What is the "Unconventional Management" of the World's First Sake Brewery Hotel®️?

This series explores the secrets behind "vibrant companies" with "originality," as uncovered by Dentsu Inc.'s "Company Design" team. The 29th installment introduces KURABITO STAY, a company that launched the "Sake Brewery Hotel®️ " business in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture . This unique experience allows guests to stay at a sake brewery and participate in hands-on sake-making work .

The concept of "Sake Brewery × Hotel × Brewery Worker Experience" is one that would make any sake lover lean forward eagerly to hear more. Yet, both realizing this concept and running it as a business seem far from simple. Despite operating only on weekends, Sake Brewery Hotel®️ is profitable. President Marika Tazawa describes the approach they practice as "selfish management." Drawing from her own experiences as a working woman, her perspective consistently centers on "the potential of her hometown region" and "the potential of its workforce."

Written by: Nobu Miyazaki (Dentsu Inc. BXCC)

Returning to her hometown of Komoro

Marika Tazawa: Representative Director & CEO, KURABITO STAY
Born in Komoro City, Nagano Prefecture. After working at a major travel agency and in the wine sales department of a food company, she started her business in 2019 as part of regional revitalization through "tourism-driven community development." In 2020, she opened the world's first Sake Brewery Hotel®️, KURABITO STAY, attracting sake enthusiasts from Japan and abroad.

"I was born and raised in Komoro, the city next to where the Sake Brewery Hotel®️ is now located. Back then, I thought it was a place with nothing to offer, and I just wanted to leave my ordinary hometown for Tokyo. I had a fascination with European culture, so when I went to university in Tokyo, I chose French literature. After graduation, I joined a travel agency. Later, I switched to the wine sales department of a food company, but unexpectedly became pregnant and gave birth soon after. For a while, I was a full-time homemaker raising my child in Saitama. That's when Komoro City began recruiting staff to establish its tourism bureau. The requirement for travel agency experience was a perfect fit for me, so I applied immediately."

Hearing this, one might imagine a woman who once moved to the city, then returned to a better environment for raising children after giving birth. But it wasn't that simple. What brought President Tazawa to this point was the frustration she felt after becoming a full-time homemaker: "Wanting to work but not being able to."

KURABITO STAY
Partnering with Kitsukura Shuzo, a long-established sake brewery in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, they renovated a 100-year-old building—once used by Echigo brewmasters as lodging during the winter brewing season—into a lodging facility. Its appeal lies in allowing tourists, including inbound visitors, to participate in the authentic sake brewing process. Despite the headwinds of the pandemic, it has welcomed over 400 guests from both Japan and abroad. The chic black walls are made from a material called "burned cedar."

Searching for a stage where mothers could work

President Tazawa recounts: "Until I transferred to the wine sales department of a food company, I felt my life and aspirations were progressing smoothly. I received decent recognition from those around me. However, the moment I became pregnant, the company's treatment of me changed completely. They said there was no work they could entrust to me, and I spent my days wiping wine glasses and cutting out magazine articles."

Feeling she couldn't burden others any longer and sensing pressure from the company to resign, she had no choice but to leave after just five months. When her child turned one, she considered returning to work. But at that time, nurseries everywhere were overflowing with children on waiting lists, and moms who had once quit couldn't get back in. "Men don't see their careers or promotions affected when they become dads, right? Their working hours don't change much from when they were single. I understood that well once I became one myself. But for women, it's different. Depending on the timing, the moment you become a mom, your company's evaluation of you can drop instantly, or your work can disappear. This was a shock. My labor productivity hasn't changed yesterday, today, or any day."

Couldn't there be a way to work that leveraged my strengths in short bursts, even after becoming a mom? While deeply feeling this societal challenge, I encountered work in my hometown of Komoro City and became immersed in local tourism. While planning over 30 experience tours through conversations with locals, I pondered creating products involving "overnight stays" rather than just day trips.

It was during this time that her "Sake Brewery Hotel®️" plan, which she had been envisioning, won the Grand Prize at the national finals of the "Everyone's Dream AWARD" business contest, sparked by a competition hosted by Komoro City. A portion of the prize money, combined with financing secured through the award and government subsidies, became the seed money for her business dream. From here, the accelerator was pushed to the floor. The stage for this dream was Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, not far from his hometown. We asked him more about how he arrived at this location.

The Saku region lies in eastern Nagano Prefecture, embraced by mountains overlooking Mount Asama, the Yatsugatake range, and the distant Northern Alps, with the Chikuma River flowing north-south through its center. Access is excellent, just about an hour from Tokyo by bullet train, and it's close to resort areas like Karuizawa, Nobeyama Highlands, and Tateshina Highlands. Life and industry here have long been shaped by the unique inland plateau climate: high sunshine hours, significant day-night temperature differences, cool summers, and severe cold in winter. "I want people to drink our sake while picturing this landscape," says President Tazawa.

Interactions with people truly add color to travel

"Visiting France, a place I'd long admired, and interacting with local people there was also a major turning point. While enjoying a winery tour, a local I happened to talk to said, 'Your country has this wonderful drink called "SAKE," so why don't you know more about it?' That really made me stop and think."

The winery President Tazawa visited was in the French countryside. Yet, everyone he met spoke vividly about their region's strengths and were actively involved in community building. Above all, what deeply resonated was their sense of richness in their everyday lives and their strong pride in their local culture and history. This experience would later lead to the "Sake Brewery Hotel®️" venture.

"Winery people are all so friendly. What I remember most after traveling is the interaction with the locals. It made me realize anew that this is what truly colors a journey." As President Tazawa pondered, "What are the experiences you can only have by staying overnight?", various things began to overlap in his mind: the countryside (his hometown), local sake, travel, human connection, a place where you can work authentically even after becoming a mother... The world's first, whimsical concept of a "weekend-only stayable sake brewery" began to take shape.

 

President Tazawa's idea—staying in the old buildings where master brewers once slept and experiencing sake brewing—caught the immediate interest of President Idehei of the long-established Kitsukura Sake Brewery. President Tazawa says Mr. Ide, who also serves as a director of KURABITO STAY, is truly reliable and she is nothing but grateful.

We'd rather have one person for 100 hours than 100 people for one hour

When working at a travel agency, he felt the limitations of the approach: cramming "this and that" into tour plans and selling them cheaply to as many people as possible. Tourists rushing through famous spots in a short time, feeling like they've seen the place before heading home. Money doesn't trickle down to surrounding areas, and tour guides face complaints over minor mishaps. He witnessed firsthand the exhaustion this "mass tourism" brought to both the regions and the employees.

"I realized chasing numbers was draining my life, so I decided not to pursue mass tourism. Bringing in 100 people who stay for just one hour won't create happiness. Attracting one person who stays for 100 hours is more economically efficient and allows everyone involved to engage in the business with a positive mindset." The 100-hour concept includes repeat visits by the same person. President Tazawa prepared for this, aiming to create a comfortable lodging experience for the region, the staff, and the guests.

The brewery experience allows participants to actually experience processes normally off-limits to outsiders. It is precisely during the harsh Saku region winter, when temperatures drop below minus 10 degrees Celsius, that truly fine sake is born. The work is demanding—early mornings, carrying heavy loads, handling hot rice—but by experiencing the unadorned reality of the craftsmen's lives and labor, participants can touch the essence of sake culture.

Authentic Sake Brewing Experiences That Attract Friends

"By chance, I learned of a great property within the grounds of a long-established sake brewery in neighboring Saku City. It was a 100-year-old building, now hardly used. Ah, I thought, this is where I could offer the sake brewery hotel and brewer experience I'd vaguely imagined!" Persuasion followed: convincing the owner, Kitsukura Sake Brewery; the craftsmen willing to host the brewing experience; the local government; and the community. Finally, the venture opened.

I also deepened collaboration with other breweries in the area, who should have been competitors.

When asked if targeting inbound tourists from the start was to attract the wealthy, President Tazawa firmly replied, "No, that's not it." "We invite inbound guests because praise from overseas visitors builds confidence among local people." In reality, those who visit are people with a strong interest in sake, regardless of whether they're domestic or international.

"The people staying at the brewery hotel, interested in niche experiences like sake brewing, and willing to pay a fair price aren't necessarily hyper-affluent individuals. They are 'birds of a feather' connected by deep shared interests. The power of information diffusion and friendship among such people is incredible. This applies not only to people of all ages and genders, but also to guests from overseas. You've heard the saying, right? 'If you follow friends of friends seven times, you can connect with everyone in the world.'" Friends bring friends, and guests even come from as far as Brazil.

President Tazawa says nothing makes him happier than hearing guests say, "Even when staying alone, I never feel lonely." "We want guests to experience authentic sake brewing and the true Japanese spirit here. That's why our brewery tourism begins with experiencing the sacred ritual of purification (oharai). We also ensure guests fully understand beforehand that things like nail polish and perfume are prohibited when entering the brewery."

President Tazawa emphasizes that it is precisely by sharing respect for Japanese culture and the sake brewery that they can become "like attracts like" and become "good customers" for the region. In fact, many repeat customers return after experiencing authentic sake brewing, coming back as brewery workers themselves.

The lounge created within the hotel. Gathering around tables made from the lids of old wooden barrels, anyone can become kindred spirits. Naturally, conversation flows easily. The sake you brew will be delivered to your home in about 50 days. (Domestic delivery only)

For the Company and Region Where We Can Leverage Our Strengths

President Tazawa himself calls this style of operating a high-end hotel open only on weekends "selfish management."

"My focus is twofold: securing high profit margins in a short timeframe and providing unparalleled, high-quality service. I don't obsess over sales figures or employee numbers." Indeed, the staff range from 19 to 82 years old. They include locals and women commuting from Tokyo on weekends for part-time work. The 82-year-old female staff member is responsible for preparing breakfast. President Tazawa states he manages with the perspective of "creating a place where everyone can utilize their strengths."

At KURABITO STAY, only breakfast is provided. The aim is to let guests fully experience the charm of the area around the brewery while also invigorating the surrounding shops.

"Right now, I'm thinking about what we can do during the summer, the quiet season for the brewery, to delight our guests. I want them to enjoy our sake while touring the rice paddies where our brewing rice is grown on electric bicycles, letting the scenery of Saku inspire their imagination. Without exaggeration, our goal isn't profit; it's 'community building.'"

President Tazawa has aimed to create a workplace accessible to all ages and genders, fostering community pride. By traditional business standards, a lodging facility operating only on weekends might seem like "selfish management." Yet, perhaps one day, this style could become the "social norm." Hearing President Tazawa speak, I envisioned such a future landscape overlaid upon Saku's natural beauty.

Opened in March 2020. All design work, including the logo, was commissioned from Saku-born art director Akio Yanagisawa. The company logo incorporates the image of a sake brewery's "roof" and embodies the wish for "connections between people."

Visit the KURABITO STAY website here.

This series explores the secrets behind "vibrant companies" with originality, investigated by Dentsu Inc.'s "Company Design" team. In the 29th installment, we introduced KURABITO STAY, a company that launched the "Sake Brewery Hotel®️" business model. This unique concept combines hands-on experience with the work of a sake brewery with accommodation facilities on the same premises.

The Season 1 series can be found here.
The "Company Design" project site is here.

[Editor's Note]

At the end of the interview, we touched on a topic often discussed: "young people turning away from XX." Car disengagement, TV disengagement, and so on. I think "turning away from sake" fits that pattern too. So, what exactly is the appeal of sake you want to convey to such young people? I asked.

In response to the editorial team's tricky question, President Tazawa answered: "I suppose there aren't many adults around to teach them how to enjoy good sake."

It's characteristic of President Tazawa to say "there are fewer adults teaching them how to drink delicious sake" rather than "they probably don't know what delicious sake is." "Sake is a truly wonderful drink, unique in the world, made by using rice and undergoing 'parallel compound fermentation.' It's something we should be proud of. I want more people to realize that."

There was no time to ask what parallel compound fermentation is. If you're curious, please search online. As mentioned in the text, it's true that we Japanese often fail to properly recognize the value of things close at hand. Even standing before Horyuji Temple, we might just think, "Hmm, it's an old-looking temple," and leave it at that. Without realizing the miracle that the world's oldest surviving wooden structure stands right there.