Yukai Resort Co., Ltd. President and CEO Koji Nishitani

Making Japanese hot springs more accessible by breaking the norms of traditional Japanese inns

■ Profile

After graduating from the Tokyo Institute of Technology Graduate School of Systems Science, he joined McKinsey. After studying abroad at London Business School (LBS), he went on to GE Capital and GE Equity. After serving as a director of the Misumi Group, he became President and Representative Director of Honma Golf in 2010. After the company's restructuring, he became Representative Director of Yukai Resort Co., Ltd. in June 2019.

　During my student days, I participated in various clubs and did a variety of part-time jobs. During my job hunting, I visited many companies that I wasn't necessarily interested in, out of curiosity about what companies were like. As a result, I think I was able to see the realities of society and companies from a student's perspective.
　I have actually changed jobs seven times since I joined the company as a new graduate. There are various reasons for this, but I believe it is the result of not only doing what I want to do, but also valuing the idea of ​​"if I can be of help, by all means," and doing my best wherever I am needed.

■ Breaking the mold of traditional Japanese inns and bringing Japanese hot springs closer to you

　Currently, at Yukai Resort, we are working towards our vision of "making Japanese hot springs more accessible." Japanese inns cost around 30,000 yen per night, even on weekdays. While this is an excellent example of hospitality, it means that you can only go on special occasions, and the number of people who can go and how often is limited.
　So at Yukai Resort, we want everyone to feel closer to hot springs, so we've done away with services that are taken for granted. For example, staff go to guests' rooms and lay out futons for them. At Yukai Resort, this is already done from the start. In this way, we want to reexamine services and inn industry customs that we feel are unnecessary, and push forward with the pursuit of more added value.
　There's a saying that I hold dear: "Do your best and leave the rest to fate." If you do what you need to do, you'll have fewer regrets. If you really think about the word "pressure," you'll find that it's rooted in feelings of anxiety, such as wondering if there's more you need to do, or worrying about what will happen if you can't do it. If you do what you need to do, you should be free from pressure.

■Message

　The world is currently undergoing a period of great change. Times of change are both a crisis and an opportunity. While keeping the world's trends in perspective, be sensitive to your inner emotions, such as what you think is good and what makes you happy. I hope you will also understand yourself and proactively take on challenges that interest you. Taking action will increase your sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in life.

Student Newspaper April 2021 Edition by Etsuko Shimizu, 4th year student at Osaka Kyoiku University