During my student days, I was devoted to studying English. In order to create opportunities to speak English on a regular basis, I started working part-time at Tokyo Skytree, a popular tourist spot. Every day, I worked hard to convey the charms of Tokyo to people from overseas. Although it was supposed to be a part-time job to study English, I gradually began to deepen my knowledge not only of Tokyo but also of Japan. "It would be great to have a job where I can convey the goodness of Japan to people from overseas like this." The most suitable place to realize this was Happo-en, which started as a restaurant and has a 400-year-old Japanese garden and unique venues.
I still remember the assignment I received during the hiring process: "Please give a one-minute presentation on the mission you want to achieve at Happo-en." In response, I said, "I will take advantage of this unique environment and create a business that allows customers from overseas to experience Japanese culture."
It expanded the world at once,
Business trip to Singapore.
After three months of training in various departments, I was first assigned to banquet sales, which is to say, sales to corporate customers. Happo-en had always had a strong image as a wedding hall, but now I am a comprehensive production company, and I am tasked with creating a wider range of demand, including inbound tourism, and reforming the company. This was exactly what I had hoped for.
In my second year at the company, my world broadened when I went to Singapore to inspect MICE*. I saw that Singapore, a tourism-based country, was far ahead of Japan in attracting offices from overseas and operating convention facilities. Happo-en also had to compete in this environment. After returning home with a lot of inspiration, I was officially assigned to the overseas event sales department. I was involved in various projects while making repeated overseas business trips and staying locally.
*MICE: An acronym made up of the initial letters of Meeting (conferences, training, seminars), Incentive tour (reward/invitation trip), Convention or Conference (convention, academic conference, international conference), and Exhibition.
In response to customer requests,
A company that never says NO.
When dealing with various customers, sometimes we receive requests that are difficult to realize. Even when we take them back to the company and discuss them, no one says "NO." How can we realize their request? Is there an even better idea? I think that the spirit and strength of Team Happo-en is to think seriously together without giving up on anyone. For example, at a gala dinner with the theme of "Japanese," we all worked together to create a performance that was as detailed as possible, not only by selecting traditional craftware and washi paper materials, but also by having a craftsman specially weave the braided cord to hold the napkins. We give back to customers who are particular about even the smallest details with even more attention to detail. Because Happo-en has been chosen as the venue for an important event, we have worked hard with the sole desire not to make our answer to our customers a "compromise."
In order to make proposals from the customer's perspective, there is one question I always ask all my customers as an overseas event salesperson. That question is, "Why did you choose Japan?" This may be because, with the recent inbound boom, the number of customers visiting Japan for the first time has decreased and the number of people returning to Japan has increased. Every day, I felt that the answer was changing from the previous need to "see and experience Japanese culture" to the need to "learn about Japanese culture." And now, in 2023. Seven years after joining the company, the "Japanese Culture Experience Workshop," the mission I wanted to achieve at Happo-en, has officially begun.
Happo-en inherits Japanese culture,
We want to continue to be a hub for communicating information.
If I were asked what mission I want to achieve at Happo-en, just like I did at that job interview, I would answer, "To make Happo-en a global brand." Just as most people think of the same brand when asked about global coffee chains, I want to develop Happo-en into a presence that is thought of around the world as "if you want to hold an event in Japan, it's Happo-en." However, I never want to push our brand, and I don't think it's enough to just increase our name recognition. We are always on the lookout for what people from overseas are looking for when they come to Japan, and at the same time, we want to be a hub that connects the two by deepening our knowledge of cultures from all over Japan and disseminating it. As a result, I would be very happy if more people come to like Happo-en and Happo-en continues to be chosen as a place to hold important events.
There is no better place to spread the splendor of Japan to the world. With that in mind, I decided to join Happo-en, and I hope that it will become an even more unique place that inherits Japanese culture and continues to be beautifully updated to suit the times. I believe that I will be able to achieve this new mission as well.
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