I want to regenerate the futsal court on the shores of Lake Biwa

Hello, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Akihito Iida, President and Director of J-Hoppers LTD.. In 2002, I started a hostel business in Kyoto, gradually growing the business to 12 locations by last spring, primarily in the West side of Japan, welcoming travelers from all throughout Japan and around the world. However, unfortunately, we've had to close 4 locations by the end of last November due to the Covid-19 pandemic's effect on global travel.


Currently, our surviving Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Wakayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka locations are searching earnestly for a way out of our current situation. Compared to our previous year, we have lost 80% of our sales revenue since March, placing us in a precarious predicament. However, at this time, J-Hoppers Lake Biwa Guesthouseis the only location that has maintained close to the same number of guests compared to last year and we are asking for your support.

We bought an old lodge formerly owned by the Japanese government and renovated it to open J-Hoppers Lake Biwa Guesthouse in the summer of 2018. Located between Lake Biwa and Hira Mountain, the Guesthouse is blessed with a magnificently breathtaking natural environment. We have welcomed many travelers seeking leisure activities such as Biwaichi (bicycle ride around Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan), swimming, SUP boarding, mountain climbing and fishing.

The purpose for this crowdfunding project

J-Hoppers Lake Biwa Guesthouse has two Futsal courtsrequiring replacement of their artificial lawn..

When we first bought the building, we thought that the poorly maintained 1,000m tennis court could be put to much better use. So we decided to make a Futsal court, with the thought that we could provide a fun environment where travelers from all over the world as well as many local residents could play Futsal together and grow their i nternational friendship and cultural exchange through the universal language of FUTSAL.


During planning, due to deterioration we discovered that building renovations would cost more than anticipated. As a result, we ended up cutting the cost of building Futsal courts and lowered the grade of artificial lawn. In hindsight, this was a mistake. I was overly focused on cutting costs without thinking of the actual importance of choosing an appropriate grade of artificial lawn.

Even with a lower grade artificial lawn, lawn contractors still had to professionally level the ground. We assisted by putting our own sweat into laying the lawn down properly during intense heat, finally completing the project in August of 2018 to open the guest house. We were so excited about how beautiful the green field was. Enthusiastically active in our sales activities, users of the Futsal courts grew steadily and after starting the international exchange Futsal league, we hosted a small championship. We even invited legendary Futsal player, Mr. Masakazu Okabe and had dribble lessons.


However…


The first few months were fine. But soon it started coming out and began coming apart at the seams. Now we need to clean up and repair frequently. Pictured below is the current condition after over two years.

It's hard to believe it has been only two years of usage when you see the damage around the center circle, penalty spot and goals. But I cannot leave them as they are, even if it was a poor judgement on my part to cut costs without having done better research into artificial lawn and their long term wear and tear realities.

We must secure the safety of players in our field. Players could damage their knees from the hard asphalt since there is no silica sand and rubber chip to fill. Rain makes it slippery, increasing the possibility of concussion if someone falls. It is my responsibility as a property manager to secure the safety and enjoyment for users, especially as there are increasing numbers of young Futsal teams and people who enjoy senior walking Futsal at our courts.

This is our first crowdfunding

The following are the reasons we are asking for crowdfunding support in this endeavor.

Currently there are still restrictions on foreign travelers due to Covid-19 and we cannot plan future management for our other branches. It has become the role of J-Hoppers Lake Biwa Guesthouse to support other branches financially as it has been blessed with domestic travelers. We'd feel more confident promoting our facility when our Futsal courts are renewed and can welcome more guests and host events, such as Futsal championships and group trips.

This Crowdfunding is not only to procure enough funds to renew our Futsal courts, which happen to be the only Futsal courts in the Kosei area. Omimaiko and Kosei are full of natural attractions and though it is not a widely known tourist destination, we have had previous success highlighting those natural and historical attractions to our guests.

Although we are getting a large amount of emergency loans from the government and banks due to COVID-19, these funds are for operating our other locations and cannot be allocated for Futsal court refacing. It is necessary to obtain Futsal court refacing funds through crowdfunding.

About Me.

I was a salesman at a major oil company for 11 years, wishing to own my own business after years of communicating with gas station owners working hard with their employees. I really didn't know what I wanted to do, but I didn't want to just wish for a better life. So I quit my job, got a motorcycle license and went on a trip across the European Continent.

I began to figure out what I wanted to do as a business, riding from country to country for over a year. Lodging at different styles of places, talking to guests and lodge owners, I began to draw a vision of what I wanted. A year after I got back to Japan, I opened J-Hoppers Kyoto in December 2002.

As you know, lodging at a guesthouse has been very popular lately. But it was a very new lodging style when I started. There were only a few guesthouses in Kyoto, Tokyo and Hokkaido and not many people knew about “guesthouses”. It was a time when the number of foreign tourists started rising due to the fall of exchange rates of yen and popularization of Low Cost Carriers. As I welcomed foreign tourists at the front desk, my business started getting on track and I was able to open up new locations in Hiroshima, Osaka and Hida-Takayama by the 4th year of my business. I was able to overcome the 2008 crash of Lehman Brothers, the H1N1 Swine Flu, even the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent Fukushima Nuclear plant shock. Despite all those calamities, I was able to have 10 locations by 2016.

The greatest inbound movement began when Tokyo was chosen to host the 2020 olympics. Every year, foreign travelers to Japan increased by 10%. It became common to see more foreigners than Japanese at popular tourist spots. Many of my friends thought i was doing business well, but it was getting hard for me to handle due to the increase of hotels and guesthouses. Lodging locations multiplied faster than the increasing number of tourists. My guesthouses used to be filled months in advance, soon we began experiencing open rooms during high season. Though 90% of my rooms were always filled when it was busy, it fell to under 70% and into deficit in 2019.

But I didn't give up there. We restructured our services, prices, and facilities. I saw that repeat foreign tourists wanted to experience the countryside of japan after they visited Tokyo, Kyoto and other big cities, traveling to deeper spots. So I opened a new location at Yunomine-Onsen near Kumano-Kodo three years ago and the next year, I opened Lake Biwa Guest House at Omi-maiko, Shiga Prefecture.

The Yunomine branch took two years to get on track and the third season of the Lake Biwa guesthouse was just picking up momentum when Covid-19 hit. Cancelations started happening in February and 96% of our business was lost by April. I could not believe it but could not do anything, losing Hana Sake Bar in Osaka and other 4 locations. I was forced to fire many of my most hard working employees..


My dreams were crushed and I could not get up in the morning for a moment. But I did not want to lose against some virus. I searched my soul for willpower. Even though the situation has not changed that much, I decided to think more positively and get used to it.


When the summer came, the Lake Biwa Guesthouse started getting more guests even though other locations' situations remained unchanged. Most guests were Japanese residents. After the rainy season, we even got more guests for the beach, Hira mountain hiking,and bicycle guests. A lot of guests gave us such warm and kind words that we felt our energy boosted. It made me realize it is a lot better to have this Lake Biwa Guesthouse and be able to support other branches than just weep about the situation.

Thank you for reading my story.

How we will use the funds

\ Below is the artificial lawn we are planning to use / I went to Osaka and Tokyo to observe and give time for deep consideration before deciding.
This artificial lawn is created by KOLON, has the largest market share in Korea and is a FIFA certified artificial lawn. We are contracting it to the authorized dealer, SURPRISE. I got estimates from five different companies, spoke with salespersons, and went to see the actual lawn. I compared how tough they are, how they're made, and overall durability, as well as comparing the experience and conscientiousness of contracting companies. After careful consideration, we decided KOLON lawn and contractor SURPRISE for their reliability and price balance. We will remove the lawn and fix the base to minimize cost. Refacing the lawn will cost us 7,400,000 Yen. ($71,000 approximately)

Introducing return for crowdfunding

There will be 5 different choices. Most of the return will involve the use of our facilities, Futsal court and our Biwagochi restaurant. Also we got help from a Thai mobile restaurant, in Kyoto, Khaoniawhills, who provided food from their restaurant in return. Please choose what you like.

This crowdfunding project i s “Keep-it-All” (KIA) where we set a fundraising goal and keep the entire amount raised regardless of whether or not we meet our goal, and return will be sent out to our funders.

* = domestic shipping only
0. *Thai restaurant Khaoniawhils special set
1. J-Hoppers return

• *[1-A] Simple support plan with original T-shirts 3,000 yen
• [1-B] J-Hoppers Lodging discount coupon for all locations 2,000 yen, 2,500 yen worth

2. Futsal court use return

• [2-A] Court rental discount : weekday 2 hour use or weekend 1.5 hour use for 8,000 yen
• [2-B] One-coin futsal pick-up coupon: 5 sessions for the price of 4, 2,000 yen(normally 2,500 yen)
• [2-C] Parent-child futsal use 5 times use for 4,000 yen (normally 5,000 yen)

3. J-Hoppers Lake Biwa Guesthouse and restaurant return

• [3-A] Weekday group use, one night with three meals and court use for 7,500 yen/person
• [3-B] Weekend and Holiday use, one night with three meals and court use for 8,000 yen/person
• [3-C] Biwagochi restaurant BBQ for 3,000 yen (normally 3,500 yen)
• [3-D] Weekday all building reserved use for 150,000 yen
• [3-E] Saturday night or the day before holiday night stay whole building reserved use for 250,000 yen
• [3-F] Biwagochi restaurant meal ticket for 10,000, 12,000 yen worth

In Conclusion

Though I suffered distress for about a year, i t feels better to be able to think positively when I play and sweat with my friends over a good game of Futsal. I believe that sports have such a strong power and want to grow smiles and encourage healing and happiness through Futsal. It is my burning desire to make Lake Biwa Guesthouse into a source of inspiration and revitalization to overcome Covid-19 as a community. One day, I hope to host a “Travelers world cup” where people who love futsal from all over the world can gather together. If you support my spirit and goal, please join our crowdfunding project.


Thank you for reading.

---