Our article Accelerate Clothing Rental for Travelers in Tokyo
We are thrilled to announce that an interview with our CEO, Shinya Yamada, was featured in the March 5, 2024, issue of ‘International Hotel Management,’ a magazine dedicated to supporting hotel and ryokan management. Our recent initiatives have been accelerating clothing rental options for travelers in Tokyo, showcasing our commitment to enhancing travel experiences with convenient services. Published on the 5th and 20th of each month, ‘International Hotel Ryokan’ is a specialized magazine with a circulation of approximately 5,000 copies. It is a great honor to have our interview featured in such a prestigious publication dedicated to hotel and ryokan management.
The primary readership of ‘International Hotel Management’ includes ‘hotel and ryokan company managers, general managers, owners,’ ‘ryokan unions, tourism associations, municipalities, business groups,’ ‘financial institutions, asset management, accountants, real estate,’ and ‘lodging-related services (reservations, IT systems, guest room amenities, architectural design, etc.).’ The detailed breakdown of readership is as follows: business hotels 41%; city hotels 13%; resort hotels and ryokans 18%; related industries (travel, amenities, etc.) 15%; finance and real estate 5%; various organizations and educational institutions 1%, and others 7%.
Source： International Hotel Management
In addition to offering clothing rentals (outdoor wear, samue), our company provides ‘experience’ tours ‘ninjakotan-travel.com‘ of traditional Japanese culture. We aim to enhance traveler satisfaction through traditional crafts such as Ukiyo-e, Zen meditation experiences, and Geisha experiences. Furthermore, by combining traditional cultural experiences with clothing rentals, we seek to promote sustainable and accessible travel.
Full Article
EDO KAGURA Corporation (Office located in Shinjuku, Tokyo) provides a clothing rental service, ‘NINJA KOTAN,’ and focuses on business partnerships with hotels and ryokans. Travelers can order clothes through the NINJA KOTAN website, receive them at their destination, wear them locally, and return them easily at the end of their journey, reducing luggage and easing travel burdens.
Partnerships with hotels and ryokans facilitate smoother handovers and make it easier to integrate into accommodation plans or offer as an option to guests with confirmed bookings. Partner facilities promote NINJA KOTAN services through confirmation emails and pay a 10% usage fee to the facility if used.
Aiming primarily at the inbound market with long travel days, as well as domestic travelers, including seniors, families, and wheelchair users. To cater to foreigners, sizing and comfort are matched using outdoor brands like ‘Patagonia.’ In February, we also began offering samue rentals for workshop and Zen meditation experiences.
CEO Shinya Yamada, who envisioned this business, says, ‘Reducing luggage not only expands the potential of travelers but also contributes to environmental protection. One reason for declining travel is decreased physical stamina. Seniors find cruise travel appealing because once on board, movement is easy without the burden of heavy luggage. Sourcing some clothing from NINJA KOTAN can slim down luggage. This subtractive approach alleviates travel inconveniences.’
Lighter luggage leads to aircraft weight reduction, which reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Before founding the company, Yamada worked in financial institutions both in Japan and abroad, exceeding 200 overseas travels, including five instances of lost luggage. ‘Losing prepared luggage or not having it returned can dampen the excitement of travel. Even planning ‘Bleisure’ trips becomes a burden with additional casual wear, increasing luggage,’ says Yamada. These experiences inspired the foundation of the business.
‘Orders have been placed for coats or jackets for travel from warm Southeast Asia to Hokkaido, casual wear for sightseeing after business trips, and even for mountain climbing or trekking. It not only improves customer satisfaction for lodging facilities but also differentiates their services. Addressing the travel divide and allowing everyone to move freely is our goal,’ Yamada expresses.”
