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[Entrepreneur Interview #19] Daniel Lim and Jing Xiang Lin (Sumii)

2026.11.10

“All You Need to Do is Bring Your Suitcase”:
Connecting Global Digital Nomads with Japan’s Real Estate

①What led to the founding of Sumii Inc.?

Daniel:
We saw the need firsthand when we were trying to rent serviced apartments in Tokyo. The process was opaque and difficult. Many of the options did not cater to discerning, global travellers and families. Thus, we decided to fill this gap by founding Sumii Inc.

Our vision is: Give people freedom to live, work and play anywhere in the world.

②Please explain the relationship between the two of you. What are each of your roles and specialties?

Daniel:
We are college classmates and have remained very good friends for the last 25 years. I have known JX for over half my life!

My background and experience has always been in the consumer internet space. I founded an e-commerce company and also a digital advertising company focused on helping interior design firms in Singapore and Malaysia. Therefore, my main role in Sumii Inc. is to handle marketing and branding.

Jing Xiang (JX):
My background is in finance management, while my passion is in real estate. I enjoy learning about all these different locations, the potential of every property, and the process of seeing it all come to fruition.

③What opportunity does Sumii Inc. see in Tokyo’s accommodation market?

JX:
We see an open space between renting a conventional apartment and staying in a hotel. When someone comes to Tokyo for a month or a few months, they often want a place where they can really settle in, whether on their own or with their partner or family. They want to enjoy the neighbourhood and feel at home, without having to commit to a long-term lease.

For property owners, it’s an opportunity to reach people they might not attract through traditional leasing. Our role is to understand what those guests want and bring it to them through thoughtful design, international marketing, and pricing intelligence. When we get that right, we create homes people want to stay in and help owners achieve better rental performance.

④From the guest’s viewpoint, what are the key differences between the SUMII brand’s serviced apartments and common hotels or short-term rental services like Airbnb?

Daniel:
I believe we stand at the intersection of hospitality and Airbnb. We take the best of both. Our ‘rooms’ are much bigger than normal hotel rooms. This gives guests the luxury of space, which is important for a longer stay.

SUMII offers a consistent brand experience across all our apartments, which is not something you find in an Airbnb. Next, Airbnb is banned in many of the 23 Tokyo wards, so we can offer much better locations in central Tokyo than what you can find on Airbnb.

JX:
Ultimately, we want guests to unpack, find their favourite neighbourhood spots, and feel like they really live in Tokyo—even if only for a few months.

⑤What are the key strengths or uniqueness of SUMII for guests, compared with similar services?

Daniel:
We are looking to attract a very specific audience and guest profile: the discerning global traveller. Thus, we have designed the entire experience of SUMII around this. SUMII apartments are beautifully designed, spacious, and in the best locations in Tokyo. We also have welcome gifts and community events that engage our guests. Our aim is to create an experience that guests will return to and enjoy, not just a soulless apartment to stay in.

⑥What kind of guests do you target? What are the demographics of your guests? Please introduce some information such as nationalities, professions, lifestyles.

Daniel:
The main group would be the discerning global traveller. They appreciate good design and lifestyle and are willing to spend money to be comfortable. Most of our guests are 35 to 50 years old. Right now, about 50% of our guests are from the USA, about 25% from Europe, and 25% from Asia and Australia. They are mostly well-travelled and sophisticated digital nomads or executives.

⑦Are there any current or planned services to turn frequent travelers to Japan into repeat customers of SUMII?

Daniel:
Repeat customers are so important to any business. I believe when you have repeat guests, you go from being a company to being a brand. There are two initiatives we have launched.

First, SUMII Insider. This is a loyalty program for our returning guests. The perks mirror those of top tier hotels, including personalized welcome gifts like an Ikebana arrangement, flexible timings for checking in and out, and priority booking.

Second, community events. We arrange these so that our guests can feel connected when they arrive in Tokyo. Many may not have friends and family here, so this is a good way for them to meet other guests and form a connection.

⑧Moving to a different perspective, what opportunities do property owners and developers have in the market?

Daniel:
I believe local property owners and developers in Japan have a great opportunity to tap into global interest in Japan. There might have been some resistance previously, perhaps because of differences in language or culture, but this is changing. SUMII hopes to be the bridge that will allow property owners to reach a discerning, global audience.

⑨How can SUMII help owners bring out the potential of their properties?

Daniel:
SUMII understands what these global travellers desire. By implementing great design, effective marketing and a strong community outreach, we believe we can help owners increase the value of their properties and the yields they can receive.

⑩What kinds of real estate partners would you like to work with?

JX:
We would like to work with property owners, developers, and investors who see monthly living as an opportunity to enhance their residential assets and want an operating partner to help realise it.

That could look like repositioning apartments in an existing portfolio, shaping a new development from the planning stage, or acquiring properties together with a monthly living strategy in mind.

What matters most is a shared willingness to build for the long term—to combine our partners’ real estate expertise with SUMII’s design, data intelligence, and operations, and grow together.

⑪How would a collaboration typically begin?

Daniel:
A collaboration would begin by researching and analyzing the building or asset. This is done with our proprietary AI-powered demand forecasting tool. After this in-depth analysis, SUMII will be able to propose the best model to maximize the yield on this asset with a SUMII branded serviced apartment. SUMII handles the entire operation from end to end. This covers furnishing, marketing and branding, operations and reporting.

⑫What are the benefits of receiving investment from D-POPS GROUP?

JX:
In real estate, trust and reputation are fundamental to building lasting partnerships. D-POPS GROUP’s investment is a meaningful vote of confidence in SUMII’s vision and our ability to execute. Their backing strengthens our credibility as we build relationships with property owners, developers, and real estate partners.

Daniel:
Tremendous support! More so than just funds to grow the business, I truly appreciate the support and wisdom of the team at D-POPS GROUP. They have opened many doors for a new startup like SUMII.

⑬Which aspects of our “Venture Ecosystem” vision do you resonate with most?

Daniel:
Firstly and most importantly, it would be people! President Goto and the head of their CVC team, Mr. Sugihara, believe in SUMII and in the entrepreneurs running the business. They are allies, not just investors.

Secondly, I love their value of “making the impossible possible”. That’s what entrepreneurship is all about…succeeding and making your vision come to life against all odds.

※What is a "Venture Ecosystem"?

⑭What is your ideal vision for the company in 10 years, and what challenges lie ahead?

Daniel:
Giving people the freedom to live, work and play easily in Japan without the hassle of finding a place to stay. I believe we will grow to more than 5000 apartments in Japan in 10 years. However, what I want to hear from our guests is “SUMII made my stay in Japan wonderful and helped me to experience Japan in a way I will never forget.” If we have enough guests who say this, I would say we have succeeded.

⑮What do you both find attractive about Japan?

Daniel:
Tokyo is my favourite city in the world, and Japan my favourite country to visit. Besides the scenery and cuisine, I would say it is the culture of never-ending improvement that Japan has. There’s a great attention to detail and a desire to seek perfection in all aspects, even if you might not reach it. That, to me, is what sets Japan apart.

JX:
There’s a calm rhythm to everyday life in Japan, but I find a lot of energy in it too—in the dedication people bring to their work and the personality they put into the details.

⑯Lastly, what would you like to say to potential guests looking to stay in Japan for the long term?

Daniel:
SUMII in Japanese can be translated as ‘Good Living’. SUMII is here to provide you with a warm and welcoming environment as you embark on your adventure in Japan, be it for work or play. As we say in the company: All you need to do is bring your suitcase, and we will take care of the rest!

⑰What would you like to say to potential real estate partners?

JX:
We see a real opportunity to use our platform’s data intelligence to enhance the value and performance of our partners’ residential assets. Operating across more than 15 core Tokyo locations gives us first-hand insight into neighbourhood and submarket demand; what residents look for, what they are willing to pay, and how demand changes over time.

Working with our partners, we can turn that knowledge into better decisions on property positioning, design, and pricing—and ultimately, stronger rental performance. We want to build together, prove the results through actual operations, and scale from there.

Sumii Inc.

Company President and CEO: Daniel Lim
Co-Founder: Jing Xiang Lin
Address: #1019 City Tower Ginza Higashi, 2-11-1 Minato, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Established: August 2024
Website: https://www.livesumii.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livesumii/

[Venture Ecosystem Case Study] “One Tech World”: Results from Year 1

Hello, this is Kazuhiro Maekawa from techbeans inc. On November 27, 2025, we stood at our booth at the DXPO exhibition. It was the first exhibition where all three companies—techbeans inc., atmark Solutions Co., Ltd., and idealump Co., Ltd—exhibited together. To be honest, we felt good about it, but the number of companies we met over the two days was only about half of our target, and not a single one of those encounters led to any business in the end. Fast forward nine months to August 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight. Sales and non-engineering members called out to people passing by the booth, while engineers handled the technical discussions with those who stopped. Over these two days, by dividing roles across the companies, the number of businesses we connected with significantly surpassed our previous attempt, and the number of companies moving on to business negotiations surged. techbeans, atmark Solutions, and idealump: in my previous article, [Venture Ecosystem Case Study] The Power of Three Arrows, I previously wrote about how these three IT company members of D-POPS GROUP formed the development alliance “One Tech World” as three arrows bundled together. One year has passed since then. What happened to the four challenges we outlined last time? I’d like to reflect on this past year of operating as a united front, sharing both our successes and our setbacks. To get straight to the point, just bringing three companies together wasn’t enough. Each has its own management policies and internal circumstances, so the real challenge lay in figuring out exactly how to bundle the arrows. Creating synergy was no easy task. So, how did we tackle this? Let me walk you through, aligning with the four challenges we established in our previous article. 1. The Results: What Happened with Our Four Challenges Accelerating Development with AI We held regular meetings with the development leaders of all three companies, bringing our AI knowledge to the table for ongoing discussions. We developed design document templates, prototyped diagnostic tools to measure AI utilization, and created systems to visualize how AI coding tools are being used. Each company also kept moving forward on their own in various ways, such as by appointing AI evangelists, distributing tools to all engineers, and providing premium AI plans to members developing upstream processes. However, rolling out AI-driven development methods to all engineers on the ground across the three companies was a series of trial and error. AI keeps evolving day after day, month after month. A top-down approach dictating the best way to use it would become outdated in just three months, while the frontline engineers were already utilizing newer methods. Furthermore, there were differences in perspective among the companies. Therefore, instead of forcing a standard operating procedure from the top, we institutionalized a bottom-up approach where all members bring the knowledge and practices they pick up from working on the ground, and share it. We asked the people actively using AI in their projects to present their everyday workflows just as they are and openly exchange opinions. On November 13, we will host an “AI Sharing Session” where we’ll hear from two currently dispatched members from each of our three companies. It’ll be an opportunity for senior, mid-level, and junior staff—not executives—to learn how peers at their own level are using these tools. When executives speak, it often ends with people thinking, “Well, only people like them can do that,” and it’s difficult for them to relate. Instead, we want an environment where rather than searching for a single “best” answer, everyone increases their know-how both by figuring it out themselves, and also by refining their skills through listening to others in the group. This process results in building a shared understanding of our goals. Driving Inbound Traffic Through IdeaLamp’s Creativity In August 2026, we launched a cross-company web development service on a website called “Web Dev Navi”. Over a dozen engineers from our three companies are featured with their names and faces, and the site highlights a free prototyping service called “Zero Start”. idealump handled the design, atmark Solutions took care of the implementation, and techbeans oversaw the overall direction. We are working on improving our response to the inquiries this site generates. [Web Dev Navi] (website in Japanese only) Web Dev Navi provides free consultations with skilled, senior developers. They promise not to push anyone to pay for a project and not to dishonestly claim they can do something that they really can’t. Tackling Major Projects with a Streamlined Production System In July of this year, the representatives of all three companies formed a united front to handle negotiations with a major manufacturer. We have progressed to signing a non-disclosure agreement and are currently in the detailed analysis phase. In another instance, a company handling M&A in the IT sector praised our very structure, appreciating that they could entrust everything to us as a unified entity, from infrastructure and applications to upstream processes. We are making steady progress, but there are still many hurdles to overcome. The real breakthrough is yet to come. Bringing in Partner Companies from Outside the Group In February 2026, we welcomed partners like AmpTech and Beekle, who were willing to sign non-disclosure agreements with all three of our companies. We have set up exhibitions alongside AmpTech twice, and now we’ve asked them to handle the DX projects that are landed by One Tech World. Beekle not only introduces projects to us but also shares their deep AI expertise, and we are currently creating a space for us to exchange knowledge on a regular basis. This is one example where we can say we successfully met the challenge. Let’s take a quick look at the numbers behind what we generated over this past year:・We connected with a total of 126 companies between the two exhibitions. We moved forward to business negotiations with about 25 of them, and just before I finished writing this article, we secured our first order from one of those companies.・We launched a cross-company website featuring the names and faces of over a dozen engineers.・With the addition of partners outside the group, our internal collaborative projects increased from our previous benchmark (20 or more projects) to 40–50 projects annually.・Furthermore, among the projects secured by the three companies, continuous monthly contracts grew by approximately 1.5 times on a monthly recurring basis from spring to autumn. Diligently tracking these quantitative metrics is crucial. 2. The Source of Our Projects Naturally, simply holding a joint exhibition wasn’t a magic wand for easily securing contracts. So, where did those contracts come from? They didn’t come from attending the exhibition, but rather from increasing our ability to take on projects as a three-company team. One of techbeans’ long-standing clients is a company that supports e-commerce (EC) web development. We’ve been receiving a stream of EC development contracts from them. Truthfully, techbeans wouldn’t be able to handle that volume alone. So, we proposed a solution together with idealump and successfully secured the order. Today, idealump handles everything from construction to maintenance. Even if it comes through one company, the company best suited for the task takes the lead. The fundamental model of our alliance has transitioned from a hopeful dream into actual workflows. A year in, a natural rhythm has taken shape: atmark Solutions handles infrastructure and maintenance through monthly contracts, while idealump takes on EC development on a project-by-project basis. Here is another example. This autumn, we completed a DX project where a business consulting firm visualized the workflow, and our alliance partner AmpTech handled the development. The prime contractor gave us phenomenal feedback, saying it was extremely good. Our style is to visualize the end goal, form a consensus, and then build small while confirming each step. For us, the best possible response would be for people to say, “One Tech World is the go-to for proofs of concept.” And this is the most significant change over the past year: we have shifted from hunting down individual companies at exhibitions to establishing a continuous influx of projects. We formed sales partnerships with business consulting firms and EC development support companies, allowing One Tech World to take on the projects they generate. The consulting firm receives about 10 inquiries a month, with development kicking off a few months after they visualize the project. Instead of chasing one-off orders, our very entry point is transforming into a system where the three companies continuously absorb incoming project flows. We expect this to gain serious momentum by early 2027. In D-POPS GROUP’s article “Venture Ecosystem: A Platform for Growth and Sustainability”, we see that “pioneering customers” and “industrial cooperation” are key elements of collaboration. Over this past year, these are the two areas where we have consistently delivered concrete results. 3. What Changed Through Group Collaboration From techbeans’ perspective, the transformation is very apparent: we are now able to sit at negotiation tables that we could never have reached alone. When you combine idealump’s UI/UX expertise with the infrastructure capabilities of atmark Solutions, an AWS partner, the depth of our proposals is completely different. The only reason we could confidently enter negotiations with a major manufacturer alongside all three company representatives, or jointly propose in-house development support for a major retail chain with atmark Solutions, is precisely because of this combined strength. There is one more thing. When techbeans was short on hands for a large-scale project, engineers from the other two companies stepped in to help. We can support each other when resources are tight. This was the benefit from our group collaboration that I personally felt most strongly. So, what role does techbeans play? What we are doing now is handling everything from defining requirements to developing business systems, while consistently building up development efficiency and quality improvements using AI across our daily projects. We analyze what each client wants, determine what to entrust to AI, decide what humans need to design, and establish where to insert reviews. I believe techbeans’ role among the three companies is to establish this workflow as the standard for One Tech World, and to lead the way in raising up forward-deployed engineers (FDEs), which I will explain in Section 4. atmark Solutions’ infrastructure and security capabilities serve as an important foundation for our joint proposals. Having a company on the same team that can be trusted with everything from cloud design to operations completely changes the level of assurance our clients feel. idealump’s President Miyahara reflected on this past year as follows: “We are now able to offer one-stop proposals that include areas like core system integration and infrastructure—areas where our proposal scope was previously limited on our own. Particularly in proposals for e-commerce website renewals, AX (AI Transformation), and DX support, collaborating with each company right from the proposal stage has led directly to orders and highly viable pitches. Combining the technologies of our three companies this past year has truly increased our likelihood of winning contracts.” 4. Where We Stumbled Not Adequately Pursuing Prospective Clients Regarding the companies we met at our first exhibition, we simply couldn’t follow up on every single one. Some projects couldn’t move forward due to budget mismatches, while in other cases, we simply stopped receiving replies. However, in order to properly chase those leads, we simply didn’t have the manpower. For the second exhibition, we decided on just one rule: if we send two emails and get no response, we call them. That’s it. A solid 38.5% of the companies we called moved forward to business negotiations. And for the record, not once did anyone get angry at us. Ultimately, one of those negotiations turned into our very first order from an exhibition right at the end of One Tech World’s first year together. For anyone coming from a sales background, this is probably elementary, but we all work at systems companies, and hardly any of us had accumulated any deep sales knowledge. So, for that precise reason, we documented our actions in standard operating procedures, rolled them out as a shared method across all exhibiting companies, and applied them consistently to every lead. The true value lies in taking this sales model we built from scratch and making it an asset of the alliance, rather than an asset of any single company. Starting with the next exhibition in November, we will operate using this exact method. How to Build a Track Record Without a Track Record This happened when we pitched to an IT company within a major development conglomerate: they acknowledged our technical capabilities, but we didn’t end up landing the contract. Why? They told us, “You lack a track record of delivering results as a unified team.” In another project for a listed company group, the decision-maker’s anxiety surrounding AI-driven development was a contributing factor in losing the deal. It is frustrating, but the takeaways are crystal clear. If we are going to tout our ability to handle large-scale projects, we first need to build a track record as a three-company team on mid-scale projects. Furthermore, when it comes to AI, we cannot just say, “We work fast.” We have to clearly convey that while man-hours are reduced, documentation and testing remain thorough, preventing operations from becoming overly dependent on specific individuals. Only when we present that sense of security as a package deal will decision-makers agree to hire us. Fighting Fragmented Battles This was the most painful issue. All three companies were busy running their own individual projects without bothering to find out which members in the neighboring companies were available. We were supposed to be bundled together, yet we remained scattered. The one who gave us the push we needed was D-POPS GROUP’s Managing Executive Officer Watanabe. “Because you aren’t visualizing, each company ends up fighting your battles alone.” Inspired by these words, we took the leap to visualize our resources and established the rule that any leads generated through the exhibition belong jointly to our alliance. We were also greatly aided by Officer Watanabe’s advice, “It doesn’t matter if it’s small, just start.” Following those words, we built the framework ourselves. While it might seem like stating the obvious, we realized that pushing forward earnestly, steadily, and persistently is more important than anything else. Just creating tools by itself is an empty process. It is equally critical to assign a dedicated person to drive it forward and to hold regular meetings, even if time is scarce. We are now working to systematize these elements as a cohesive whole. “Knowing the Client” is Also Part of an Engineer’s Job We learned one more thing from the high praise we received on the DX project mentioned earlier. Client satisfaction is not determined solely by the quality of the final deliverable. It is the attitude of immersing oneself in the client’s challenges and business, stacking up mutual understanding and thorough communication, and tackling those issues together with the client. This is the differentiator that dictates the final evaluation. “Knowing the client.” It is the absolute bedrock of business. People often think this is strictly the realm of sales, but we believe it’s a skill that engineering professionals must also master. Code written without knowing the client and code written with a deep understanding of the client yield totally different levels of quality, even under the exact same specifications. We want our standard of quality to be the product of our technical capability multiplied by our ability to understand the client’s needs. Engineers who really dive into the project with their clients and provide hands-on support from discovering problems right through to reaching the solution are known overseas as “forward-deployed engineers” (FDEs). This concept is starting to become more commonplace in Japanese companies, as well. We are making it one of One Tech World’s core policies to cultivate FDEs in our companies. 5. How Far Have We Come Within the Venture Ecosystem? The earlier-mentioned article about our Venture Ecosystem lists collaboration (pioneering customers, industrial cooperation, personnel exchange, and generating new business) and mutual learning and support (study groups, lending and transfers, and joint recruiting activities) as foundational elements supporting the Ecosystem. As I’ve described so far, pioneering customers and industrial cooperation have begun to materialize with real projects. Personnel exchange is also gradually taking shape in the form of jointly running exhibition booths and engineers participating in projects across companies. In terms of generating new business, initiatives like Web Dev Navi, Zero Start, and our system for integrating the skill sheets of employees across our three companies have started to take off. On the other hand, we are still laying the groundwork for mutual learning and support. Our study groups are only starting to grow from simple knowledge sharing among development leaders to sharing sessions where frontline members take the stage. As for lending, transfers, and joint recruiting activities, we will figure out how to utilize those cross-company human resources moving forward. The fact that we achieved some things and have yet to achieve others is a perfect reflection of our first year together. 6. Next: Bundling Our Arrows Together Even More Tightly We have four objectives for the coming year. First, to raise up FDEs by putting together an ability to master AI with an ability to know the client. We won’t let November’s AI Sharing Session end as a one-off event; we will continue it as a forum for bringing real-world applications to the table. By doing so, we will forge a shared understanding across the three companies while multiplying the number of engineers who can dive into client challenges and provide end-to-end support until a resolution is reached. Second, to utilize cross-company talent. Implementing, visualizing, and sharing human resources has been a challenge since One Tech World was formed. Using a clear picture of our operational capacity as a starting point, we will secure projects as a team and proactively seek out collaborative efforts where engineers from all three companies operate seamlessly across corporate borders. Third, to build a solid track record as a three-company team. To break out of the awkward situation of not being able to build a track record because we lack a track record, we will initiate joint proposals and form teams across the three companies. The major manufacturer project currently underway will serve as a starting point for this. Fourth, to increase the number of companies we can serve as much as possible. It took a full year to finally land a single contract from our exhibitions. We expect Web Dev Navi to generate some inquiries, and we will enter the exhibitions in November 2026 and January 2027 armed with the sales framework we built from the ground up. And beyond that, we want to become the epicenter of IT synergy within D-POPS GROUP. We want to take this framework, where three companies offer and fulfill an all-inclusive job proposal together, and make it into the first case study for the entire group. That is our genuine ambition. idealump’s President Miyahara comments, “I have high expectations for a structure where joint proposals—multiplying the strengths of our three companies—operate as a designed mechanism, rather than just by coincidence. As the leader in UI/UX and DX implementation, idealump aims to drive the creation of cross-group success stories.” I also believe intentionally operating as a system, rather than just by chance, will be the essential point of the coming year. In my previous article about One Tech World, I said we chose to bundle together. I believe this past year was not a year of increasing the number of our arrows, but rather a year of bundling the arrows we had. The arrows didn’t break, but I honestly feel our bundling technique is still a bit loose. Within the D-POPS GROUP mission of “producing growth ventures that transform society,” One Tech World will play a vital role as a platform where these three companies can grow together while actively learning together and supporting each other. We won’t let the concept of a Venture Ecosystem remain only words; we will give it shape with actual projects and real work. I believe that is our role. In the coming year, just how far can we aim with these bundled arrows? We will show the answer through the concrete results of our work. That is all for now. I will share our results again next year. techbeans inc.CEO Kazuhiro Maekawa

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2026.11.02

Donation Made to a Children’s Therapeutic Institution Affected by the Kumamoto Earthquakes

At D-POPS GROUP, our mission is to “continuously produce growth ventures (i.e., unicorn companies) that transform society”. By producing a large number of high-growth startups, we hope to increase the number of companies that can contribute to society and build a better world. On August 18, 2026, we donated one million yen to a child psychological treatment facility affected by the Kumamoto earthquakes. [Children’s L.E.C. Center, a Children’s Therapeutic Institution of Christian Children’s Welfare Association] Due to the impact of the earthquakes, the air conditioners in the facility’s dining hall had broken down, causing difficulties for the children living there amidst the severe summer heat. They utilized our donation to restore the air conditioners, and we have been informed that the children are now able to eat in the dining hall once again. The Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, where our Representative Director Goto serves as Secretary-General, makes annual donations to children’s therapeutic institutions every December. However, given the situation’s high level of urgency, D-POPS GROUP provided support in a more timely manner. We carry out our CSR activities with the hope that the young people and children who will carry the future of Japan and the world can find relief from their difficult circumstances. D-POPS GROUP will continue to aim for business expansion so that we can consistently contribute to society.

2026.10.30

[Professional Interview #3] Minoru Taguchi (Asuka Cruise Ship Captain) – Part 3

The Power of Building Trust Before the Cruise Even Starts with a Greeting 【About This Part】In Part 3, the final installment in our three-part interview, we asked Captain Taguchi how a sense of hospitality gets passed down by international crew members, the differences between large corporations and startup companies as seen through the example of cruise ships and yachts, the secrets of communication, the future of Asuka II and the next career steps he envisions, as well as his resonance with D-POPS GROUP’s Venture Ecosystem. (This interview was conducted in August 2026.) Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this interview, as well! ◆Japanese Hospitality Provided by International Crew Members Sugihara:My parents-in-law seem to sail on Asuka II frequently, and apparently, they even get a specific room every time. My wife has also been on board a few times, and she mentioned that while the service was absolutely flawless, there were a lot of international crew members. Given that most of the guests are Japanese, I assume this isn’t primarily for English language support, but rather due to cost considerations, staff shortages within Asuka Cruise specifically, or the general shortage of labor across Japan. What are your thoughts on this? Taguchi:You are exactly right. With foreign cruise ships also operating here, cost is a major factor. There is also the reality that it is quite difficult to recruit a full crew using only Japanese staff. Almost all of the guests sailing on our ship are Japanese, and while the number of international guests is slowly increasing, from a cost perspective, we hire personnel, such as those from the Philippines, whose salary requirements are relatively lower. People might wonder why a ship operating in Japan has a foreign crew, but as long as certain conditions are met, international staff are legally permitted to work, so we recruit accordingly. To ensure they can serve our Japanese guests, we provide thorough and necessary Japanese language training before they board, although they may not reach native-level conversation skills. Sugihara:Beyond just language, are aspects like the manners of hospitality also passed down from senior crew members? Or is there formal, official training provided by the company? Taguchi:We do have training on the foundational rules of what must be done, but crew members from the Philippines, in particular, often return to serve on Asuka II repeatedly. They work their contract, take a vacation, and then come back on board. Through that cycle, within the interpersonal relationships between senior and junior staff, they learn by observing others in action, and I believe that is how the hospitality aspect is cultivated. Sugihara:So that is how Japanese-style service is properly learned. I think the restaurant industry is exactly the same. Even when it’s impossible to fully staff a restaurant with only Japanese workers, many places are supported by international staff who still manage to provide a solid Japanese dining experience. I think there are many industries propped up by the dedicated work of international personnel. And that same phenomenon is happening on the Asuka. ◆Cruise Ships and Yachts: The Essence of Large Corporations vs. Startups Sugihara:Captain Taguchi, you and I actually became friends through a yacht club. You once mentioned that the scenery and the joy of sailing are completely different between a luxury cruise ship and a small yacht. Hearing that made me think that a cruise liner could be compared to a large corporation, while a yacht is like a startup company. You’ve spent most of your career on cruise ships—the large corporations of the sea—but do you find yachts more enjoyable because sailing on them ignites your soul as a sailor? Taguchi:You’ve got a point. A large ship is physically massive and carries many people, so everyone has their own specialized field. Each person handles their designated role to collectively build a single experience. While you work incredibly hard at your specialty, you only have a vague idea of what everyone else is doing. On a yacht, you essentially have to do everything yourself. Things that would be divided into 20 different departments on a large ship fall on your shoulders, meaning one person has to handle four or five roles simultaneously. You have to oversee various aspects generally rather than with deep specialization, which was actually a refreshing change. You also get much closer to the water when sailing on a yacht, allowing you to truly experience the ocean’s appearance for yourself. You notice when the wind shifts or when the shape of the nearby shore causes the wind to strengthen. Even when cruising through the same Sagami Bay, when I’m on this big ship, I just look down at the wind gauge and think, “The wind is shifting,” but I don’t feel it physically in the same way. Sugihara:You also mentioned that from inside the bridge, you cannot see the ocean immediately adjacent to the hull. You can see hundreds of meters ahead, but you can’t see the surface of the water directly surrounding your ship. On a yacht, however, the water’s surface is right there in front of you. I felt this perfectly illustrates the difference between large corporations and startup companies. You can feel the market directly on your skin—for better or worse, experiencing that close-call sensation accompanied by risk. It’s a very common experience for startup companies. If you launch a cutting-edge AI company, you are constantly crashing headfirst into the very forefront of the industry. However, if you do that within a department of a large corporation, you already have a massive number of users simply due to the size of the company. While large corporations have the advantage of being able to accomplish huge projects, startup companies can feel the market firsthand, just like feeling the ocean on a yacht. Taguchi:That’s true. I am grateful to have experienced both. The view from the top deck of Asuka II ◆Trust Earned From a Single Greeting Sugihara:On the Asuka Cruise website, I read your comments that emphasize the importance of communication with your crew and your guests. That being said, I imagine there are many different types of people among both guests and crew, and naturally, there are people you get along with well and those you might find difficult. Could you share your secrets for communicating with a wide variety of people and building close relationships despite that? Taguchi:One thing I am mindful of is that, since almost all of our guests are Japanese, I make a point to actively greet and call out to everyone, especially those international crew members who are accustomed to Japanese. Just walking through the crew area, you encounter staff in various positions. Rather than waiting for them to greet me first, I proactively say “Hello” or “Good morning”. As a result, they gradually warm up to me and become more approachable. What starts as just a greeting gradually evolves into actual conversations, and I feel that accumulating those small interactions leads to good relationships. Even with strangers, a greeting isn’t viewed with suspicion, and it’s a very convenient way to join a social circle. Hardly anyone is shocked by a sudden greeting. As you greet people repeatedly over time, they gradually become accustomed to the exchange, and we start to be comfortable enough to exchange extra information beyond greetings. Sugihara:It is true that the most wonderful people are the ones who make sure to greet and speak to everyone. People who are highly regarded by others always ensure their greetings are thorough. ◆The Future of Asuka II and Captain Taguchi’s Next Course Sugihara:I saw the news regarding the newly built passenger ship that will succeed Asuka II. What does this mean for you going forward? You have served as the captain of a large cruise ship for many years, but how do you envision your future career path? Taguchi:First, regarding the news you mentioned, I believe it is currently still under consideration. In Japan, there aren’t very many shipyards left that are capable of building a passenger ship of this scale, and if you try to build it overseas, the prices have skyrocketed due to the weak yen. The current Asuka II was originally a ship called Crystal Harmony used in the United States, and it is actually 36 years old this year. You can think of a ship’s age similarly to a car’s. Once it surpasses 20 years, it starts to feel a bit like a classic car. Around the year 2030, this ship will reach the milestone of 40 years of service. If we are to continue boarding guests and running a rigorous cruise schedule, continuing to use it beyond a 40-year lifespan will require considerable deliberation. However, there is no new detailed information yet. As someone who has sailed on this ship for a long time, seeing it go—while perhaps a natural end to its lifespan—would certainly be sad. In fact, guests sometimes tell us that ships like this are hard to find nowadays. I think it’s moving a bit into the realm of being an antique. Sugihara:Does that mean that while the interior, wallpaper, and lighting have been renewed, mechanical components like the engine have remained unchanged? Taguchi:Improvements and maintenance are carried out wherever appropriate, but in the sense that the entire engine plant itself has not been replaced, you could say it remains unchanged. Sugihara:What do your next career steps look like? Taguchi:I have been operating ships as a captain for a long time. There is a field that requires a national qualification and can only be entered by those with experience operating large vessels. It’s called a marine navigator, or pilot. The job of a pilot involves boarding large ships arriving from overseas while they are still offshore. When these ships enter areas like Tokyo Bay, which are shallower and narrower compared to the Pacific Ocean, there is a risk of running aground or causing accidents if navigated incorrectly. As an expert of that specific area, the pilot boards the ship and supports the navigation by providing advice like, “It’s shallow here,” or “The tidal currents are strong over here.” Moving in that direction has emerged as one of my options, and I am currently still considering it. Sugihara:Is that a job you can only do if you have experience as a captain? Taguchi:It’s a hard requirement, yes. The qualification requires you to have actual sailing years and at least two years of experience as a captain on a vessel over a certain size, even if not a passenger liner, that travels overseas. There is one other route as well, but I am still pondering whether or not to pursue it. Sugihara:In the sense that it’s a job taken on as a second career by someone with extensive experience, wouldn’t you say this is similar to a corporate advisory position? In both cases, one must possess deep, specialized knowledge of a certain port or a certain industry. Taguchi:That’s true. I suppose my professional experience navigating a cruise ship to various ports as a captain will help me become a pilot as the expert of a specific port. That’s one possible career path for me after I retire from being a captain. ◆Alignment with D-POPS GROUP’s Aim of Realizing a Venture Ecosystem Sugihara:D-POPS GROUP is a collective of companies that integrates actual businesses and technology together, a concept that we denote as “Real World x Technology x Synergy”. We have 26 group companies, and about 35 investment portfolio companies. We provide one-stop solutions to companies both inside and outside the group, aiming to realize a Venture Ecosystem. I would love to hear your thoughts on these initiatives and philosophies. Taguchi:First off, within that framework of “Real World x Technology x Synergy”, what types of business areas do those 26 and 35 companies mostly operate in? Sugihara:Broadly speaking, many are in the IT and communications sector. However, they each have different areas of expertise. There is a cluster of companies operating smartphone shops, which is our founding business, and another cluster dispatching personnel to serve customers at those shops and mass retailers. We also have a company that trains and educates dispatch staff for our own stores as well as other companies’, a technology company specializing in DX utilizing smartphones, and a company that creates smartphone-optimized websites for SMEs and retailers. Another major purpose we have is the philosophy of nurturing business executives. Some people want to run things themselves, so we also support spin-outs in related businesses. Taguchi:Operating as that kind of group sounds like a wonderful thing, and I’m kind of jealous. With people from various business formats present, whenever a demand arises with someone asking, “Can we do something like this?” you are able to fulfill it in a space where people with the right expertise are already gathered. Sugihara:Yes, it is about giving shape to dreams. Our members introduce clients to one another and even conduct joint sales activities. Taguchi:I think that is excellent. I’m envious. I don’t know if corporations like this existed in the past, but previously, these kinds of connections were something you had to manage through personal networks and relationships. It might have been difficult unless the core person possessed immense charisma, but by tackling things as a collective like this, I imagine it becomes an organization that can realize not only business opportunities but also solutions to problems and aspirations. That sounds great. Sugihara:As for the company’s direction, even as the world becomes increasingly digitized and AI advances, we want to cherish the tangible spaces where people serve people. For us, that means physical stores like smartphone shops, and a desire to warmly welcome people who genuinely enjoy visiting the beauty salons operated by one of our investment portfolios. Rather than a world where everything is completed digitally, we want to value real experiences—the feeling of “I want to meet that person,” or “I would be so happy to stay here.” For example, even if it became possible to experience Asuka II through virtual reality goggles, I don’t think true Asuka fans would be satisfied. Taguchi:For sure. Now, seeing the activities of D-POPS GROUP, I’d like to ask you, do smaller companies ever express a desire to join the group? Sugihara:Yes. Of the 26 companies I mentioned earlier, including spin-outs, over 10 joined us in the following manner: the founding president said, “I want to join the group,” and subsequently sold his shares while continuing to run the business as CEO. The shares belong to the group, but the CEO stays the same, continuing the business within our framework. There are about 10 companies like this. That directly ties into our desire of realizing a Venture Ecosystem. We don’t accept just anyone; our targets are companies that practice autonomous, independent management and align with our philosophy. In terms of our investment portfolio, there are companies that applied after hearing about D-POPS GROUP and our concept of a Venture Ecosystem. Taguchi:That is truly wonderful. Listening to you speak about this group, I feel it plays a platform-like role. Sugihara:Exactly! We are building a platform to help entrepreneurs operate vibrantly, increase their probability of success as much as possible, and bring their ambitions closer to reality. Taguchi:So that is what you are doing. The people involved operate in digital fields like IT and telecommunications, but of course—just like myself—everyone is human, so the idea that you can meet various people with different areas of expertise, and that synergy might be born, sounds incredibly interesting. Sugihara:Perhaps someday we might even partner with Asuka Cruise, ha ha. Taguchi:We certainly have plenty of real life experiences here. I would love for you to see them. ◆A Message to Readers Sugihara:Finally, could you offer a message to our readers? Taguchi:At our company, NYK Cruises, our defining corporate slogan is “We want to share a moving experience with you”. We want guests to board our ship and witness beautiful, real sunsets, stunning scenery, and experiences at various ports of call. Everything is real. The topic of virtual reality came up earlier, and while it might not be compatible with the digital realm, we are fully committed to providing those tangible, real experiences. For those who are exhausted by the digital world or who want to feel something real, I highly encourage you to board our ship. I believe that actually seeing the real thing and feeling something from it is a wonderful experience. This is a story I heard from a former executive at our company who once had the opportunity to speak with someone from Disney. The person from Disney apparently praised us, saying that while Disney moves people through fictional mediums like animation, being able to deliver moving experiences through the real, physical world is a fantastic thing. In any case, while we say we have moving experiences to share, our true strength lies in our ability to provide a wide variety of experiences and sensations within that real, physical space. Interview conducted by D-POPS GROUP’s advisor Genta Sugihara. 【NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.】 President and CEO: Yuji NishijimaLocation: The Landmark Tower Yokohama, 2-2-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, YokohamaEstablished: January 1989Website: https://voyage.asukacruise.co.jp/en/

Interview

2026.10.27

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