Why moved the head office to Niseko?
The migrant employees are really happy on April 28th at 16:35.
"I don't think it's necessary to be in Tokyo at all."
This is the top word of a company that moved its headquarters to Niseko, Hokkaido.
A creative idea that can only be created by placing yourself in a land rich in nature in a communication environment where you can connect anywhere online.
On the other hand, isn't there any inconvenience in terms of life and the confusion of leaving the city?
I asked the employees about their true feelings.
(Takuya Sakurada, Political Department / Kentaro Odagiri, Sapporo Bureau / Tatsuro Imono, Network News Department)
Why "escape from Tokyo"?
Niseko Town, which is a two-hour drive west of Sapporo and has a population of about 4,800, is known for its ski resorts and is rich in nature.
In recent years, there are many immigrants, but the company's head office was relocated here by the tea manufacturer Lupicia.
It has about 150 stores in Japan and overseas and has about 1400 employees.
Since its founding in 1994, it has been based in Daikanyama, Tokyo, but in July 2020, it moved to Niseko Town.
Chairman Hiroki Mizuguchi (67) moved from Tokyo three years before the move, when he established a food factory in the town, earlier than anyone else in the company.
After that, when I asked Chairman Mizuguchi, who said that he had only been to Tokyo twice in five years, why he "escaped" from Tokyo and relocated his head office, he got a slightly unexpected answer.
Chairman Mizuguchi
The first time I thought about moving was six or seven years ago.
I play Go, and even though I was told that "Go can't beat humans if it's absolutely AI," I easily beat a professional Go player.
When human knowledge structure is changed to AI, what can only humans do?
It is said that the reason was to think about "the difference between AI and humans".
and.
I thought that what only humans can do is "feel the four seasons."
It doesn't feel like you're in the city, but in Hokkaido, if the snow melts, you'll be able to enjoy wild plants and seafood in the summer.
I thought that I could be more creative if I put myself in nature.
After the move, business performance has improved.
It was the summer of the adult, which was the first year of the spread of corona infection.
The decision was also supported by major changes in working styles, such as the fact that remote work began to take root and there was no need to “go to work”.
After the move, the company's performance has been growing steadily.
Curry developed in collaboration with a locally popular coffee shop.
Soup using vegetables from Hokkaido.
It was an idea that was born because I was in the local area, and I commercialized it one after another.
Focusing on the increase in the “home-based rate” amid the spread of corona infection, we focused on online shopping, and sales in the fiscal year ended June last year after the move increased by 5% from the previous year.
On the other hand, it is said that the "hurdle for relocation" was in its own way.
Chairman Mizuguchi At
first, when I said, "This (Niseko) is better," I thought that quite a few people would come.
But it wasn't that easy.
After the move, about 20 people in the general affairs, personnel, and food development departments have moved to Niseko to work, but some employees cannot move, and some of the head office functions such as the main tea product development department are in Tokyo. I'm leaving.
Employees' real
We asked the immigrated employees to tell us about the truth.
(Reporter) "Did you imagine working in Niseko when you joined the company?"
"No way. Nothing at all."
That's what Kaori Morishige (53), who has been in the company for 23 years, says.
She is currently an executive officer.
When Mr. Morishige moved from Tokyo, he realized that there was a lot of snow during the winter.
She used to come on business trips because she had a factory, but she said, "It's completely different to live on a business trip because of the amount and depth of snow that she actually lived in." She said she was keenly aware.
Even though I am not very good at driving a car, I was confused that it is essential to move by car.
In interviews with other employees, I heard voices about the difference from the city in terms of the environment, such as "It is hard to go shopping in the neighboring town because there are things that cannot be bought in the town."
In addition, Mr. Morishige is assigned to work alone, leaving his real mother and her husband in Tokyo.
I wondered if
Kaori Morishige's family was okay.
It means that your mother is old.
But I'm fine, so I got the understanding of my family that it's okay now.
On the other hand.
"Given the education of children and the care of parents, it is not easy to change the way we live in Tokyo
. "
Employees' Honne 2
Mr. Morishige, who moved and realized the depth of the snow, on the other hand, had noticed it.
Mr. Morishige
I was particularly pleased when spring came after overcoming winter.
I feel that the company as a whole has more opportunities to come up with topics and ideas based on the feeling of the seasons that I feel on my skin.
You can still hear the birdsong.
You can also see Fukinoto appearing right there.
In Tokyo, I used to look up and make inquiries on the Internet, but here, while feeling the change of the seasons, I asked, "How do you make it into a product?"
It has changed to the way of proceeding.
I think it's very different in that you even know who makes it.
I also connect with staff in Tokyo on a daily basis through online meetings, so I don't feel any major inconvenience due to the physical distance.
"I can't be tied to the land where the head office is located"
While those who have overcome the "hurdles of relocation" and have actually relocated feel these merits, the reality is that they are a fairly high hurdle for those who are on the verge of overcoming them.
Chairman Mizuguchi asked himself again, "What is the head office?"
Chairman Mizuguchi
: There weren't many people who wanted to work, so I thought about it seriously.
I wonder if the accounting department really has to be.
One of the things I thought about was where ideas came out.
Where you can make a decision.
Where information is gathered.
The rest is where everyone can come and visit once or twice a year.
I wonder if that is the "head office".
A new office building will be completed in Niseko Town next spring, and about 20 new employees are scheduled to relocate.
Under such circumstances, in the future, we will consider more flexible working styles that "do not be tied to the land where the head office is located".
Chairman Mizuguchi
We are also considering setting up bases in each region to consolidate stores in the regions.
From now on, not only "people who come to Hokkaido" but also "people who live and work in Tokyo" or "people who work in completely different regions" will come out more and more.
The “de-metropolitan area” of advancing companies
The movement of these companies to “de-metropolitan area” is also reflected in the data.
Comparing the data of "2019" before the spread of infection and "2021" of last year compiled by the private credit bureau "Teikoku Databank", the metropolitan area (Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, 1 metropolitan area and 3 prefectures) Looking at the prefectures where the number of companies that have moved their head offices and head office functions from) has increased significantly ...
▽ The largest increase was in "Hokkaido," where Niseko Town is located.
In 2019, there were 7 companies that moved their head offices and head office functions from the Tokyo metropolitan area to Hokkaido, but last year there were 33 companies, 26 more, and the number has increased nearly five times at once.
▽ The second place is "Osaka Prefecture", and the number of companies that moved from the metropolitan area last year was 46, an increase of 14 from 2019.
▽ 3rd place is "Miyagi Prefecture" plus 10 companies.
In addition, "Ehime Prefecture" and "Ishikawa Prefecture" did not move from the metropolitan area in 2019, but last year 5 companies moved to Ehime prefecture and 4 companies moved to Ishikawa prefecture, respectively. bottom.
"I'm happier to live here"
Mr. Mizuguchi, Chairman of Lupicia, said that the reason for the relocation of the head office was that "putting yourself in nature makes you more creative."
In the interview, he also said:
In the decision to relocate Chairman Mizuguchi
, I had that feeling.
But now, I'm happier to live here than to be creative.
I think that way.
I have been interviewing under the themes of "relocation of the head office from Tokyo" and "employees' honesty", but the changes in working styles that make use of the telework that has progressed due to the corona disaster have created changes in the lifestyles and lifestyles of employees. A part of what I was doing was clearly conveyed.
At the end of this article, I would like to conclude with the words of a female employee who has left Tokyo for 20 years with the relocation of the head office and is confused but has moved for nearly two years.
When I was tired of work and suddenly looked up at the sky and watched the sunset, I sometimes forgot the time.
What makes me happy to come to Niseko is the sunset after work.