{"id":18163,"date":"2019-03-01T18:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T09:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/oih2026\/?post_type=library&p=18163"},"modified":"2026-09-27T17:59:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:59:58","slug":"freeplus_suda","status":"publish","type":"library","link":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/en\/library\/freeplus_suda\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentaro Suda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gaining a big advantage in the industry with a unique inbound tourism business ahead of its time and the industry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to data on foreign visitors, the number of tourists visiting Japan has risen sharply since 2011, approaching 30 million in 2017 (Sources: Japan Tourism Agency, \u201cConsumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan,\u201d and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)). The trend is expected to continue, with some projecting about 40 million in 2020 and about 60 million in 2030. Other figures predict enormous spending by foreign visitors, 8 trillion yen in 2020 and 15 trillion yen in 2030, promising a bright future. In this booming inbound market, FREEPLUS Inc. has been running its own inbound tourism business as a pioneer since 2010. From the start, it grew rapidly by wholesaling and selling inbound tours to travel agencies run by organizations and sole proprietors. Riding the wave of growing visitor numbers, it opened FP HOTELS, lodging-focused hotels for foreign tourists, in 2017, and opened its third building, in Fukuoka, in December 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe started our inbound tourism business in 2010, and we now handle 3,000 projects a year, a total of 250,000 room-nights. Our trading partners have expanded to 38 countries. At first they were mainly China and other Asian countries, but a notable trend in the last few years is the increase in travelers from Europe and North America, and MICE demand, mainly for corporate meetings and incentive trips, has grown considerably. We plan to put even more effort into this area. The hotel management business is also doing well, and in December 2018 we opened our third building, FP HOTELS Fukuoka Hakata Canal City-mae, which is already attracting attention,\u201d says Kentaro Suda, President and Representative Director. As these words show, the company\u2019s business keeps expanding. The company has built a unique inbound tourism business that did not exist before and is expected to grow further. We looked at what led to its founding, its turning points, and the future Suda envisions for the business and the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A realization in a service job in high school led to the aim of starting a business by providing value, or happiness, to people!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the concept of \u201cLow Price & Little Luxury,\u201d FP HOTELS, the company\u2019s lodging-focused hotels for foreign tourists, are priced at the level of business hotels, yet their rooms, entrances, and lobbies have a luxurious design and offer one class higher comfort. With breakfasts crafted with great care and high-quality service, they have a unique presence in the hotel industry. FP HOTELS Fukuoka Hakata Canal City-mae, opened in December 2018, drew attention as \u201ca hotel like no other\u201d because its entrance and check-in counter double as a stylish bar, and it has no shortage of buzz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What this hotel management business shows is that the company\u2019s business is rooted in a \u201cthorough spirit of service\u201d in every respect. The origin of this can be found in an experience and realization Suda had in high school. \u201cThere was a middle-aged male customer who was always cheerful, but one day the customer seemed down\u2026 So I served that customer with more warmth than usual and a big smile. At that moment, I felt the customer\u2019s smile came back a little.\u201d Then came a sudden realization: \u201cI had thought I was just selling hamburgers every day, but just now, maybe I provided value beyond a hamburger.\u201d That led to the goal of starting a business in the service industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that experience, Suda entered university and set a milestone of starting a business by 26. Wanting to start a business as soon as possible, Suda created a coupon site for restaurants as a service for the feature phones that were the latest at the time, and did sales while still at university. But when actually visiting companies to sell, being a university student was a big handicap, and it did not go well. \u201cAt that time, I thought, \u2018Time at university is wasted. I should get into the business world quickly and gain experience.\u2019 So in my third year I voluntarily left university and joined an IT company. I decided to save 10 million yen in three years as capital for a business. But when I had saved 3 million yen in one year, I thought there was no time for detours and quit the company outright. In 2007, at 22, I founded FREEPLUS Inc.,\u201d Suda recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aiming to become a global company by connecting with the world early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought experience was important in business, and I wanted to launch a business quickly, so at first I started an IT outsourcing service business using experience from my previous job. The following year we opened an online store for AKIZUMI, custom-made leather shoes crafted by Japanese artisans, and expanded the business smoothly. But in 2008 the Lehman shock hit, companies\u2019 results fell, and they could no longer hire, so the IT outsourcing business began to struggle\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As a way out, Suda started a new SEO service, which greatly recovered the company\u2019s results, and immediately began considering the next business. The new business was based on three principles: \u201ca business or service that makes everyone happy through people interacting with people,\u201d \u201cgoing straight out into the world and becoming a global company, rather than expanding to Tokyo,\u201d and \u201ca business that energizes the Japan built by those who came before us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had wanted to build a global company since before I started, so I just didn\u2019t want to take detours. Thinking about it that way, I thought it would be faster to deal directly with other countries rather than expanding to Tokyo. Around then, I learned that in 2010 Japan\u2019s GDP, long the world\u2019s second largest, would be overtaken by China. Honestly, I felt deeply sorry toward those who came before us\u2026 So while thinking about whether there was something we could do, I focused on the inbound tourism business.\u201d So Suda started the inbound tourism business in October 2010. Holding on to the long-held wish to become a global company, Suda took the first step, leading to where the company is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing a business that makes everyone happy through people interacting with people, and energizes Japan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople often ask me, \u2018Was there some magic move that made your business a success?\u2019 but there was nothing like that. What I can say is that steadily going to China and other Asian countries and doing sales led to success,\u201d says Suda. While searching for a way to establish the inbound tourism business, Suda kept visiting travel agencies in China, Cambodia, Vietnam, and other countries without appointments. Then, in China, Suda met a company that said, \u201cSuda-san, we want to support your dream,\u201d and projects gradually spread, leading to today\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company is also starting new challenges, with preparations under way for new locations across Japan, starting with Sapporo. Under the management philosophy the company values, \u201cgiving gifts of lifelong memories through Japan,\u201d Suda\u2019s challenge to become a global company will continue without stopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interview date: January 25, 2019
(Interview and text: Manabu Kitagawa)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5434,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/oih2026\/?post_type=library&p=5424","catch_copy":"Becoming a global company with a unique inbound tourism business that spreads fans of Japan around the world!","company":"FREEPLUS Inc.","sub_catch":""},"library-category":[110,198],"class_list":["post-18163","library","type-library","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","library-category-hack-osaka","library-category-198","en-US"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library\/18163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/library"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"library-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovation-osaka.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library-category?post=18163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}