Express Yourself

I build first, then I learn

Yukiko Ishizuka

What I Value

I place great importance on trying things first when something captures my interest.
Rather than continuing to think without acting, I have found that I understand things better by actually taking action and learning through hands-on experience.
Once I begin something, I tend to persist through trial and error until I achieve a result I find satisfactory. I often build the necessary knowledge and devise solutions along the way, rather than preparing everything in advance. For me, experimentation itself is not the goal; what matters is seeing things through until tangible results are achieved.

This mindset forms the foundation of how I approach my actions and decisions.

2026.1.10

Personal Experiences

The principle of “trying things first when something sparks my interest” has been expressed most freely in my private life. Even when outcomes were not clearly defined, I took action the moment something intrigued me, and continued to build my learning through the process.

Astrophotography

I began photographing the Milky Way, drawn by the idea of capturing invisible landscapes as images.
Through this experience, I learned that thorough advance research and some technical knowhow is essential to achieving successful results.

Solo Trip to Iceland

I embarked on my first overseas trip alone after seeing a beautiful waterfall on a calendar and wanting to experience it in person.
Seeing it with my own eyes made me realize the true power and value of firsthand experience.

Caving

My fondness for limestone caves led me to develop an interest in caving.
Through this experience, I was prompted to reflect on the balance between tourism and environmental preservation needed to protect such magical natural environments.

The Ogasawara Islands

I traveled to Chichijima with the aim of experiencing the longest domestic journey in Japan, taking 24 hours from Tokyo.
There, I discovered truly natural beauty so utterly profound that it cannot be put into words.

Modern office desk setup with laptop, coffee cup, and notepad by window.

Encounters and Experiences Lead to New Challenges

Inspired by My Trip to Ogasawara, I Started Building Websites

Curiosity

During my time on the island, I met a ship captain who was also an affiliate marketer. I was drawn to his idea of “building a business that can operate without you, so that you can keep taking on new challenges,” which sparked my interest in creating websites.

Action

I immediately signed up for a rental server and began building my first website. At the time, I had no prior knowledge or expertise, but it gradually took shape through repeated trial and error.

Learning

When the site failed to attract traffic, I analyzed the reasons and realized the importance of ranking highly in search results. I then conducted keyword analysis using Search Console, analyzed user flows with Google Analytics, and expanded traffic channels by leveraging social media.

Structuring

As a result of continuous improvements, I now operate five websites as my own small side business. This marked the first time I truly realized how my tendency to learn through action and continue improving until results are achieved can be transformed into a sustainable system.

My Thought Process

Through this process of trial and error, I became aware of my own way of thinking.

Where I Stand

First, I take action to understand where I currently stand.

The Goal

Once I have an accurate grasp of my current position, I define my goal.

The process

From there, I work backward to design realistic milestones.

Value I Can Contribute to a Team

By sharing this way of thinking—accurately identifying the current position through trial and error and designing actions by working backward from the goal—I aim to help teams clearly understand where they stand and contribute to shaping their next steps.

Twelve Years of Professional Experience

Over the past twelve years, I have worked across a wide range of departments—including customer satisfaction, land acquisition, financing, and corporate planning—where I have been responsible for driving diverse initiatives.

Invisible Constraints

At the same time, I came to realize that in my professional life, I had unconsciously narrowed the scope of my actions.
I have extensive experience of involving others and driving organizational change through initiatives such as process improvements. However, in retrospect, I see that many of these efforts remained within boundaries that I personally judged to be “safe.”
While I acted freely based on curiosity in my private life, at work I placed invisible constraints on myself by being more mindful of not breaking with precedent and not disrupting uniformity.

I now want to remove those constraints.

Self-Imposed Limitations

Although I did take on new challenges, they were ones that could be explained within existing frameworks.

MEX’s Current Challenges and Potential Areas

The Metropolitan Expressway carries approximately one million vehicles per day and plays a vital role in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
However, demographic change, aging infrastructure, and increasing natural disasters are reshaping the environment around us.
To ensure long-term sustainability, MEX must evolve and move to the next stage.

Expansion of Related Businesses

Developing new growth opportunities beyond reliance on the existing expressway business.

Redefining the Customer Experience

Enhancing customer experiences through the use of traffic digital twins and data-driven, personalized services.

These are areas where traditional extensions of existing approaches are no longer sufficient, and where exploring new perspectives and options is increasingly required.

Learning at IE

“Working with Clear Answers” versus “Working Where Answers Are Yet Undefined”

Until now, I have built systems in a reproducible way within domains where the “right answer” could be clearly explained.
However, in the face of changing social and business environments, I feel it is necessary to step into areas where “correctness” has not yet been defined.

Skills I Want to Develop

I want to develop the ability to frame discussions around the question, “How can we move forward?” and to influence the direction of others’ thinking even in uncertain situations.

Giving Back to My Organization

Through my actions and articulation, I aim to increase the range of “options for moving forward” within my organization.

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