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"I believe that if Kyoto's world-renowned tourism industry takes the lead in promoting family-friendly and kid-friendly tourism, it will be able to solve the problems of Japan, which is one of the first countries in the world to experience the challenges of a declining birthrate and ageing population."
Before the pandemic, we were focusing on families from overseas, but we are now trying to change our target customers to domestic families. Most of our staff, including myself, are in the midst of raising children. We have been thinking of new projects from the perspective of what kind of tourism we would like to. In Japan, most families used to have an "inaka," a home for grandparents. Nowadays, most families do not have an "inaka" to be returned. We are planning to try producing such tourism contents that can create "inaka" /a "second home" this summer 2022.
We believe that the core value of tourism is "communication" that creates emotional connections. That's something that women are relatively good at, and it's an industry in which women can play an active role. On the other hand, I heard many very sad stories about the Corona disaster. In hospitality and culinary industries, many women work as part-time job instead of full-time because they cannot work long hours to raise their children. These part-time workers are used as the adjustment valve for the workforce, and when something goes wrong, their contracts are terminated before those of full-time employees. We heard many voices from these part-time women who were no longer able to work their shifts or lost their jobs in this pandemic.
I fully understand that the tourism industry is facing difficulties, and I do not mean to blame the management at all, but I believe that eliminating the difference in treatment between part-time employees and full-time employees just because they cannot work long hours will lead to a diverse workforce, including women who are raising children, and will create a prosperous and sustainable tourism industry for both workers and tourists in the future. This is not only a problem in the tourism industry, but this pandemic, so many part-time workers are facing difficulties and are heartbroken that there is nothing they can do about it.
Kyoto has many things that appeal to both women and men such as tradition, temples/shrines, food, etc etc. However, just as you have kids, it becomes a bit difficult destination to visit, compared with resort islands. In fact, Japan's birthrate is rapidly declining, and the number of generations with children is greatly decreasing. The percentage of households with children is now about 21% (as of 2019), compared to about half 30 years ago, and the percentage of the population of infants and toddlers aged 0-5 is about 5%. I also feel that there is a loss of tolerance for children. By pandemic, there are many families raising children who feel a sense of entitlement, such as being reported when their children are playing parks or outside near their residence, or receiving complaints from neighbours that their children are too noisy when they are in their apartments due to the closure of the place for elder people. I believe that if Kyoto's world-renowned tourism industry takes the lead in promoting family-friendly and kid-friendly tourism, it will be able to solve the problems of Japan, which is one of the first countries in the world to experience the challenges of a declining birthrate and ageing population.
Practicing acrobatics and playing the piano several times a week is a refreshing time. There are a lot of things that happen when launching a business, but I am able to turn them into a springboard by consulting with my mentor when I am troubled or depressed.
In my role and my industry, there are a lot of female staff members, so it's hard to think of them right away, but the influence of imprinting from childhood, such as the fact that there are still few female science students in Japan, is significant, and I may just be unaware of my bias. I would like to be careful myself not to have various unconscious bias, not only for women but for all. I believe that we can create a world where everyone can live comfortably and make the most of their individuality. I would like to do this kind of work myself from Kyoto city.
To create a world where everyone can live easily, where individuality can be protected.
After working in financial accounting and M&A at business companies and financial institutions in Tokyo and New York, returned to Kyoto for childbirth. Graduated from graduate school while giving birth and raising children.
In the Kansai region, was involved in overseas business promotion and corporate planning at a major manufacturer and the launch of a department at an educational institution. MBA" for mothers on maternity leave, providing a "place to learn and connect" to a total of 1,000 mothers on maternity leave.
