Niki Resort CEO Hitomi Kitayama founded Niki Club in 1986, which was called the "pioneer of cultural resorts." In 2007, Art Biotope Nasu, an experiential art residence equipped with a full-fledged ceramics and glass studio, opened. On the site adjacent to Art Biotope Nasu, a land art ``water garden'' was completed last year that combines memories of the land through trees and water, and a suite villa designed by architect Shigeru Ban is also scheduled to open in 2020. . The new era of resorts that Kitayama is aiming for is revealed here.

Written by Hitomi Kitayama

There is no economic prosperity without culture - only culture can surpass economy.

Nasu is the northern limit of the Kanto region and the southern limit of the Tohoku region, and is a very unique area where both northern and southern plants coexist. In 15, the Nasu Imperial Villa was built for the imperial family, and it became known to many people as a royal resort.

Yokozawa, located in Nasu at the foot of the Nasu Mountain Range, is known as a land rich in water with beautiful mountain streams. In 1986, Niki Club was founded in this location. In 1997, in addition to the six rooms in the main building, 14 new rooms were added by space designer Takashi Sugimoto, and in 2003, the spa resort ``NIKI CLUB & SPA'' was opened by British designer Sir Terence Conran. Subsequently, in 2006, the outdoor theater Nanaishi Stage "Kagami" was completed as a commemorative project for the company's 20th anniversary.

The following year, he produced the multipurpose hall ``Kankikan'' and ``Art Biotope Nasu,'' an experiential learning accommodation facility equipped with a full-fledged ceramics and glass studio. For more than 2017 years, from our founding until our closure in 30, we have been engaged in the hotel business, using "culture" as a management resource and using it as a unifying force. During that time, I learned a lot as a manager. Mr. Yoshiharu Fukuhara, honorary chairman of Shiseido, who is a respected businessman, said that ``cultural capital management'' is ``talking about one's own management in words, expressing it, creating places, and forming capital.From art to knowledge to design. The culture of capital is defined as one that aims at integrated social and economic activities.

``Good resorts have delicious restaurants, hotels with simple but clean bedding, and facilities for enjoying art and culture.'' The environment of Yokozawa has been improved little by little by establishing cultural facilities. In addition to building facilities, Art Biotope Nasu's studio has hosted many of Japan's leading contemporary craftsmen, including Hiromi Itabashi, Kazuhiko Miwa, Shoko Koike, Kinpei Nakamura, Takuo Nakamura, Akashi Niisato, and Kentaro Kawabata. In addition to holding regular workshops in the area, sometimes involving local children, we have also held the open college ``Yama no Schule'' every year since 2008.

These 30 years of hand-sewn work are the practice of cultural capital management that I learned from Mr. Fukuhara. At the same time, I have deepened my knowledge of "hospitality" management. We aim to further improve our hospitality skills, from "services" based on simple labor to true "hospitality" supported by each person's cultural skills.

From the 20th century to the 21st century, times are changing dramatically. In the economy, it seems that the market fundamentalist way of thinking that everything goes well by pursuing economic profit has already reached its final stage. Recently, companies' CSR activities, environmental indexes, and ethical initiatives have come to be evaluated as corporate value. Behind this background, what is it about humans? Can humans really become happy through economic activities alone? There is an essential question. The origin of my work for over 30 years lies in this question. Through the hotel business called Niki Club, I look back on the years that I have been able to consider my own work while integrating human studies and marketing.

In 2019, there was a change of era to Reiwa, and I had the opportunity to learn that some of the words of His Majesty the Emperor, who was enthroned when he was the Crown Prince, talked about virtue. In his speech, His Majesty said the following:

``While learning about the history of successive emperors, the 95th Emperor Hanazono wrote a letter to the Crown Prince at the time, later Emperor Kogon, in which he first preached the importance of accumulating virtue, and in order to do so. I remember being impressed by Emperor Hanazono's teaching that we must study.The "study" that Emperor Hanazono was talking about was not just about becoming knowledgeable, but learning as a human being. This word was used to include proper morals and etiquette. I also recognize the importance of learning again at the age of 50."

I feel that ``academics'' for learning how to be a person and the resort business for acquiring a better humanity are very similar. I believe that the resort hotels of the future have the potential to become places of learning.

Coincidentally, the style of travel in recent years is already shifting toward culture and knowledge. As symbolized by the pilgrimage journeys of the past, traveling was a way to experience new cultures and knowledge, and to acquire a new identity. As a practical place for such learning, we have held an open college called ``Yama no Schule'' every year. I think that the experience of living together for several days and spending enriching time through learning will become more and more sought after by a diverse group of people who work under stress in the city on a daily basis.

The new story begins in a small garden in Nasu Yokozawa.

→Next time is Takashi Niimi (Professor at Musashino Art University and Curatorial Advisor at Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum).

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