Nakamura established his own company after his father's business saw success with producing pop cork guns.[4] Beginning with only ¥300,000 (US$12,000), Nakamura spent the money on two hand-cranked rocking horses that he installed on the roof garden of a Matsuya department store in Yokohama.[5][6] The horses were loved by children and turned a decent profit for Nakamura, who began expanding his business to cover other smaller locations.[7] A 1959 business reorganization renamed the company Nakamura Manufacturing Company.[3] The Mitsukoshi department store chain noticed his success in 1963, and approached him with the idea of constructing a rooftop amusement space for its store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.[8] It consisted of horse rides, a picture viewing machine, and a goldfish scooping pond, with the centerpiece being a moving train named Roadaway Race.[9] The space was a hit and lead to Mitsukoshi requesting rooftop amusement parks for all of its stores.[7][10][8]