Spa Resort Hawaiians
Spa Resort Hawaiians (スパリゾートハワイアンズ), located in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, is a resort and theme park in Japan. It opened on January 15, 1966 as the Joban Hawaiian Center, becoming the first in the country.
The resort was an outgrowth of the mining industry. The Joban Mine had become the Japan's largest mine in 1944, and business continued booming through the 1950s. As Japan's economy shifted from being powered by coal to oil in the 1960s, though, the owners realized that its useful life was limited. Yutaka Nakamura, the vice president, was determined to extend the mine's life somehow, and hit upon the idea of using the area's hot springs, an inconvenience to the mines, to open a resort. He selected a Hawaiian theme.[1]
One of the Resort's most well-known features is its dance troupe. Rather than inviting an outside troupe to perform, the company decided to create its own, and initially trained 18 employees' daughters. In the very close-knit mining community, entire families would work at the Resort. Nakamura intentionally kept the hotel small at the beginning, so the local ryokan would benefit from the increased business, and purchased as much as possible from local suppliers.[1]
Its popularity reached its peak in 1970–71, as attendance passed 1.55 million visitors per year.[2]
In 1989, Joban Hawaiian Center received the Deming Application Prize, becoming the first leisure-industry company to win this quality control award.[3] In 1990, it changed its name to Spa Resort Hawaiians, reflecting an increased focus on the spa facilities.[4]
In 2004, it was the tenth most popular theme park in Japan, with 1.5 million visitors.[4]
The 2006 film Hula Girl was based on the story of the founding of the resort.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Learning CSR from other companies". Fuji Xerox. http://www.fujixerox.co.jp/eng/sr/2006/top_commitment/csr.html. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "Hawaiians History". Spa Resort Hawaiians. http://www.hawaiians.co.jp/english/history/index.html. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ Whiteley, Richard C (1995). The Customer-driven Company (7 ed.). Basic Books. p. 150. ISBN 9780201608137. http://books.google.com/books?id=WzfWV9j-iCkC.
- ^ a b "Theme Parks: Out-of-the-Ordinary Worlds". Takarabako. June 2006. http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/content/japaneseculture/31themepark.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "A Night for Jake". On The Scene. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/11/02/news/berger.html. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 36°59′37″N 140°48′59″E / 36.993634°N 140.81652°E
