Hagi: When did things actually start moving?

Haruka: Around June, I think.

Yoshi: I joined the company in April, and first I had to learn a lot of things. I also did shipping work and learned all the other tasks for three months, and then it was time for me to start.

Nishi: I think you know more about milestones than I do now (laughs).

Yoshi: It's been a while since we launched on Christmas Eve, but without Haruka, Nishioka and I still can't do the online shipping work (laughs).

Nishi: Because it's a small-scale operation, it's best if everyone knows what's going on, but everyone supports each other and helps each other out. I think it must have been really tough.


・Features I wanted


Haruka: To go back in time, we first had weekly meetings to share ideas about the features we wanted, like an email newsletter.

Yoshi: I'd like to try shipping overseas.

Nishi: That's it!

Hagi: So you can shop online from overseas and have it shipped.

Nishi: From Norway and Canada. Today from Hong Kong.

Hagi: But it wasn't possible before.

Nishi: We turned them all down. What was difficult was the shipping fees. We couldn't charge the same fee worldwide. We weighed each and every item, and the boxes, and when we received an order for this, this, and this, we divided the shipping fees by country.

Haruka: The language will also be translated.

Hagi: You can now switch between English and Japanese in the top right corner.

Nishi: Prices are also displayed in the currency of each country.

Yoshi: It even comes in pesos!

Nishi: Even Lila!

Nishi: Actually, when I posted on social media that a new product had been released, someone from overseas left a comment saying something like, "Too bad, you can't buy it in Mexico." I always replied, "Sorry." I'd like to contact him too.

Yoshi: We are ready!

Nishi: It's a big step. I don't know how much more it will grow from now on.

Yoshi: It's a small thing, but I actually didn't know how many times a customer had purchased something. That's why I included a catalog with every shipment. But you don't need so many copies.

Haruka: Some people even write in the notes section when ordering, "I already have plenty of catalogs, so I don't need any more."

Hagi: So customer information wasn't linked to purchasing history.

Nishi: That's it.

Haruka: Customers can now view their purchase history.

Hagi: You can also check the size you bought last time.

Haruka: We also created a frequently asked questions page under "Customer Support." The number of inquiries has decreased significantly.

Yoshi: Scroll down and you'll see it at the bottom. One of my main tasks is to respond to customer inquiries every morning, and I used to respond to five to ten inquiries every day. That has been reduced dramatically.

Nishi: I'm this height and weight, but would an S or M size be better?

Haruka: That's why we created a size guide so you can see approximate sizes. We've also added the ability to send out shipping notifications via email.

Yoshi: Until now, I only received an order confirmation email from milestone. I always use Yamato for shipping, and the only way I could get in touch with them about when my order was shipped was through Yamato.

Haruka: I wasn't able to contact you when I sent it via Nekopos.

Hagi: When it comes to small items.

Yoshi: Since the new system was introduced, I now receive an email from milestone letting me know that the item has been shipped and the tracking number is here.

Haruka: We've also created a page listing stores that stock our products. You can now see stores across the country at a glance from "Retailers." For example, you could see where in Tokyo they stock our products.

Yoshi: We received quite a few inquiries about that.

Haruka: When we analyzed past search terms, we found that there were a lot of searches for "stores that carry our product."

Nishi: I definitely want to see the actual item and try it on. I also want people to try it on before they buy it. I'm glad I made it.

・The right person who is particular about the job


Nishi: But there was one thing I couldn't do, which was to notify people when an item was back in stock. If you pressed the back in stock notification button, an email would be sent to everyone the next time the item was in stock. It seemed like a lot of work, so I decided not to do it this time. I think I was able to do almost everything I wanted to do. What was the most difficult part for you, Haruka?

Haruka: It's the process of migrating from the previous site.

Hagi: What do you mean?

Haruka: For example, we completely remade the blog that Nishioka had been writing for years. We copied and pasted the text and re-uploaded the photos.

Hagi: That was done by milestone.

Nishi: Because there was a huge amount of information. I had about 10 years' worth of blog posts.

Hagi: The content part. What about the online shop?

Haruka: That's right. I've re-uploaded the product photos one by one.

Nishi: They also took beautiful photos.

Haruka: Even though it was the same item, the photos were all different sizes, some large and some small, so we unified them.

Nishi: Up until now I've been uploading them roughly (laughs).

Haruka: The backgrounds of the photos aren't all white.

Yoshi: He's the best when it comes to that sort of thing.

Nishi: I think he was the right person for the job. But it's hard work, and he wants to do other fun work (laughs).

Haruka: Not at all! (laughs) I always thought about my work priorities!

Hagi: From the buyer's perspective, it's now easier to see and it's easier to tell whether an item is in stock or not.

Yoshi: Now you can see the color variations for each item in one place, and you can see at a glance whether a size is out of stock. I think it's made shopping easier.

Nishi: We also categorized the products.

Hagi: To be honest, I didn't know how many types of caps there were until now (laughs).

Nishi: That's true. There are so many different types. Now it's clear at a glance.

Haruka: We also started selling wine.

Haruka: Store-exclusive items that are only sold at milestone TERADACHO and online are in the "Exclusive" category.

Nishi: For the first time, we created a gift box. It holds exactly four bottles of wine, and you can also buy a set that includes a titanium mug.

Hagi: This case is very well made. It would make a great gift. Is there a separate charge for gift wrapping?

Nishi: I didn't take it, so the price is the same (laughs). I made the box seriously, thinking that people would be happy with it (laughs).

・New media

Yoshi: During the migration, there would be times when the site would be inaccessible, so I was prepared for some impact. However, it turned out to be easier than I expected.

Haruka: On the contrary, it's a positive thing as people access our site through our email newsletter and view it from overseas.

Nishi: I've always wanted to do an e-mail newsletter.

Hagi: You mostly post information on Instagram. Why did you decide to go to the trouble of starting an email newsletter?

Nishi: We use Instagram as if it's a given, but not everyone does. There are also a lot of people who don't use Instagram. If you want to reach those people, email might be an effective way to do so.

Hagi: Even if you follow someone on Instagram, if it's not a high priority, the information won't come up. It feels like people will just look at the photos and then it will just pass by.

Nishi: I thought that email would allow me to convey comprehensive information and that people would probably read it.

Yoshi: We have decided to send out an email newsletter called "Monthly Milestone Newsletter" to those who register on the 8th of every month.

Yoshida: I'll be posting updates on milestone events and the month's developments. I thought it would be nice to give a slightly special feeling to those who open and read my email, so I started a personal, hidden blog called "The New Yoshida Times" that can only be read through the newsletter.

Hagi: So it's based on the New York Times (laughs).

Yoshi: That's right. The logo too (laughs). The link to it can't be accessed from the homepage, it can only be accessed from the email newsletter.

Hagi: I received the January email newsletter, but I can't seem to find it.

Yoshi: I put a link on the underscore and logo mark, didn't you notice?

Hagi: I couldn't find the entrance. I probably wouldn't have clicked on the logo unless I was told. It might be easier to understand if there was a clear sign saying "Start here."

Yoshida: I see! Well, let me show you a special preview for the first episode. Click here to see "The New Yoshida Times."

Yoshi: The next broadcast will be on February 8th. If you haven't registered yet, there is a field at the bottom of the homepage where you can enter your email address, so please register there!

Haruka: If there are any other new products or restocks, I will let you know by email.

Nishi: It would be annoying if I received emails too frequently, right? So I'll stick to the big stuff.

Nishi: How is it? How many people are reading it?

Yoshida: Very few people click on "The New Yoshida Times" (laughs).

Nishi: But I really think that the people who come to read are really hardcore customers, so I think it's important to cherish that. Because those people are hardcore Yoshi fans.

Yoshi: They are rare people who take the time to see it.

Nishi: It would be nice if the number of people increased even by one or two. I think it's good to enjoy the process, and I think this is the perfect content for that.

Hagi: I think it's best to write with the intention of reaching that reader.

Nishi: It's like when an artist sings with all their heart even though there are only three people in the venue. It's great to start something new like that and see the reaction. Up until now, you didn't know if it would resonate with people, but from now on, you can think about what you want to do next.

Haruka: It's also easy to analyze.


・"Oshi! Mai" Ranking 2025

Nishi: So we can see the reaction to this "Tell me! Milestone" too. I'm sure Hagi wants to know too, right?

Haruka: Actually, the results are out as to which magazine was the most read over the past year.

Nishi: Well, let's announce the top five rankings.

Yoshi: Darrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (drum roll)

Haruka: Right. 5th place, Episode 11 "What Illuminates the Future", what episode was it?

Hagi: It's the MS-i1 Route Finder from Handy Light. It's actually two years old.

West: Next, 4th place.

Yoshi: Darrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (drum roll)

Haruka: Right. It's the 12th "Shape the Clouds" Cloud Hoodie. I guess it's because it's linked to from the product page.

Yoshi: Darrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (drum roll)

Nishi: I guess that's enough now (laughs)

Haruka: Then let's go at once. 3rd place, 31st "Necessary or not?"

Hagi: This episode is packed with T-shirts, hats, soft cups, and Natty Longs.

Haruka: 2nd place, 7th "What's G for?" MS-G3 and G4 headlamps.

Nishi: So, who takes the honorable first place?

Haruka: The third episode was "What is Nutty?" We also have links to the Natty Shorts 1.0, 2.0 and PLUS pages, so people are definitely viewing it from the product page.

Nishi: That was pretty early on!

Yoshi: It's read by people who want to know more, so it's definitely important content.

Haruka: Podcasts tend to cover a broad range of topics, but the in-depth content here is important too. It also conveys the creator's thoughts.

Nishi: The good thing about columns is that as long as the items survive, the content is timeless and alive.

Haruka: They're staying for a long time. They're reading it carefully.

Nishi: Our website is both our face and our business card. We will continue to update it constantly. As we become international, and as languages ​​and currencies change, we hope to become a brand that is familiar to people in each country.

And behind the scenes, while everyone is watching, we've been able to see how many people are watching in real time and which countries they're accessing from, which up until now has been a vague way of doing things, but now we can do that kind of analysis, and you can see the situation on your mobile phone.

Hagi: So there's a possibility that "Oshi! Mai" will also be read by people overseas.

Haruka: There was evidence that it was being read in English.

Hagi: That's great!

Nishi: It's a small brand from Teradacho, but I think it's a dream come true to be able to connect with the world via the internet. If we can make better use of it and put it to good use in the future, I'd be thrilled.

Yoshi: It's like creating and nurturing a product.

Nishi: Well, that's all for this month. Goodbye.

Yoshi: Goodbye.

Haruka/Hagi: Goodbye.


This time, we were given a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of the newly redesigned website. It's now easier to see and use. To find "Oshi! My," please check out "Column" under "Watch, Read & Listen." We tried selecting English, and it was translated as "Tell me! milstone." It's refreshing. It's inspiring to think that it's available to the whole world.

I always struggle with coming up with a title for what follows, but I want to create something that will catch people's attention, make them want to know more, make them want to learn more.

Information in the digital world is constantly being updated and is overflowing, but I feel that if the creator has the passion and sincerity to make it, it will surely reach someone, somewhere.

See you next month, here or in the mountains.


Text and composition: Ken Hagiwara