I joined Shunran no Yado Sakaeya as a mid-career hire. I actually have a rare disease called IgA nephropathy. Because of this, I have to drink a lot of fluids and go to the toilet frequently.

At the inn where I first worked after graduating from culinary school, I was a kitchen staff member, doing cooking. I was worried because I couldn't see a future in that job, and then my chronic illness worsened, so I was transferred from the kitchen department to the service department. I worked in service for about a year, but then I was transferred to a department where I did things like cleaning guest rooms and washing dishes. As I continued with my daily work, my desire to cook again gradually grew stronger, and I made the decision to leave that inn.

I searched for potential employers on various websites and narrowed it down to two. I then actually stayed at both of those inns. What sealed the deal for me was the warmth of the staff, the fact that they prepared most of the food themselves after being shown around the kitchen, and the opportunity to speak with the president during my stay. I was drawn to the company's policy of nurturing relationships, so I decided on Sakaeya.

After joining the company, I realized that I was stubborn and inexplicably overconfident, unable to accept other people's thoughts and opinions. I would either reject them or pretend to agree in the moment. As a result, I often disagreed with others, failed to understand what they wanted, and ended up doing something different from what was asked, causing trouble for many people.

When I joined Sakaeya, the president told me that it would be better to experience how the food is served before starting cooking, so I was initially assigned to service instead of the kitchen. While working in service, even though my seniors were teaching me, I didn't accept their instructions readily and instead made excuses. For example, the intercoms used in the company were called "wireless" at my previous workplace, so I wasn't used to it at first and called them "wireless." When this was pointed out to me, instead of simply saying "I understand," I made the excuse that we called them "wireless" at my previous workplace. It may seem like a trivial matter, but now I realize that my refusal to correct it even after being pointed out was stubbornness. At the time, however, I didn't think I was doing anything strange.

I underwent training in the service department for about a month and a half, and then moved to the kitchen. I was finally able to work in the cooking department, which I had always wanted to do, but even there, my stubbornness got the better of me, and I often did things differently from what I was told, such as seasoning the food. I started to lose confidence, and about a year after joining the company, the president spoke to me and I was transferred from the kitchen to the front desk.

At first, I was sulking and wondering why me, but working at the front desk was different from when I was in the kitchen. My job is to be the first to greet customers and make a good first impression, and because I interact with them directly, I started to constantly think about what customers want. I also needed to be able to understand things from their actions rather than waiting for them to say something, and I gradually shifted from a self-centered way of thinking to a customer-centric way of thinking.

Now that we have new employees joining us for the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, I'm no longer at the bottom of the hierarchy. When I first joined the company, I was so focused on myself that I couldn't see what was going on around me, but this departmental transfer has allowed me to gradually lift my head and look around, and I've become more considerate and able to reach out to others.

"Ms. Takizawa is so kind; she buys souvenirs for everyone and even carried our backpacks when we walked 50 kilometers."

When someone said that to me the other day, it made me realize that I might have grown as a person without even noticing.

I'm still inexperienced and have so much to learn, but I will strive to become like my seniors someday, and I hope to return to the world of cooking someday.

First, you should know what kind of vehicle you are.

Hisashi Takizawa

【profile】
Born in Niigata Prefecture
Joined the company in 2022
Motto: Youth is a lie and evil.
(The word "youth" is sometimes used conveniently. I've placed it here to mean finding a way of life that is different from that. I encountered this word when I was a student, living my life trying to fit in with others and not be disliked, and it became a turning point for me to change myself, who was always trying to read people's expressions and couldn't express my true feelings.)

Special skill: General knowledge