Clarifying the target demographic through local research and designing strategies based on needs in preparation for opening a ryokan for inbound tourists

Q.Why did your company decide to take on interns? What did you aim to achieve?

Our company previously operated in the manufacturing industry, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we transitioned to the real estate rental business. We reorganized our internal structure from over ten employees to two, marking a new start for the company. The reason we participated in this internship program is that, in addition to our real estate rental business, we are planning to open a ryokan for inbound tourists and wanted to research and better understand their needs.
The ryokan we plan to build will be a single-family home targeting long-term stays for up to 14 guests, with a concept of using Nagoya as a base for potentially travelling to other prefectures. Since the intern was Indonesian, we conducted research on countries with a tendency for travelling to Japan in large groups, preferred travel routes, and areas of interest regarding Japan. Based on the results, we aimed to clarify our target demographic and use the findings for considering ryokan specifications in the future.

Local insights through accurate information gathering, discovering “true feelings,” and daily communication to understand “differences”

Q.What kind of internship did you run? What difficulties did you face and how did you resolve them?

We engaged the intern to conduct research on inbound tourists using the internet and social media, with the purpose of creating a report that summarizes the findings. The specific research items targeted inbound tourists from neighboring Asian countries, including Indonesia, and covered the purpose of visit, traveler profiles, group composition, travel routes, stopover cities, spending amounts, and the travel apps and social media they use. We also asked him to compare the Golden Route, which passes through Nagoya, with the tourist routes that run through the Chubu region (the so-called the Dragon Route), and to analyze inbound tourism trends from various countries.
During online interactions, I made sure that my wife, who is also an employee, and I always participated together, striving to maintain smooth and friendly communication throughout. Additionally, during the activities, we emphasized speaking in Japanese as much as possible, and as a part of this initiative, we practiced sharing one thing we appreciated about Japan each day. One day’s theme was oshi (fan culture), a topic unrelated to work. In a relaxed atmosphere, we felt that this initiative provided a great opportunity to learn everyday conversational expressions and natural vocabulary usage for intern. Through such casual conversations, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of Syabil’s true feelings and what aspects of Japan he found appealing, which made communication during subsequent activities smoother.

“Real voices” revealed through research, learning from glimpses into the intern's life, and an attitude of taking action driven by “passion”

Q.Comparing before and after the internship, what effects did it have on you, your employees, or your organization?

Through this research activity, we were able to broadly collect trends and related information on inbound tourism from various Asian countries. Particularly through research utilizing local social media, we were able to access the “real voices” of inbound tourists that are hard for us to obtain, leading us to discover the potential for incorporating Nagoya—not Japan—as a destination in inbound travel routes.
Additionally, throughout the activity period, internal communication became more active, and the overall atmosphere of the company brightened up. During the internship, we made a conscious effort to share and listen to each other's opinions. In particular, when discussing Japanese culture and ways of thinking, we tried to convey them as "differences," rather than as matters of good or bad. For example, when creating the report, he made all the font sizes uniform. When we explained that in Japan it is common to use different sizes for headings and body text, and to include illustrations to improve readability, he was surprised but happy to learn about the difference. For us, it was also a valuable opportunity to learn about such cultural differences.
Syabil always interacted with us with a bright smile beyond our imagination, and his strong interest in research activities and eagerness to learn Japanese were very impressive. His proactive attitude, driven by his love for Japan, inspired us, and through this activity, we were able to touch a part of his life, which made us feel more positive and motivated to do our best. Through these activities, we were once again reminded of the outstanding abilities and appeal of highly skilled foreign talent, which further strengthened our motivation to recruit them. Currently, our company has two employees, including myself, but we plan to recruit foreign talent in the future.