Properties sold by "NOT A HOTEL" can be used as a home or rented out as a hotel to generate revenue. In addition, property owners can use all "NOT A HOTEL" properties for each other free of charge.
Image perspective of "NOT A HOTEL" to be completed in Tochigi Prefecture.
Image perspective of the second location in Japan, scheduled to open in Miyazaki City.
Artist's rendering of an urban condominium scheduled to open in Fukuoka in 2023.
PROFILE
Born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1983, he graduated from Miyakonojo National College of Technology in 2004 with a degree in electrical engineering. After working for a major electronics manufacturer, he founded the e-commerce site production company "Aratana" in Miyazaki Prefecture in 2007. He left "ZOZO" in 2008 and founded "NOT A HOTEL".
A lifestyle that defies common sense and a response that exceeds expectations.
You announced your services in February 2021. The property had not yet been built, and only a perspective of the building was to be released and sales would begin this summer. What was the actual response?
We received responses from about 4,000 people, including inquiries. We were surprised at the response, as we had not expected such a large number of people to respond. We were surprised to find out that there are quite a few people with money (laughs). The sales price ranges from 40 million yen to 1 billion yen.
The reaction to a property that has not yet actually been built, but is only in perspective, is amazing.
When I founded Aratana 15 years ago, clothes were not selling well online, and I thought it was similar to that time. Now, of course, clothes are sold online, even if you can't actually see them. I thought it should be easier to buy a house, assuming you can use that house to make money after you buy it.
Certainly, the barriers to online purchasing of all kinds of things have been lowered.
We are considering a new system that would allow people to share-buy a single property as a more practical means of purchasing. There are an increasing number of services that allow people to share, including clothing. For example, if 12 people buy a "NOT A HOTEL" property, they can live outside their own homes for 30 days a year. I think it would be quite exciting and fun to spend one month a year at "NOT A HOTEL" for life. Right now, we are working on a system where multiple people, up to 12, can become owners.
I have actually heard of several surfers sharing a house in Chiba and other areas.
Yes, it is. I think it is a good experience to be able to change houses, not to say change clothes like clothes, but to be able to change houses.
Image CG of a property in Tochigi Prefecture.
Not a Hotel" offers a service whereby owners of one property can reciprocate the use of other properties. You traveled back and forth between Miyazaki, Tokyo, and Chiba during your time at "ZOZO".
While moving from one place to another, I have lived in a variety of places, and a house is a big part of my expenses. But I have not been in my own home for about half of the time, but I have been paying rent and a mortgage for a long time, and I thought it was a bit ridiculous. If I could make a profit of 100,000 yen by renting out my apartment when I am not using it, say for a week, it could become a business, and I could stay in a nice hotel for that amount of money. I think that if we can use each other's rooms in "NOT A HOTEL," we will be able to move around more freely and, by extension, our lives will be freer. Furthermore, I thought that if there was a fully-operated service where I didn't have to do anything myself, such as handing over the key when renting to someone else, I would definitely use the service.
I see that you don't have a lot of luggage.
I am a minimalist, so I don't have much luggage. I have books, but I keep them in a warehouse.
What kind of things do you usually buy?
I don't shop much to begin with. For example, even when I am short of money, if I want this (Jean) Prouvé chair, there is nothing else I want. If I buy what I want "most" first, I don't have to replace anything else, so I don't have to buy more stuff.
