‣ Company: ToastPlanet
‣ Founder: Yoshihiko Uchida, Erika Kagioka
‣ Mission: To help more people enjoy their own adventures
‣ Team size: Two humans and a pet

Yoshihiko Uchida, head of ToastPlanet, has been searching for the perfect journaling app for a long time. “I didn’t want something that simply summarises my day at the end of it; I wanted a way to capture my honest thoughts in the moment, as soon as they come.”

Uchida considered social networks one possible solution, but the thought that others will see what he posts gives him pause.

In the end, he and his wife Erika Kagioka released DrawerJournal on the App Store in 2021, carving out a quieter space for the app’s users to really listen to their inner voice.

Instead of full, structured entries, DrawerJournal collects your fleeting thoughts or fragments of ideas throughout the day. Integrations with social networks are purposefully left out to keep the app truly free from noise, encouraging you to write just for yourself.

The core experience of DrawerJournal is writing things down easily, possible thanks to its simple flow and design. As the app’s user pool grows, so does the number of feature requests, but Ushida and Kagioka always strive to stay true to a no-frills approach.

Privacy is another one of the team’s priorities, which is why journal data is only saved on a local database on the device, ensuring that only the user can control it.

The app is clearly built with a very specific audience in mind, and every user review brings Ushida joy, as proof thatDrawerJournal has become part of people’s lives.

At ToastPlanet, Uchida is the engineer, Kagioka is the designer, and their beloved cat Moneru is the team’s resident source of healing and comfort.

Together, they think up apps simple enough to be explained in one sentence, including timeline-based album Baumy, and task-tracker RiverTodo.

“We both have high standards, so there are times when the creative process is challenging,” Ushida explains.

“But when we’ve worked through all that trial and error and finally come up with something truly great, we make sure to really celebrate each other, and that kicks the development into high gear. It’s a real sense of accomplishment.”

Beyond DrawerJournal, the duo is already thinking about writing more apps that will help people enjoy the adventure of life even more. And to fellow and aspiring app creators, they offer the following words of encouragement:

“When you open the App Store, you’ll see many amazing apps, and you might wonder if there’s really a need for you to create one. But if you have even one unique idea of your own, I think it’s worth giving it a try.

“The road leading to releasing an app is especially tough, but once it’s out, all you have to do is keep updating it. Improve it as many times as needed until you’re satisfied with the final product.”