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Our Story

Guiding Principles Kinnotake: The Five Powers of Bamboo

The Kinnotake Group logo is inspired by bamboo.
Bamboo has been an integral part of Japanese life since the ancient Jomon period. From agricultural and fishing tools to implements for the tea ceremony and flower arrangement, as well as flutes, shakuhachi, bamboo swords, and archery bows, it is a material deeply rooted in Japanese culture and daily life.
We embrace the five inherent powers of bamboo as our daily guiding principles.

1. The Mystical Power of Bamboo — Exceeding Guest Expectations
As depicted in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, bamboo has long evoked a sense of mystical power.
We transform this energy into extraordinary, heart-stirring experiences that transcend the everyday. We never settle for merely meeting expectations—we always go one step beyond.

2. Diversity — Turning Differences into Strength
There are said to be roughly 600 species of bamboo in Japan and over 1,200 worldwide.
We respect differences in nationality, culture, and personal values, creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and support one another’s dreams.

3. Rapid Growth — Moving Fast, Learning Fast
Some bamboo species have been recorded to grow more than one meter in a single day.
Rather than waiting for perfection, we take the first step, learn from our failures, and keep challenging ourselves until we succeed. However, we never compromise on guest safety or our promises.

4. Deep Roots — Refining Our Region and Sharing It with the World
Bamboo spreads its roots far and wide underground, firmly anchoring the earth.

We root ourselves deeply in Hakone, sharing the charms of our region in our own words and growing hand-in-hand with the local community.

5. The Strength of Nodes — Passing Our Aspirations to the Future
By forming nodes as it grows, bamboo becomes flexible, resilient, and capable of reaching great heights.

We treat every achievement as a node, building a strong business step-by-step and carrying our shared purpose forward to the next generation.

Message from CEO

Through bold endeavors, we energize our community and bridge it to the world.

Masaaki Yahata
President and CEO, Kinnotake Co., Ltd.

Our Hierarchy of Values: Our priorities are ordered as follows: first, our Guests; second, our Employees and their Families, as well as our Business Partners; third, our Local Community; and finally, our Shareholders.

It is only because of our guests—who recognize the value we create and choose to stay with us—that our business exists, jobs are secured, and future challenges can be pursued. Therefore, our guests come first, above all else.

Because we put our guests first, we prioritize caring for the team members we work alongside. Only when our staff and their families feel secure and work with pride can we bring genuine, heartfelt smiles to our guests.

Furthermore, our ryokan could not operate for a single day without our business partners and the local community of Hakone. Treasuring the people around us and the region—and growing prosperous together—is the very reason for our existence.

We place shareholders last because focusing solely on short-term financial figures can compromise the true value we deliver to our guests, team, and community. I firmly believe that by thoroughly prioritizing the first three and continuously creating ultimate value, we will ultimately deliver the greatest returns to our shareholders as a result.

Our Ambitious Goal: To continuously enrich our valued team and their families, we have set a major goal: achieving 5 billion yen in revenue by 2030.

The key to this ambition is the relentless pursuit of "extraordinary experiences," establishing Kinnotake itself as the primary destination of the journey. Rather than "staying at Kinnotake because they are visiting Hakone," we aim to create a destination where travelers think, "we are traveling to Japan and Hakone because we want to spend time at Kinnotake." We aspire to become a place cherished by people all around the globe.

While this may sound like an extraordinarily ambitious target, we are fully committed to achieving it.

The Future We Envision: Beyond this goal lies our vision: "Our challenge will illuminate our community and cultivate a forest that connects the world."

When people from around the world gather, feel moved, and connect through the extraordinary experiences we create, it will energize all of Hakone and eventually grow into a great forest connecting the world. This is the vision I hold.

There is an African proverb that says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
A forest cannot be created by a single tree. Together with our guests, team members, business partners, and local community, we will plant, nurture, and grow this great forest.

Kinnotake is never a finished product. As long as we continue to refine the emotional inspiration we bring to our guests, we will continue to grow.

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