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| The world’s largest indoor water park, located in Seagaia, Miyazaki’s foremost resort facility. The all-weather dome with a retractable roof has a capacity of 10,000, and indoor air and water temperatures are constant year-round at 30c° and 28c°, respectively. |
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| Miyazaki Flower Festa is the first flower festival of the season in Japan, held between March and May every year. Centered on several locations in Aoshima, it attracts many visitors delighting in the resplendence of a city overflowing with flowers. |
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“Miyazaki has many golf
courses, so I play often,” says Masahiro Nagata, manager of Meidensha
Corporation’s Miyazaki Sales Office, a new addition to its Kyushu
Branch. The sales office opened near the city hall in April 2003 to
begin sales of environmental systems in the region in earnest. Nagata
had previously worked at the Kyushu Branch, but was asked to take
on the role in Miyazaki because of his many years’ experience
and expertise in the water treatment business. He is currently the
sole member of the new office, working hard to pioneer business in
the prefecture.
“Broadly speaking, we have two main businesses. First, we supply
water and sewage treatment and water resource management systems to
the public sector. Our basic policy is to take good care of people
and the environment, and we have developed sophisticated water and
sewage treatment technologies as well as methods of maintaining the
quality of water to be discharged into rivers. We have half a century’s
experience in this area,” Nagata explains. Miyazaki is making
fast progress with mains sewage construction and anticipates growing
demand for water treatment-related businesses. Meidensha is establishing
a steady track record in the region—in fiscal 2002, the company
supplied a sewage treatment systems for the city of Miyakonojo with
a population of 130,000, and also received an order from a neighboring
town.
“Second, we upgrade services for customers expanding their operations
in various industries,” continues Nagata. Meidensha previously
supplied electrical systems essential for the operation of a factory
in the prefecture, including substation equipment and power distribution
systems. “Although capital investment is subdued at the moment,
we aim to maintain a share of what there is and publicize new products
more aggressively.” With this purpose in mind Nagata visits customers
day after day to establish contact, get to know them better, and exchange
information. Going forward, his objective is to expand the business,
employ more staff at the sales office, and contribute to environmental
conservation in Miyazaki through business development.
“Maybe because of the warm climate, most of the customers I visit
are friendly and down-to-earth. We might start off talking business,
but we find ourselves having a friendly chat and often end up going
for a drink,” he laughs. “I moved here with my family, and
am pleased to find this is a great environment for bringing up children.”
Only six months since he took up his post, Nagata says he enjoys Miyazaki
for its many charms that are absent in larger cities and claims it
has a positive effect on both his private and professional lives. |
