Taking pride in "Hoshino of Shinshu" to the world.
A long time ago, there was a Hoshino Onsen ryokan where [Hoshinoya Karuizawa] is located. My house was behind it, and I grew up there. When I was a child, my grandparents lived next door, and in the spring my grandfather would wake me up at 5 a.m. and take me to bird-watching parties.
For me at the time, what is now called the ``Hoshino Area'' was a field of play, where I ran freely through the forest, which had no boundaries such as fences or walls. Having grown up in such an environment, I have an intuitive understanding of Karuizawa's natural environment and the changing scenery that changes with the seasons, and I am proud to call it the ``Hoshino of Shinshu.''
Shinshu people are hardworking and have many nice people. My theory is that apples from Shinshu are the most delicious in the world. The price should be worth it, but it's not. Although they take pride in growing delicious apples and have a high level of skill, they do not aggressively try to make a profit. This may be because Shinshu is blessed with a rich natural environment, is close to urban areas, has an excellent environment for the distribution of agricultural products, and is easily visited by tourists.
However, this alone will leave us behind in the times. As the population declines, industry will naturally shrink as well. I feel that unless the farmers who produce the world's best apples earn the world's highest income as apple farmers, we will live in an unsustainable era.
[Hoshino Resorts] has a dream of becoming a world-class hotel management company. I will continue to improve my skills by being aggressive but not forgetting the diligence typical of Shinshu people. From now on, there will be more opportunities to manage hotels overseas, but wherever I go, I try to promote ``Shinshu's Hoshino'' rather than ``Japan's Hoshino.'' I want to cherish the pride of being able to sing ``Shinano no Kuni'' forever.
See part of KURA August issue
A work environment that Hoshino Resorts values.
What we at Hoshino Resorts value is ``an environment where you can freely say what you want to say to whomever you want to say it to,'' and ``an environment where you can freely try what you want to do.'' In other words, it is about creating an environment where each person can demonstrate their full potential.
Employees will not be able to fully demonstrate their abilities in an environment where their superiors' instructions are absolute, or where their own free ideas, statements, and actions may be considered unfavorable in personnel evaluations. We aim to create an environment where all employees can think and act on their own, regardless of age, years of service, or position.
Freedom to challenge, freedom not to challenge.
Staff members have a responsibility to fulfill their assigned tasks, but I don't think it's a good idea to force them to do more than that. Different people have different abilities, motivation, experience, and interests. Asking everyone to be creative in the same way is inconsistent with a flat organizational culture. The bigger problem is that failure to meet the company's expectations leads to evaluations, and the employee is unable to say, ``I don't want to do this.'' If you force yourself to ignore individual circumstances, it won't last long. As a result, it will be neither good for the company nor for the person himself.
Management positions at Hoshino Resorts are determined by candidacy. This is a system that allows motivated people to freely take on the challenge of management. On the other hand, you are free to step down from management. It is also possible to choose to step away from management due to changes in interests or personal or family circumstances. We have adopted a system that does not depend on seniority, allowing you to freely design your career according to your life stage.
You can join us at the ever-growing Shinshu no Hoshino.
Although we have grand dreams, our organization is still in its infancy. We believe that we need to grow by listening to the opinions and feedback of our customers, business partners, and local residents.
From now on, we will continue to strive every day to "dream big, but manage steadily."
We are looking forward to applications from everyone who sympathizes with Hoshino Resorts' aspirations.