We are proud to celebrate an exceptional achievement by Year 12 pupil Yuto, whose team has been named national champions at the Mynavi Career Koshien, one of Japan’s largest and most competitive business plan contests for high school students.
This year’s competition saw more than 3,100 teams and over 11,600 participants from across the country. To emerge as overall winners from such a field is a remarkable accomplishment.
Yuto and his team set out to tackle a challenge close to home: hidden malnutrition among teenagers. Recognising the gap between school and dinner, where many students turn to unhealthy snacks, they reimagined natto as a modern, accessible solution. Their concept, Saku-Mame, transforms this traditional Japanese superfood into an odour-free, freeze-dried snack, designed for convenience without compromising nutritional value.
What makes this achievement particularly striking is the balance between imagination and rigour. Alongside product innovation, the team developed a detailed and scalable business model, drawing on economic frameworks to analyse Japan’s ¥355.8 billion health snack market and map a clear path to growth. Their vision extended beyond a single product, proposing future applications and international expansion with localised flavours.
Reflecting on the experience, Yuto shared: “The most important lesson I learned is that true innovation often requires questioning the fundamental nature of a product.”
His words capture something central to learning at Rugby School Japan. Pupils are encouraged not only to acquire knowledge, but to question assumptions, think independently, and apply their ideas to real-world challenges. Yuto’s success reflects the confidence, curiosity, and intellectual discipline that such an approach fosters.
We offer our warmest congratulations to Yuto on this outstanding achievement, and look forward to seeing where his entrepreneurial journey leads next.
You can watch the episode from TBS on Tver (only available in Japan) for a limited time here.
