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The Niigata Branch serves the whole prefecture, a 270km-long narrow strip of land on the Japan Sea coastline. Main leasing customers are companies in the construction and retail sectors, as well as businesses in the semiconductor field. As a newcomer to a trade area developed by longstanding local financial institutions, SMBC Leasing Company. Limited expanded its business slowly, in step with the Niigata temperament.
“Time certainly passes more slowly in Niigata than in Tokyo, my previous posting. It’s partly because of the long, cold winters. The people of Niigata are patient and able to persevere. This is reflected in their business attitude. Business owners take stock of the situation around them and wait until the time is ripe before taking action. So I tell myself there’s no hurry, and do my best so customers will come to accept me as a person while we develop a business relationship,” Yamamoto says.
Taking the time to establish a relationship of trust with customers and a committed attitude to his work has paid off for Yamamoto, who is steadily building close relations with local companies. In the years ahead, SMBC Leasing will likely assume a stalwart supporting role for Niigata businesses.
Yamamoto describes life in Niigata with a smile of contentment. “It’s been a year since I relocated here. The rice is delicious, there is a variety of local sake, and an infinite choice of local seafood—prawn, squid, octopus, and sea bream. The food is so good that I’ve put on a bit of weight.” |
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| A fresh-fish shop in the Honmachi Market, Niigata’s “pantry.” Fresh fish and shellfish from the Japan Sea are available here at unbelievably low prices. |
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| Employees of SMBC Leasing’s Niigata Branch |
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