Meeting Date: 2011/04/09
1. Company Profile
Name of Company: KARUCHI ROAD Co., Ltd.
Head Office: 3-32-21 NINOMIYA, FUKUI-CITY, FUKUI, 910-0015
Tel: 0776-25-0488 Fax: 0776-25-5736 URL: http://www.karuchiroad.co.jpYear of Establishment: Sep. 1, 1978 Capital: 20,000,000 Yen
Employees: 38 Therapist 33 / Other Staffs 5
President: Ms. Michiko IIDAType of Business: Spa & Relaxation Business including Esthetique, Reflexology & Thai Massage
service
Branches: 7 salons (Fukui 2 / Ishikawa 4 / Tokyo 1) and 1 therapist school
- Fukui Headquarter Salon (Day Spa) / Fukui
- Ski Jam Katsuyama Salon (Ski Resort Spa) / Fukui (Tokyu Harvest Club)
- Kanazawa Katamachi Salon (Day Spa) / Ishikawa
- Noto Salon (Onsen Resort Spa) / Ishikawa (Wakura Onsen)
- Manten-no-Yu Kanazawa Salon (Massage Salon in Large Hot Bath Facility)/
Ishikawa
- Rakuzen Spa Yamashiro Onsen (Onsen Resort Spa) / Ishikawa (Yamashiro
Onsen)
- Roppongi Salon (Day Spa) / Tokyo
- Karuchi Academy (Spa & Esthetic school) / Ishikawa
2. Met With
KARUCHI ROAD:
- Mrs. Michiko IIDA, Managing Director
- Mr. Masatoshi IIDA, Senior Managing Director
TTC OSAKA
- Ms. Sirikarn Amatayakul, Deputy Director
- Ms. Yoshiko Sakata, Market Development Officer
3. Information from meeting
3.1. Overview of Company:
Karuchi Road, the name of this company came from "culture-road" . This company established their first salon as a European style esthetic (beauty treatment) salon at Fukui in 1978. Since then, they had expanded their business to Ishikawa (neighboring prefecture to Fukui) and Tokyo, with changing their style to spa & relaxation. At present, they can be said that most famous company which providing Thai massage service in Hokuriku Area.
3.2. Product imported from Thailand:
- Thai Herb Balls & Massage Oils from Phussapa Thai Massage School in Bangkok
- Interior Decorative Items
3.3. Training for Therapists
- 60 hours at their own school
- Phussapa Thai Massage School in Bangkok (for brush-up)
4. Result of meeting
Mr. & Mrs. IIDA said that they started Thai massage service 12 years ago as an idea of Mr. Naofumi IIDA, executive director and their son. Kanazawa Katamachi Salon was the 1 st branch introduced Thai massage. At present, all family members of Mr. & Mrs. IIDA and their therapists mastered Thai massage and focusing Thai massage service including herb ball and oil massage at every 7 branches.Nationality of therapists is all Japanese except 1 Thai therapist in Tokyo Roppongi salon. Mr. IIDA said that if working visa for Thai therapists would be legally available, they have no interest in employing Thai therapists who can't speak excellent Japanese. Because most of their customers are Japanese locals (80% locals / 20% tourists) and they are not so internationalized still. So not only massage skills but also good communication skills in Japanese language are required for their staffs.
Mr. Iida, their son had been invited to ISPA2006 in Thailand as a VIP visitor by TTC's recommendation. Mr.& Mrs. Iida explained that he increased his interest in Thailand after that and started Thai Restaurant business in Kanazawa in 2007 and went well. But at present it was closed because Thai chef returned Thailand by his personal reason and couldn't find Thai chef in Kanazawa.
TTC expressed thanks to Karuchi Road for expanding their business related Thailand, and said that TTC is willing to support them at anytime, if they need information on Thai products or potential exporters/partners.
Reported by: Yoshiko Sakata, Thai Trade Center, Osaka (Japan) 2011/4/12
Thai Trade Center, Osaka (Japan)
Source : http://www.depthai.go.th