Story / Profile
About KOMO
“Life does not go as planned. That is what makes it interesting.”
Who is KOMO
Sumiko Kokonno, known to everyone as KOMO. Born in Akita. A congenital malformation of the internal organs meant she spent much of her childhood in hospital and little of it at school — and it was there, early, that she learned to find life interesting rather than merely bearable.
She has given more than 300 talks across 40 Japanese prefectures, and works as a certified instructor in Personality Psychology, helping people understand themselves. In 2024 she completed the Peking to Paris rally, becoming the first Japanese woman to finish it. She has since come through a breast cancer diagnosis, a full mastectomy and lung surgery, and is still taking on what comes next.
Trouble is raw material for a life.
Confidence comes from the number of times you act.
What KOMO wants to hand people is not the word “don’t worry”. It is the ability to find your own life interesting — and she keeps building the places and the chances where that can happen.
Biography
- Born in Akita, northern Japan.
- Long hospital stays from birth due to a congenital organ malformation; a childhood largely spent away from school.
- Over 300 talks given across 40 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
- Certified instructor in Personality Psychology (個性心理學).
- 2016 Founded Komochan Inc.
- 2022 Diagnosed with breast cancer.
- 2023 Full mastectomy, right breast.
- May–Jun 2024 Completed the Peking to Paris rally — the first Japanese woman to finish.
- 2024 Awarded the True Grit prize.
- 2026 In rehabilitation after lung surgery, and still working.
What KOMO believes
- Confidence comes from the number of times you act.
- Trouble is raw material for a life.
- A person can change starting at any moment.
- Life does not go as planned. That is what makes it interesting.
Komochan Inc.
Founded in 2016. Built around consulting in people development, with talks, certified Personality Psychology courses and retreat consulting alongside it. The mission is to give people back the ability to find life interesting — for individuals and for organisations.
- People-development consulting
- Talks and keynotes
- Certified Personality Psychology courses
- Retreat consulting