Cultural shock of day when I was young became personality of my Guesthouse.
Guesthouse GRAND PAPA Nigawara Kazuhiro
The opening of business of Grand Papa is 1985. It is opening of extremely early time in Hirafu.
For my school days, it was still the 1970s with embers of student
movement. I took a trip to many places at that time. When I traveled in
Europe, I had an unforgettable experience in Bed & Breakfast in
Germany. Germany and Italy, people around ten of various nationality
including the U.K. had breakfast at big table together. They talked
naturally and shared comfortable time. Most of them were appearance
like office worker. I was member of totally impossible scene in Japan.
And I thought, “this scene was good”. I graduated from university
before long and became office worker and married soon. However, scene
at that time was left in my heart all the time.
I noticed that work to do in families was suitable for me than I worked for company. Therefore I decided to open guesthouse.
Because I was born in Sapporo, I came to Hirafu since the days of
child many times. I watched resort some of Honshu, but there was not
land to boast of splendid nature of the snow and quantity of
overwhelming snow to like Hirafu elsewhere. Therefore I decided to open
guesthouse in Hirafu. The reason why I decided the present place in
construction place is that I liked that I see Mount Yotei very well.
There was not one building in the lower part in those days from here.
In fact, this land was already sold when I found this land. However, I
negotiated with feeling such as bet because I wanted to build
guesthouse here. As a result, I bought this land at last. Then, for 26
years, bet would be success.
Grand Papa started as Bed & Breakfast and began restaurant of
cheese fondue afterwards. As you know, for these around ten years,
visitors of foreigner including Australia increased very much. When
visitor goes for dish because breakfast is buffet-style, there is
opportunity when visitors talk naturally. That scene which I longed for
on young day is developed every day here.
Generally speaking, as for the facilities, hotel and condominium
are superior to Guesthouse. However, on the other hand, we can create
visitor and us, close communication between visitors in Guesthouse. And
the close communication becomes personality of Guesthouse. It is the
hostess to hold the key to service of Guesthouse. Therefore I do not
appear on many fronts and support so that wife can enjoy enough. If
wife is happy, whole family becomes smile.
At hotel in area with many visitors coming from foreign country
like current Hirafu, service or facilities of West standard will be
important. But it is Japan here and is not Europe. Therefore I think
that I should offer service and facilities based on Japanese culture.
However, this area with culture unlike Kyoto and Edo does not look good
even if we take in only form of culture of Kyoto and Edo. I think that
I want visitor to feel Japanese culture in meaning deep more widely
including how to contact people and appearance of dining table.
My son just became the same age when I took a trip to Europe.
Probably because of influence of my experience, he learned in Germany.
He succeeds this Guesthouse. As as parent and senior, we expect very
much in Hirafu which new generation makes from now on.