Toyohiko Kishida, former executive officer of Tokyo Star Bank, appointed as special advisor to Unist Holdings, strengthening expansion of accommodation business on Kumano Kodo
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Press release: April 2, 2024
Toyohiko Kishida, former executive officer of Tokyo Star Bank, appointed as special advisor to Unist Holdings, strengthening expansion of accommodation business on Kumano Kodo
In April 2024, Unist Holdings Co., Ltd. (Nishi-ku, Osaka,
Representative Director: Yoshitada Imamura), a real estate developer and hotel operator, appointed Toyohiko Kishida, a former executive officer of Tokyo Star Bank, as a special advisor (business finance). I would like to inform you that.
With the cooperation of Mr. Kishida, we will develop a lodging business in the Koguchi area of Kumanogawa-cho, Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture, and a business that recreates the Kiiji Route that people from Osaka once walked on their way to visit Kumano. Background of appointment
Starting in 2024, Unist Holdings will launch two new businesses related to the World Heritage Site, Kumano Kodo.
The first project involves renovating two old houses built 100 to 200 years ago in Koguchi, Kumanogawa-cho, Shingu City, and operating them as lodging facilities and a cafe. The Oguchi area is located just before Okumotorikoshi, a difficult point on the Nakahechi route of Kumano Kodo, and it is a region where staying overnight is essential when making a pilgrimage to the Nakahechi route. However, there are only two accommodation facilities in the area, and now that inbound demand has revived, it has become extremely difficult to secure accommodation, so we decided to launch a new business to solve this problem.
The other is a project to revive the Kiiji route, a road that people have walked from Osaka to the Kumano Sanzan since the Heian period. In addition to building accommodation along the approximately 300km stretch of road, we will develop meals and various services to provide a safe and secure environment for walking throughout the 10 days. With the support of Mr. Kishida, who has a wealth of knowledge in both real estate and hotels, including hotel-related financial services and real estate investment and financing, we aim to develop these two businesses.
Mr. Toyohiko Kishida Profile
Representative director of Force Consulting Co., Ltd.
Joined Tokyo Star Bank in 2011 and retired in 2023.
At the bank, he has led the group with a focus on structuring non-recourse loans specializing in operational assets such as hotels. In addition, we are expanding our unique financial services, focusing on customers such as domestic and foreign investors and hotel and inn management companies nationwide. We have also promoted the conversion of historic buildings into lodging facilities and financed the development of new lifestyle hotels.
Prior to joining the bank, he worked at Deutsche Bank, where he was involved in real estate-related investment and loans and
non-performing loan investment operations in Japan since the early 2000s. He also has a wealth of experience and knowledge in real estate-related operations, gained through working as a general contractor and developer.
Graduated from Keio University. Real estate appraiser (Japanese, American, and British).
[Comment from Toyohiko Kishida]
I have a long career in the financial industry, focusing on real estate and hotels. Unist Holdings has successfully completed numerous hotel projects in the past, and is currently taking on unique initiatives such as the Kumano Kodo project in order to accelerate this field from the perspective of regional revitalization. . The two new projects, Oguchi and Kiiji, are built on the Kumano Kodo, a world heritage site, from a hospitality perspective unique to our company. This is a new initiative that aims to impress many tourists from Japan and abroad, with a story that allows visitors to experience the majestic nature of Kumano while experiencing the history of Kumano since ancient times.
At the same time, it aims to revitalize employment in the region by combining various activities and providing local ingredients, and we hope that it can become a groundbreaking impact investment in the region.
While making full use of the experience of the Japan Tourism Agency’s experts in projects that utilize historical resources and advisors for attracting lodging facilities promoted by Wakayama Prefecture, we will be working on various projects that Unist Holdings is pursuing, especially in terms of financing. We will provide advice from all sides.
[Unist Holdings Co., Ltd. Company Profile]
Location: 2nd floor, Tachiuribori SQUARE, 1-4-12 Tachiuribori, Nishi-ku, Osaka Representative: Yoshitada Imamura
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