Unimat Group is reshaping its future with a relentless focus on innovation, expanding into international markets and new sectors. Under Yoji Takahashi’s leadership, the company blends cutting-edge technology with customer-centric strategies to drive sustainable growth and global relevance.
Whether 150 years ago or today, Japan continues to captivate international travelers with its rich culture, deep history, breathtaking natural landscapes, and vibrant cities that never sleep. This appeal is evident in two key trends: Japan is now one of the fastest-growing tourism markets in the world, and in 2024, the country welcomed 36.8 million tourists who spent a total of JPY 5.3 trillion. The focus is now shifting from quantity to quality, with the Japanese government setting ambitious targets of 60 million visitors and JPY 15 trillion in annual spending by 2030. In your view, what makes Japan such a compelling destination for global travelers?
Simply put, I believe it comes down to the culture, the traditions, and the cuisine—which is truly exceptional. Japanese people are also known for being gentle and kind, and they take great pride in cleanliness and hygiene.
When I traveled to various Asian countries like China and Korea some 30 to 40 years ago, I found that many cities were still not organized well at that time in terms of the cleanliness. In contrast, I think Japanese society places a high value on hygiene, which adds to the overall appeal for visitors.
What makes our resort unique, especially when compared to destinations like Hawaii, Canada, or Australia, is the approach to land use. In those places, multiple developers often compete for prime land, which can lead to a loss of natural scenery. In our case, we handle our own city planning. Resort locations are carefully selected and coordinated, which creates synergy rather than competition. That’s one of our greatest strengths.
In recent years, there has been considerable discussion about whether tourism can drive regional revitalization. Do you believe the growing influx of international visitors presents significant growth potential for luxury travel in Japan, particularly outside the traditional Golden Route of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka?
Tourism must be actively developed in order to contribute to regional revitalization. While major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya—and even Sapporo and Fukuoka—are performing well, many other areas are struggling due to population decline. These regional areas each have their own unique culture and traditions, but these qualities are often overlooked.
It’s crucial to uncover and highlight these hidden gems, allowing them to shine. Attracting tourists to these lesser-known destinations can help breathe new life into the local economy and community. Our hotel, located on Miyako Island, operates with this same principle of regional revitalization in mind.
Companies must also address stakeholder concerns about the potential challenges of over-tourism—whether those concerns come from the government or local residents. How do you engage with these stakeholders to ensure their voices are reflected in your operations, and to make sure they benefit from tourism as a whole?
Through regional revitalization, our goal is to create a positive cycle where people born on Miyako Island eventually return to work and build their lives there. This challenge isn’t unique to Miyako—it’s common across many parts of Japan. While these areas often have elementary and middle schools, students typically have to leave for high school, and even more so for university, with many heading to Tokyo. Once there, the lack of job opportunities in their hometowns often prevents them from returning.
Our aim is to create attractive new jobs that encourage people with strong ties to their hometowns to come back. This not only supports individual aspirations but also reinforces the foundation of regional revitalization. We believe such efforts should be pursued across all regions of Japan.
A 2023 survey found that 20% of international visitors still face communication challenges during their stay in Japan—whether at hotels, airports, train stations, or other key locations. How is your organization helping foreign visitors overcome these barriers to ensure a more comfortable and accessible travel experience?
The number of inbound tourists is steadily increasing, and among our 1,000 employees, around 200 are foreign workers—primarily from other parts of Asia. We also run a language training program to help our staff better serve international guests.
With the recent opening of a nearby international airport, we do anticipate a surge in foreign tourists. However, we are now preparing to cope with it. We're actively working to enhance our language training initiatives and develop tailored services specifically designed to meet the needs of international visitors.
No sector is immune to Japan’s ongoing population crisis. In fact, recent studies show that in the accommodation and food services sector, there are 5.18 job openings for every one applicant. How is your company addressing the impact of this demographic challenge on your operations?
We are increasingly relying on a foreign workforce, with the majority of our new hires coming from other parts of Asia. Looking ahead, we now do develop more diverse working environment employing non-Japanese people appropriately.
In addition, we are actively involved in supporting single mothers. In collaboration with the government, we’re planning to work on establishing dormitory-style housing for single mothers in Tokyo, Miyako Island, and other parts of Japan. These residences typically cost around JPY 200,000 per month to rent, but we offer them at a significantly reduced rate—approximately JPY 30,000—so that single mothers can live there and receive the childcare support they need. This project is still to be studied well before we move forward.
Founded in 1968, your company has grown into a diversified enterprise with a strong focus on hospitality and luxury resorts. Today, you offer a wide range of services—from high-end tourism and golf courses to safari parks and senior living facilities. UNIMAT Precious, for instance, operates the Shigira Seven Miles Resort, a premium and exclusive accommodation offering. Could you explain the role your company plays in the market, and what strengths you’re able to leverage as a conglomerate with multiple segments under the hospitality umbrella?
One of the challenges I see today is that when a new project is launched, shareholders often demand short-term returns. This makes it difficult to pursue initiatives with a long-term vision that truly contribute to the welfare of future generations. Every new project is expected to deliver immediate profitability to satisfy investors. Even a five- to seven-year timeline is considered long, and if we were a publicly listed company, such projects would likely be rejected by shareholders. As a result, achieving meaningful long-term goals becomes nearly impossible under that structure.
That’s precisely why we remain a private company—so we can pursue our vision over the long term. When I started this project, I envisioned it taking more than 60 years. I launched it when I was 42 years old, and now, at 82, it has been in progress for 40 years. That means there are still 20 years to go.
This year, I’m preparing to pass the baton to the next generation and share my passion with our employees. My plan is to retire sometime in three years time. While I feel a sense of sadness about stepping away, I have full confidence in the successors who will carry on the vision.
Could you tell us more about the "isolated hotel" concept that your company promotes? What makes this approach unique within the hospitality industry?
The "isolated hotel" concept stems from our approach to city planning. Our goal was to develop a well-structured environment capable of accommodating visitors in a purposeful and sustainable way. Initially, Miyako Island wasn’t a focus for tourism, and we took the initiative to develop the land from the ground up—at a time when professionals in Tokyo had little interest. It’s taken 40 years to transform the island into a thriving resort destination, and today, it’s attracting attention from high-end brands. I expect to see even more upgrades in the near future.
We’ve also developed and sold high-end residential properties on Miyako Island. Honestly, no one could have predicted how popular the island would become. Even the Okinawan government was initially skeptical. Today, we are proud to be recognized as pioneers in the region, and our company is now moving forward to develop Miyako island sustainably having the consensus with local people
Our vision is to create a fully self-contained city within the resort—essentially establishing our own local governance structure for the area. We are currently developing 12,000 rooms, spread across hotel and residential properties. Even though land prices have risen to levels comparable to Tokyo, we continue to receive strong interest. Ultimately, our ambition is to build a town with a population of about 30,000. promoting infrastructure development contributing to this area having well-build connection with local government.
Do you envision Miyako Island evolving into a resort destination similar to Niseko, which now attracts a significant number of foreign visitors? What kind of developments do you foresee for Miyako Island by 2030, and how do you see the balance between Japanese and international guests shaping up in the coming years?
We’re currently adding around 280 rooms annually. Two years ago, when we sold our first residential property, the sales were handled by a real estate company which has the know-how and well-experienced for resort property. Their strategy was to first target the Japanese market during the first half of the year, and then shift focus to international buyers in places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Shanghai. However, all the units were sold to Japanese buyers within that initial domestic sales period, before we even had the chance to market them abroad.
Turning to the Shigira Seven Miles Resort, you currently operate eight distinct hotels within the resort, each designed to cater to different tastes and preferences—including The Shigira, Hotel Shigira Mirage, Allamanda, Allamanda Imgya Coral Village, Hotel Breeze Bay Marina, Hotel Seabreeze Coral, Brisa Wellness Villa, and Hot Cross Point Santa Monica. How are you tailoring the guest experience across these properties to meet the diverse expectations of your varied clientele?
Our plan is to eventually have 20 hotels within the resort compound, and we’re currently in the process of constructing our 10th property. This expansion allows us to offer a wide range of price points—from ultra-luxury accommodations priced at JPY 2.5 million per night to more casual options starting at JPY 15,000 per night.
While some hotels may share a beach-inspired theme, our overall goal is to diversify the experiences available within the resort, ensuring we can meet the needs and preferences of a broad spectrum of guests.
Your company already maintains several key partnerships, including collaborations with Rakuten for promotion and with major online travel agencies (OTAs) such as JTB and HIS. Looking ahead, what additional international partnerships with OTAs are you aiming to establish? Are you also exploring other forms of international collaboration beyond the OTA space?
Our strategy is to partner with international OTAs such as Booking.com and Expedia to strengthen our presence and promote our brand among global travelers. The ultimate goal is to use these platforms as a gateway, encouraging guests to eventually make direct bookings through our own online platform. In that sense, enhancing our proprietary booking system is a central part of our long-term strategy.
In terms of accessibility, we’ve seen important developments recently. Direct flights from Korea began in May 2024, and a direct flight from Hong Kong is scheduled to launch on June 27, 2025.
Beyond global platforms like Booking.com and Expedia, are you also interested in partnering with regional OTAs, such as those based in the United States or the United Kingdom?
Yes, we would certainly be interested in forming partnerships with regional OTAs in markets like the U.S. and the U.K. These collaborations are essential for attracting more international travelers to our resort. With the upcoming launch of a direct flight from Hong Kong, we also anticipate increased interest from travelers across other Asian countries.
What’s especially important to us is word of mouth and the online reviews shared by our guests. Travelers often choose hotels not just based on location, but on the experiences of others. We hold review-focused meetings once a month to analyze guest feedback and continuously integrate improvements into our operations.
Earlier, you spoke about your 60-year vision, with roughly 20 years remaining on that journey. Could you share what we can expect over the next two decades as you work toward completing this long-term plan?
Our goal for the 60th anniversary is to establish a well-balanced and culturally rich environment in the region. This vision goes beyond accommodation—we’re currently designing to add a concert hall with a capacity of 12,000 people, and we also plan to create dedicated spaces for the arts and a sports complex with training facilities.
The aim is to attract both amateur and professional athletes who can train here during the winter months, taking advantage of the milder climate compared to Tokyo.
When it comes to food, we’re pursuing internationalization by incorporating influences from Taiwan, Hong Kong, other parts of Asia, and Western cuisines. Ultimately, we hope to create a cultural melting pot—an environment that is diverse, vibrant, and deeply enriched.
For more information, please visit their website at: https://www.unimat.co.jp/
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