Kei & Ayumi Tomita (Owners of Atreyu Lodge)
"Just waiting is not enough. Let's try something new."
As the practice of lifetime employment wanes, more people are trying to start their own businesses in modern society. When starting a business, many people first consider what they should do. However, there are people who consider what kind of society they want first and then decide to start a business as a means of achieving their goals. Our interviewees came up with the idea of owning a lodge in Hokkaido to create an environment where children living with mental health issues can communicate with many different people who visit them. In this interview, we strive to provide a comprehensive overview of what it is like to start a business and what has motivated Kei Tomita and Ayumi Tomita. We also introduce how businesses could overcome the unprecedented coronavirus situation and what the future for "Atreyu" holds. We hope that through this article, readers will understand not only the complexity of running a business but also what it means to "work" for our interviewees.
Authors: Kenny Pham, Dio, iori
January 2022
The context behind "Atreyu"
ー What is the origin of the name "Atreyu"?
Ayumi: The name "Atreyu" was inspired by a film called The Neverending Story. It is the name of the protagonist who defends himself against a void that tries to devour his dreams. Actually, "Atreyu" in fact does not have any meanings. I really just thought that the name sounded interesting so we decided to adopt it.
ー What was the motive behind the lodge "Atreyu"?
Kei: I was previously an instructor at a nursing home. At the nursing home, there are many children living with mental health issues, so I wondered if I could care for such children in a place abundant in nature. That's how the idea to create such a facility where the children can live together came to fruition.
ーWhy did you choose Hokkaido as your location?
Kei: Well firstly, I like to ski. A place without snow is a lifestyle that is unthinkable to me. After I retired from the nursing home, I started looking for somewhere north (where there is snow). The location where we are currently situated, Kussharo, was previously my acquaintance's (who I had known when I was in Tokyo). He had previously used the land for farming and allowed me to use the property. So it was because neither I was familiar with Hokkaido nor my relatives lived here. It was kind of fate that led me here.
ーWhat was your experience of starting "Atreyu" like?
Kei: The business began as a restaurant. It was quite difficult to earn a decent income to raise a child in the countryside of Eastern Hokkaido. We wanted a little more income to support the family. However, to do this, we did not have sufficient knowledge of agriculture to pursue this pathway. Considering that it is quite hard to make a living with just either a restaurant business or accommodation business in the country, we decided to try both.
Running a business
ーIs it normal to begin a business in Japan?
Kei: It is still quite common for people to graduate from university and then find a career at a respectable company instead of beginning their own business. However, compared to the past, the number of people who want to start their own job is increasing.
ーWhen you started your business, what was the reaction of the people around you (such as your family and workplace)?
Kei: Starting your own business was not common in Japan 30 years ago. Some actually said to us, "are you stupid? don't do that". If I had known how difficult it is to earn money and all other kinds of things I know now, I would not have tried it. I was 32 years old and didn't really know anything at the time. That's why I started the business, just because I had the courage to take the plunge.
ーWhat is the appeal of starting your own business?
Kei:The appeal would definitely be the fact that I can decide what I want to do by myself. Whether you fail or succeed, you yourself take responsibility for the attempt in starting the business. So when I really do something that makes my guests happy, the joy can't be replaced by anything else.
ーWhat is the most important thing that you have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic? Have you tried any new strategies to attract customers?
Ayumi: It is important to take a proactive approach to ensure that your own business stays afloat instead of waiting for more favorable conditions to come. If we don't do so, the number of guests will surely decrease.
Sixty to seventy percent of the guests were from far away places, such as Honshu(the main island of Japan) or overseas. After COVID, nevertheless, people stopped traveling out of their prefecture, and we faced financial difficulties.
However, when our son returned home last May (2020) and opened a new cafe, the situation changed. More and more local people visited the cafe and they realized "Oh, there is a place like this!", where visiting friends or relatives from faraway can stay over. They praised that our food was "Delicious” and expressed their willingness to return, helping spread the word on SNS so that more locals came.
The profit from the cafe was insignificant, but the opening was effective in advertising "Atreyu" itself, which is always a plus.
ーFor people who want to start their own business, what is the most important advice that you can offer?
Ayumi: Well, business is about fostering human connections. There is a perception that business is just about chasing numbers, but behind those numbers are people. I think that if we are not always conscious of the existence of others, things (e.g running a business) will not work out well.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly tough. However, we were encouraged by previous guests who sent us emails asking "are you doing well?." Some of them even bought us local cheese through mail order, although they could not come to "Atreyu." In the end people always helped us, and it's been something that we should really be grateful for.
Thoughts on "Atreyu" and the future ahead.
ーRather than succeeding in business, did you want to create a place to spend time with children based on your previous experience working in a nursing home?
Kei: The intention was that children living with mental health issues could interact with various people and start a restaurant that would become a business. I started a restaurant not because I like cooking or wanted people to try my food. I also started the lodge because I had the idea that these children could stay over and help but realistically, it is hard to make a living on that alone. Then I decided to focus on succeeding in business at first.
When I was going to Hokkaido, one of my students went into a mental hospital. We didn't even know where the parents were, so there were no guardians. The student said, "Take me with you." To be honest, it was nerve-racking. But a lifetime in this hospital is unfortunate, so I went to Hokkaido with this student. In Hokkaido, the student helped build a cabin, but her condition was still poor, so I had to send her to the local mental hospital again.
This experience made me recognize the difficulty and the responsibility of living together with children who have mental health issues. I felt a strong sense of commitment to these children. I learned how to care for those children, yet my knowledge was not enough to support their lives. Of course, I still want to create a place for them as long as we are in Hokkaido. I thought I just had to focus on running the restaurant and lodge to make a living while learning management skills.
ーAt what times do you feel that your job is rewarding?
Kei & Ayumi: When customers are satisfied and are willing to come again, that's when I feel like my job is worth doing. I have been doing this job for a long time and it is rewarding to see my customers grow; get married and have children that they bring to the business. Often, over 3 generations of a family come and stay at our lodge.
ーFrom here on, what sort of place will "Atreyu" become?
Kei & Ayumi: We must try to keep up with the times given that coronavirus is going to become the new normal in which customers would not travel long distances. Our lodge must become a place that people choose to come back to.
Our son has expressed that he wanted to make "Atreyu" a place where young people in the countryside don't just come to play but to find an environment where they can realize their potential. Of course, I'm not sure of the logistics behind how I am going to leave "Atreyu," but this idea, which is still in its infancy, is something I would like to explore while listening to my son's opinion.
Firstly, not losing the battle against coronavirus is the main priority. To do that, we think that we should be proactive in exploring new things instead of waiting for the COVID-19 situation to become more favorable.
Conclusion
It is without a doubt that starting and running a business is an arduous process. However, as expressed by Kei-san and Ayumi-san, it is a rewarding journey to undertake. When Kei-san decided to quit his previous job, his intention was to create a place where children who have mental health issues can live together and communicate with many different people. In other words, the main motivation for starting "Atreyu" had not been to create a successful business but to improve society. Of course, the short-term goal is also ensuring the continued success of the business as coronavirus becomes the new normal. To do this, many factors are to be considered such as what sort of "Atreyu" am I going to leave behind? Should our business start to appeal to young people? Kei-san and Ayumi-san's dedication to their business is admirable, and it was impressive that they prioritize the wellbeing of others over profits.
About the authors
Kenny Pham  | Our interview with Tomita and Ayumi san was incredibly enlightening. I was actually worried that we couldn't write an article that did the interview justice. Our aim was to learn what it means to 'work' from the interviewee's perspective. Running a business is difficult so we wanted to know the motivations behind such a decision. In Tomita and Ayumi-san's case, "work" was not just about creating a successful business but also dedicating oneself to the people around them. Tomita-san's sense of responsibility towards the children living with mental issues was incredibly admirable. Again, in their responses to our carefully crafted questions, it is clear that the focus again is people. Amidst all the adversity that life throws onto us, it is ultimately human connections that pull us through. This is advice that not only applies to running a business but life in general. |
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Dio  | During the interview, I believe that the most impressive thing Ayumi has said was "Work is always about people." With the impact of the coronavirus, Atreyu's strategies are valuable. They opened a new cafe to attract local customers. They also started marketing on SNS. I think it's a valuable experience to change strategies according to the situation. In a broader aspect, the decreasing of birth rate leads pressure to the young generation, shortage of labor and a shrinking domestic market. These problems are common to other developed countries, which middle and small-sized enterprises as Atreyu cannot deal with them alone. But just as Tomida and Ayumi said, "To do something new instead of waiting", It would be help for Japan and the other countries around the world. |
iori  | Through this interview, I learned the significance of thinking about what I want to achieve before deciding what actions to take. Before the interview, I had been struggling with figuring out what kind of career I wanted to pursue in the future. Yet, Kei-san's story changed my perspective; he came up with the idea of starting Atreyu as a means of creating an environment where children can interact with various people. The interview made me recognize the importance of understanding my own purposes for working at first. At this point, my objective is to add a little more moments of wakuwaku, or excitement in English, to everyone's daily lives. Of course, I am still unsure about in what way I will be able to accomplish my goal. However, I would like to keep challenging something new while looking forward to what is ahead in the future. |
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