Yoko Nakao
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
David Cooperrider
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Minami Sanriku Hotel Kanyo is a large resort hotel featuring 244 guest rooms in Minamisanriku, Japan, a town in the Tohoku district of northern Honshu.
Minamisanriku used to be a thriving area, blessed with a rich natural environment, beautiful ocean, delicious seafood and warm people. However, on March 11, 2011, the town was severely damaged by the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. The Hotel Kanyo managed to remain standing and quickly became a local recovery base, providing shelter and support to volunteers and evacuees after the disaster.
Even after the Kanyo returned to business as usual, it has continued to play an important role in the town's restoration and reconstruction.
The 9.0 magnitude Great East Japan earthquake is a disaster that may occur only once in a thousand years. It caused severe damage in Minamisanriku, where the Kanyo Hotel is located. About 600 people in the town died and approximately 60 percent of the homes were completely destroyed. Public facilities were also damaged, leaving survivors with no place to get basic services. As people ran for safety, they gathered at the Kanyo.
The damage to the Kanyo was not as serious as it was elsewhere. Located on a hill, it managed to stay standing and was turned into a shelter under the leadership of the hotel's Proprietress. Though many hotel employees didn’t know about the welfare of their own families and condition of their homes, they had a strong sense of mission to“support those sufferers in front of them,” cooperating with one another and showing strong leadership.
The Kanyo operated as a shelter for 174 days without consideration of its own profits, helping local residents and volunteers engaged in disaster recovery assistance. At one point, it was sheltering over 1,000 people. Even after the Kanyo returned to business as a hotel, it continued to help with the recovery and reconstruction of local industries.
Many business people in Minamisanriku lost their companies and factories and received little government support. The Kanyo recognized that revitalizing the areas' tourism industry could help these businesses recover and decided to "play a role as a leader for recovery and reconstruction in the area.” Through this effort, many business and employment opportunities were created. Because of this, people stayed in the town instead of moving to other areas for jobs.
In February 2012, the Kanyo began Kataribe Bus, a storytelling guided tour told by locals who survived the earthquake. They share these painful memories “to tell people about their experiences as accurately as possible” and to make sure the seismic event will not be forgotten. They also hope when visitors hear these stories they will begin to think about how they can protect the special people around them if they are ever caught in a disaster.
The experience affects the visitors deeply because they actually see the scene firsthand, not just on television, as they listen to the staff’s passionate stories. Some people, when they return home, share what they've learned and create a disaster action plan for their families. Others are motivated to create disaster prevention measures at work and in their communities. For people in Japan this type of natural disaster can occur at anytime, anywhere.
The Kanyo also created a learning support activity for children after the disaster, with the strong hope that “children could feel proud of being born and raised in Minamisanriku.” Another hope was that the program would help give discouraged adults hope for the future, as they watched the town's children learn and grow.
It can be said that the earthquake left the Kanyo Hotel with no choice but to come up with innovative efforts to save Minamisanriku from the brink of disaster. From interviews conducted, the following two things also impressed me as key motivators.
1.The power of the people:
I believe the Kanyo's efforts helped turn people’s despair into joy and hope, inspiring a community to support others and rebuild. When the hotel gave victims shelter, the staff kept on working hard even under difficult circumstances, trying to give those suffering the most comfortable and best life possible. The staff felt great pleasure when they were told “the people here were like one family," “the Proprietress was like the mother of the Kanyo,” and “this place was the best shelter in Japan.”
After the disaster many famous people visited the Kanyo, including VIP’s who represented the nation. When the Emperor and Empress stayed at the hotel, the staff needed to quickly implement various measures such as security. Although they were nervous because of the fear of failure, they overcame each difficult task by collaborating closely.
By meeting and connecting with a lot of people, the Kanyo staff could continually move forward even under unimaginably difficult circumstances.
2. Special feelings for their hometown:
The Great East Japan Earthquake was “the worst crisis in a hometown” for the staff working at the Kanyo, especially for those born and raised in the Minamisanriku area. While they could never forget the support given by people around the world, the staff believed that “nobody could do the recovery and reconstruction of their hometown except themselves!”
Many business people in Minamisanriku who lost their companies and factories during the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, received little government support to help them recover. Recognizing that revitalizing the area's once thriving tourism industry could help revive these businesses, the Kanyo Hotel decided it “would play a role as a leader for recovery and reconstruction in the area.” Through this effort, many business and employment opportunities were created. Because of this, people stayed in the town instead of moving to other areas for jobs.
The Kanyo Hotel staff's direct communication with local people also encouraged community interaction and the sharing of knowledge.
The staff of the Kanyo says it envisions the ideal Minamisanriku, 10 years after the earthquake, as a town crowded with many people and a welcoming atmosphere, just as it was before. One person said “I want to keep on learning, thinking of a once in a thousand year disaster as a once in a thousand year learning opportunity." I hope that "after 10 years, the towns' people and I will internalize our learning and continue to grow.” Another staff member told me he hoped people could be transported instantly, or cars could fly in the sky like Sci-Fi movies. He added that this didn't mean he wanted the town to turn into modern city. He just hoped people could live a normal life, like going shopping without feeling inconvenienced or going to school without being late.
The number of visitors to the Kanyo Hotel and Minamisanriku has increased significantly after the disaster. The storytelling guided bus tour is believed to be one of the main reasons for this shift. Information shared on the Internet by the Kanyo, news reports, and word-of-mouth communication has also had a significant influence. The strong need of the Kanyo Hotel staff to share their stories has resulted in making profits in a new way.
The Kanyo staff has also made other efforts to revitalize the regional economy. They created a stamp rally that connects visitors and local shops （Minamisanriku tenten map）and a food specialty, comprised of a bowl of rice topped with local fresh seafood (Minamisanriku Kirakira-don),that is sold by multiple stores.
The Kanyo's goal is to not only revitalize the hotel's business, but to benefit the community as a whole. As the Kanyo moves forward with new ideas, the staff hopes the community can get back to brighter days with less sadness among the people.
The societal benefit is addressed in the "business benefit section," as the two are intertwined.
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Noriko Abe / Shun Ito / Morihiro Konno, Proprietress/ Sales Manager / Assistant Manager
