Seller of educational toys finds a niche
With imported products, Bornelund President Hiroko Nakanishi wants to change the way Japanese kids play

By HIROKO NAKATA  Staff writer

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20080429a1.html

With relatively few parks to run around in, many children spend long hours either at cram schools or playing their hand-held game consoles.

Hiroko Nakanishi, president of Bornelund Inc., is on a mission to change the way Japanese children spend their free time.

"Children should grow up with a good balance of heart, mind and body," Nakanishi, 63, told The Japan Times in a recent interview.

Believing that children should have good educational toys to play with, Nakanishi's company imports toys from Europe and the United States that can be used safely indoors.

Bornelund was established in 1981 by Masayuki Nakanishi, Hiroko's husband, who had worked for a Japanese trading company and handled imports of European toys, including Lego blocks from Denmark.
He was impressed by foreign toys and puzzles that help children learn about shapes and numbers.

The quality of these educational toys imported by Bornelund slowly became well-known among Japanese mothers over the past three decades by word of mouth.

In particular, the company got a boost when a newspaper ran an article in October 2003 featuring Nakanishi and her efforts to popularize quality toys.

Sales in the business year that ended in January stood at ¥3.69 billion, up about 30 percent from five years ago.

For example, one of the most popular toys is called Looping. The Dutch creation teaches children shapes and colors using small beads that can be manipulated on looped and twisted wires.

The Japan Times: Tuesday, April 29, 2008

(C) All rights reserved