Tetsuro Morisaki, President and CEO, JR East View Tourism & Sales Co., Ltd.

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President and CEO of JR East View Tourism & Sales Co., Ltd.　Tetsuro Morisaki(Tetsuro Morisaki)

■ Profile

He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Rikkyo University and joined East Japan Railway Company in 1990. In preparation for the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori in December 2010, he served as Sales Manager of the Morioka Branch from April 2009, and was also involved in the response to the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. He then served as Manager of the View Business Department at the Tokyo Branch and Deputy General Manager of the Sales Department at the Head Office, before being appointed Representative Director and President of View Travel Service Co., Ltd. (now JR East View Tourism & Sales Co., Ltd.) in June 2019.

JR East View Tourism & Sales Co., Ltd. is a travel agency within the JR East Group that plans and sells the JR East View Dynamic Rail Pack. Since taking office, President Morisaki has faced many crises, including the arrival of a major typhoon and the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has brought about change and successfully turned the company from a negative situation into a profitable one. We asked him about how that happened.

During my university years, I focused on three things: seminars, part-time jobs, and club activities. In particular, my seminars required relentless questioning from other seminar students and professors about my reports, making preparations for each session extremely challenging. Throughout my seminar studies, I was thoroughly taught the cycle of developing a sense of awareness, analyzing the current situation, identifying problems and issues, and coming up with solutions. I believe this has served as the foundation for my work ever since I started working. For my part-time job, I worked at a local sporting goods store. As my time there grew, the store manager increasingly relied on me, and I gained experience in the basics of marketing. I joined JR East in 1. At the time, JR East had only just been privatized from the Japanese National Railways three years earlier, so it was still rare for students to pursue a career at JR. However, I decided to join the company because I felt that in this environment, I could paint a new picture on a blank canvas. My first assignment as a new graduate was in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. For someone like me who had no experience of living in the countryside, life in Tohoku was very fresh and fascinating. At the time, I felt that I wanted to work in tourism, something that would give more people a reason to travel, and since then I have been fortunate enough to have been heavily involved in tourism within the field of railway business. Furthermore, experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake in Tohoku had a big impact on me, and I felt that rather than simply providing a means of travel for customers, I had a mission to convey to people both in Japan and overseas what the people of Tohoku have rebuilt and created since the disaster, which is why I am doing my current job.

■ Our mission as a "tourism flow creation company"

Our core business is travel, and our flagship product is the "JR East View Dynamic Rail Pack," which allows customers to freely combine JR train tickets with accommodations. When introducing this system, we made several changes. First, we made product prices variable depending on the time of purchase. Previously, most travel products had fixed prices. However, we changed to a variable price system based on supply and demand, allowing us to set prices that meet the needs of not only our customers but also the contracted facilities. Second, we exclusively sold online. Previously, we focused on face-to-face sales in physical stores, but we eliminated our physical stores and quickly shifted to a business centered on online sales. This was an excellent fit, cost-wise, given the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented face-to-face sales. Furthermore, in line with these changes, we established the "JR East Station Travel Concierge," which provides travel consulting and information. While online purchases are on the rise, online alone can sometimes be insufficient to meet the needs of customers, especially seniors. Considering the increasing number of senior citizens, we decided to implement this system because we believe that our stores are a place where we can create travel goals together with our customers. Another important aspect of our vision is "regional co-creation." As a company that values ​​creating travel goals, we want travel destinations in regional areas to be attractive places. If a region were to decline, it would be unable to provide customers with a reason to travel, leading to fewer tourists and further deterioration of the region, creating a negative spiral. We are particularly concerned about the decline of the Tohoku region, which is under the jurisdiction of JR East. Going forward, we would like to work to create tourism flows in the eastern Japan region, as well as Hokkaido and Hokuriku, with the aim of creating more sustainable regions.

I believe that great possibilities lie ahead of all of you students. You have the potential to carve out any path you want. In the meantime, I would like you to cherish two attitudes. First, I would like you to walk your path with your own "conviction." Second, you need to keep your "passion" burning so that your convictions do not fade. If you can find a company that can realize these two things, I believe you will be able to achieve great things.

■Message to university students

Finally, I'd like to talk about four important "ki" (spirits) in life. Borrowing some of the words of Shunji Fujimura, the original image character for the "Adult Holiday Club," the first ki is "energy." This doesn't just mean physical energy; it also means being mentally energetic. The second ki is "motivation." Whether it's work, study, or play, I think finding just one positive thing each day will lead to a very positive life. The third ki is "courage." Once you enter the workforce, you'll need courage in many different situations. Don't hesitate to be courageous. The fourth ki is "time." In our limited lives, no two moments will ever be the same. Please continue to cherish the present.

Student Newspaper April 1, 2024 Issue Keio University 4th Year Student Miyu Ito