[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/
