Experience at home: The origin of “determination” to never give up on anything

I always think that in order to live, it’s important to earn money by running your own business. It’s a very vague idea, but it’s what keeps the economy going and makes business successful. That said, I’m not good at setting medium- to long-term goals. I’m not the kind of person who can think that far ahead, so in order to do well tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I think carefully about what kind of people I need to talk to and what kind of conversations I need to have. I think that in the end, all of these things are connected.
There was a particular incident that led me to think this way.
My parents ran a barbershop and a hair salon. To be honest, I hated it. My father had graduated from university, but he couldn’t make a success of it in society, so he started a barbershop. When he came to open school days, all the other fathers were in suits, but my father was wearing a barber’s white coat with hair dye on it… I made up my mind to do something else and studied hard.

However, at one point I failed in business and needed money. It was my sister and her husband, who had taken over my parents’ business, who lent me the money. I had to borrow money from people I looked down on. I was ashamed of myself for not being able to earn money. At the same time, I realized that I had looked down on other people too much.
When I thought about it like that, I realized that “there are billions of people in the world, and each and every one of them is working hard to make the world go round. So I need to take care of other people and myself. To do that, I need to make sure I’m running a successful business and making money.”
It’s easy to give up, but that would just send me back to where I was before. But if I keep going, maybe I can live a more enjoyable life. If I keep saying things like “I’m tired from work”, “I’m busy”, or “I don’t like this person”, then I’ll never get anywhere. That’s why I don’t give up on anything. That’s my resolve.

Creating an LGBTQ-friendly environment

I had an eye-opening experience with my thoughts on LGBTQ. It was when I attended the convention of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA). IGLTA is an international travel agency organization that not only works to revitalize LGBTQ travel but also provides information on countries, cities, and LGBTQ-friendly hotels where LGBTQ people can travel safely without facing discrimination or violence.
At the time, I had just set up my own company, but my business partner suddenly disappeared. I was at a loss, with no business at all. Then I heard that there was an IGLTA convention in Florida. When I heard the stories there, I was shocked. “So that’s what I thought LGBTQ was! I was convinced that my ideas were ahead of Japan.

IGLTA was founded in 1983 and has members from around 80 countries, including travel agencies, hotels, and airlines.

Also, my involvement with IGLTA brought about a major turning point in my business. During a difficult time, I received business from people I had met through IGLTA. It was mainly in the travel business and involved bringing LGBTQ people to Japan. I was really grateful for this. I would much rather have received 10,000 yen at that time than 100 million yen now. That’s how I feel.
That experience made me want to give something back! I became even more determined to make Japan a more LGBTQ-friendly environment so that LGBTQ people can enjoy their time here. At that time, I learned that the IGLTA Global Convention was going to be held in Japan, and I spoke with the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, and we succeeded in attracting the event. It will be held in Osaka from October 23 to 26, 2024, and this will be the first time it has been held in Asia.
By the way, at the turning points of my life, I have been helped by wonderful women. In particular, I was able to become an IGLTA Asia Ambassador thanks to the advice of a woman living in Los Angeles.
She said, “Shin-chan, why don’t you become an ambassador? I’ll recommend you,” and gave me full support. I am who I am today thanks to the support of this woman and many other women.
I am not a particularly admirable person. But thankfully, I have been blessed with a lot of good luck, and each time I have been helped by wonderful women. Their presence has made my work on LGBTQ tourism even stronger.

The current state of LGBTQ understanding in Japan

LGBTQ understanding in Japan is still lacking. Many companies and local governments are offering LGBTQ training, but most of it is just a formality. I can’t help but feel that it’s just something they’re doing because the company told them to.

There are certainly signs of change, though. In 2014, a hotel created a plan for a Buddhist-style same-sex wedding that attracted a lot of attention. Also, in 2017, the Kyoto City Tourism Association became the first Japanese local government tourism bureau to join the IGLTA. Since then, the Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau have also joined, and it is clear that efforts to promote LGBTQ tourism are progressing.
However, I don’t think there is a lot of interest in LGBTQ-friendly services in general. I set up a company in 2015 that provides LGBTQ training, but unfortunately, there are still not many hotels that want to receive training, and the situation is such that we cannot say that the system is in place to accept LGBTQ travelers from overseas.

In addition, I think that the understanding of society as a whole is also insufficient. Even when we talk about LGBTQ rights and human rights, it often ends with “Is that so?” and that’s the end of the conversation. That’s why I think it’s important to take a business perspective. I don’t think human rights will be connected to business unless business is involved.
There are people who say that we are taking advantage of LGBTQ people, but I don’t think that’s the case at all, and I want to say, “Go ahead and make money through the LGBTQ business.” I want to create a situation where young people and LGBTQ people can see that and think, “Even gay people can do this kind of work. Maybe I can do it too.”

In fact, the economic impact of LGBTQ tourism is not to be underestimated. Countries like Spain have seen great success in LGBTQ tourism since they legalized same-sex marriage in 2005. LGBTQ travelers account for around 10% of tourism revenue. The size of the LGBTQ market is said to be 202 billion USD globally, just in terms of travel spending. This is a huge business opportunity.

Turning criticism into “strength”

When you work in the field of LGBTQ tourism, you sometimes receive criticism that seems unreasonable. People say things like “Don’t act like you represent gay people” or “LGBTQ tourism is a lie.” However, I have learned how to turn this criticism into strength.

I joke back when people say things about my character, but I respond more seriously when it affects my business. And if someone says something too unreasonable, I’ll give them a double payback (laugh).

Vision for the future: Aiming for a rainbow-colored Japan

It will take some time for Japan to become a developed country for LGBTQ people. But we have no choice but to make progress one step at a time. I hope that through our activities we can bring about change, even if it is only a little at a time.

Finally, I want to share my belief: “You are responsible for all your actions.” Whether you make the most of a difficult situation or let it kill you is up to you. You are there because of yourself. You are the one who decided to climb out of it. No one is to blame, and no one told you to do it, so you have no one to resent. “It’s all about you” is the starting point of my actions.
Thankfully, I have met some really good people so far, but it is up to me to accept that I am grateful for that. Happiness is something that is passed on in that way. From now on, I would like to continue to connect Japan and the world through LGBTQ tourism and create a society with more understanding and acceptance.

September 2024 at the Bellustar Hotel
Interview and editing by: DK Sugiyama
Project Manager: Chiho Ando
Photography: Erina Hamaya