Designated Administrator Business: Contributing to Regional Revitalization and HIS's Challenge
"The Public Business Promotion Office" was established in 2019. This department promotes the "Designated Administrator Business," which manages and operates facilities owned by local governments across Japan on their behalf, contributing to regional revitalization by cooperating with local governments, businesses, and residents to energize the community together. We interviewed Mr. Tamaki of the Public Business Promotion Office about HIS's "Designated Administrator Business."
Please tell us again about the overview of the "Designated Administrator Business" conducted by the "Public Business Promotion Office" and the background behind its entry.
The Designated Administrator Business is a business that operates buildings and facilities owned by local governments on their behalf, utilizing private sector know-how. Designated administrators are required to make the facilities as good as possible, based on the mission from the local government. In 2015, I enrolled as a first-generation student in the "Sawada Institute of Management" an entrepreneur training institution established by Mr. Sawada, the founder and supreme advisor of HIS. After learning practical knowledge and insights to become a manager and gaining about a year of practical experience at Huis Ten Bosch, I was assigned to HIS's Corporate Planning Office after graduation. There, I had the opportunity to hear that Fukui Prefecture was facing challenges regarding the operation of "Echizen Ceramics Village." Initially, I offered my opinions as an advisor, but then the facility began to openly recruit designated administrators. We considered leveraging the management know-how learned at the Sawada Management Dojo and the planning and operational capabilities cultivated through the theme park business at Huis Ten Bosch. After careful internal consideration, HIS decided to bid and ultimately won the contract. We believed that the Designated Administrator Business, a new venture for HIS, could become a new business pillar by providing HIS's expertise to address various facility operational challenges faced by local governments. Therefore, in addition to making the "Echizen Ceramics Village" project a success, we established the "Public Business Promotion Office" to build a permanent system for handling this field as a specialized department for undertaking designated administrator businesses.
Please tell us about your past achievements in "The Designated Administrator Business."
"Echizen Ceramics Village" was operated and managed as a designated administrator for five years, from April 2019 to March 2024. Compared to before our appointment (2018), we achieved annual revenue of 151% in the first year, 202% in the second year, 283% in the third year, 305% in the fourth year, and 317% in the fifth year. The number of visitors also increased similarly, reaching a maximum of 100,000 visitors annually.
The event with the highest visitor attraction effect is the "Weeping Cherry Blossom Festival" held every spring. It's held when about 600 weeping and Somei Yoshino cherry trees in Echizen Ceramics Village reach full bloom.Potters and craft artists from all over Japan gather, and many local eateries and food trucks set up stalls, allowing visitors to enjoy beautiful cherry blossoms and other various attractions. In conjunction with this event, we also held a unique night event called "Sky Lanterns," which further increased visitor attraction. "Sky Lanterns" is an event where approximately 200 lanterns with LED light sources float up after a countdown, creating a fantastical scene with warm light that can be enjoyed with the night cherry blossoms. It was held twice, in 2019 (the first year) and 2022 (during the COVID-19 pandemic), and received a great response. By leveraging HIS's strengths, we also operated bus tours from Kansai and Chubu, which I believe contributed to attracting visitors from outside the prefecture.
"The Sky Lantern" night event at the "Echizen Ceramic Art Village Weeping Cherry Blossom Festival" in April 2022
Currently, we are responsible for the operation and management of two facilities: "Poporokko," a hot spring accommodation facility in Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, from August 2024, and "Gifu Seiryu Satoyama Park," an urban park in Minokamo City, Gifu Prefecture, from April 2025.
At "Poporokko," we prioritize maintaining the hot spring facility as part of the daily lives of local residents, and events are also planned to target local people. In particular, the "Tororo Meshi Eating Contest" held at the "Harvest Festival" last October, which used tororo (grated yam), a local specialty, was very popular. The facility welcomed about 5,000 visitors, a significant jump from its usual weekend average of 1,000.
With the staffs involved in the "Tororo Meshi Eating Contest" in October 2023
In the Designated Administrator Business at "Gifu Seiryu Satoyama Park," we are conducting events such as vegetable harvesting and rice planting. Other key attractions include animal interaction experiences and beekeeping, offering visitors extraordinary experiences. In the future, we plan to hold regional collaborative events that utilize the vast land. Similar to Fukui and Akita, we will prioritize cooperation with local residents and aim for regional revitalization.
What did you prioritize when promoting The Designated Administrator Business?
At "Echizen Ceramics Village," we emphasized "not being limited to ceramics." If we specialized only in ceramics, the customer base tended to be skewed towards seniors, limiting opportunities for growth. Therefore, we first implemented events that children would enjoy, attracting many families. After that, we targeted young couples and held illumination and wind chimes events. We believed it was crucial to create strategies to interest these customers in Echizen ware. Also, regarding local residents, we started by listening to their problems and requests and engaging in activities that would please the community. At first, we sometimes felt that we were viewed with caution as unfamiliar outsiders. When we proposed event plans, there were often opposing opinions, but we persevered and persuaded them to "try it out experimentally," which in the end allowed us to implement our ideas. After that, it was just a matter of making it successful. Through success, we gained understanding and cooperation. We also started by visiting each potter one by one, conveying our passion for energizing Echizen Ceramics Village. By treating them not merely as business partners but as companions with whom to create the future of Echizen Ceramics Village, we gained their empathy, which led to the implementation of collaborative events such as "Making Cute Animal Green Pots." I believe these initiatives supported the potters' activities while also providing attractive content for visitors, creating a synergistic effect.
Furthermore, the cooperation of staff is essential for improving the facility. Creating an environment where staff can easily consult, taking immediate action to improve when consultations occur, and introducing a performance-based evaluation system, I believe, contributed to the overall staff motivation. We plan to incorporate this system in Akita and Gifu as well.
Please share any "KOKORO ODORU" episodes that stand out.
"The pottery Supporters Project" which was planned to support potters who were struggling after the "Echizen Pottery Festival," a major source of income for potters, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I attended the general meeting of the Echizen Ware Cooperative, where potters gather, and passionately explained the project and requested cooperation. Initially, some potters were skeptical, wondering, "Will ceramics really sell?" and showed a passive reaction. However, as their works actually began to sell, they became more positive, which ultimately made them pleased, saying, "I'm glad we did it." I learned that successful experiences can change the mindset of those who are cautious about change. With the cooperation of local media, we conveyed the message to "buy ceramics and support potters who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic," which helped many customers recognize the project, and I truly felt that the community came together to make it a success. Furthermore, as more customers became interested in Echizen ware, it ultimately pleased the potters and earned us words of gratitude, which was a "KOKORO ODORU" episode.
How do you want to develop The Designated Administrator Business within HIS in the future?
Across Japan, many public facilities are facing operational difficulties. HIS aims to contribute to regional revitalization by proactively engaging in the operation of these facilities. Our vision is to actively collaborate with local governments that are seriously committed to solving regional issues, polish the region into an attractive tourist destination, increase tourists, and ultimately expand HIS's travel business.
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Masataka Tamaki
Manager, Public Business Promotion Office,
Corporate Sales DivisionJoined Map International Inc. in 1997 (absorbed by HIS in 2009). Built a track record as a consultant in sales offices and as an area manager for the Kansai Sales Headquarters. In 2015, enrolled as a first-generation student in Sawada Institute of Management. After graduation, served as HIS Corporate Planning Office Manager before assuming his current position.
*The content of the article is as of the time of the interview.