Holonic Forms Capital and Business Alliance with NIPPONIA Operations Leveraging the expertise in hotel management and human resources development cultivated through SETRE, the two companies will jointly create an accommodation model that balances the preservation of local culture with business viability.

Holonic Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture; Representative Director: Ichiro Nagata; hereinafter “Holonic”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a capital and business alliance with NIPPONIA Operations Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tanba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture; Representative Director: Yosuke Oyama; hereinafter “NOP”).

Through this partnership, Holonic will combine the practical knowledge it has cultivated through the operation of the community-based hotel “SETRE”—including hotel management and operations, service quality improvement, and human resource development—with the expertise that NOP and the NOTE Group have developed in integrating local lifestyles, culture, and industries into the lodging experience.We will jointly work to build a new regional lodging model that balances the preservation of cultural heritage with sustainable business operations, while respecting the unique character of each region.

Holonic and NIPPONIA Logos

■Background of the Capital and Business Alliance

As a “community-building company,” Holonic operates six “SETRE” community-based hotels nationwide. Through the development of hotels that connect local attractions, people, and culture, the company has accumulated expertise in hotel management, operations, service, and human resource development, in addition to building relationships with local communities.

Meanwhile, NOP, guided by its purpose of “Changing society’s perspective by 1 mm,” operates “NIPPONIA,” a chain of lodging facilities that leverage resources passed down through generations—such as historic buildings, local culture, and regional industries.Amid declining populations and a shortage of workers in local industries, NOP aims not only to preserve culture but also to generate sustained consumption and employment through lodging, thereby passing on the region’s way of life and culture to the next generation.

While both companies share the common value of “cherishing relationships with local communities,” they possess distinct strengths. We believe that by combining Holonic’s management and operational expertise with the NOP and NOTE Group’s know-how in leveraging local resources, we can build a foundation that balances the unique characteristics of each region with business sustainability—which led to this partnership.

■ Initiatives Under This Partnership

Leveraging its practical knowledge of hotel management and operations, Holonic will collaborate with NOP in the following four areas:

1. Building a Sustainable Management and Operations Framework

2. Enhancing Service Quality and Staff Development

3. Strengthening Sales and Customer Acquisition Capabilities

4. Co-creation of new businesses and services rooted in the local community

■ “NIPPONIA Fukuzumi Shukuba-machi” as the First Pilot Site

The first pilot site is “NIPPONIA Fukuzumi Shukuba-machi” in Tanba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, operated by NOP. We will work to establish a management and operational foundation that leverages the expertise of both companies, and we will apply the insights gained there to the various regional sites that NOP will develop in the future.We will develop a system that supports a sustainable lodging business without homogenizing the unique character of each region.

Fukuzumi

■Toward a Sustainable Lodging Business That Connects Local Culture to the Future

NOP aims to realize “NIPPONIA 3.0,” which evolves the lodging industry into social infrastructure that supports regional sustainability by linking historic buildings, cuisine, industry, culture, and local lifestyles to the economic activity of lodging, thereby generating consumption and employment in the region.Through this partnership, Holonic will support the realization of this vision from the perspective of hotel management and operations, and both companies will explore new possibilities for the regional lodging industry.

■ Comment from Ichiro Nagata, Representative Director, Holonic Co., Ltd.

Holonic has conducted its business under the concept of “planning and curating regional resources through hotels.”We aim to be a company that creates communities by connecting people to one another and to their local regions. We feel that NIPPONIA’s philosophy—which values passing on locally rooted culture and ways of life to future generations by “curating local resources into capital for the future”—aligns deeply with our own vision.Through this capital and business alliance, we intend to combine the distinct strengths and insights cultivated by both companies to jointly explore new possibilities for the lodging business that transcend the conventional framework of hotel management and operations. We aim for this initiative to generate new value and economic circulation in the region, leading to the realization of sustainable local communities.

■Comment from Yosuke Oyama, Representative Director, NIPPONIA Operations Co., Ltd.

I believe that what NIPPONIA needs as it expands across the country is not the standardized structure of a typical hotel chain, but rather an “operational model” that allows us to establish a sustainable lodging business while fully respecting the culture and way of life of each region. Through its operation of SETRE, Holonic is a company that has continuously refined its hotel business while cherishing its relationships with local communities.We find it extremely reassuring that Holonic will be joining us not only as a business partner but also as a capital partner. NOP is still a young company. Precisely for that reason, we do not wish to be bound solely by the conventional wisdom of the existing lodging industry; instead, we aim to create the kind of lodging business that will be needed in local communities going forward, through co-creation with local communities, businesses, and a diverse range of talent.

■ About Holonic Co., Ltd.

Based on the concept of “Connecting and Forging Bonds,” Holonic is a community-building company that operates “SETRE,” a chain of six community-oriented hotels nationwide. By creating unique guest experiences that highlight local ingredients, traditions, nature, and the passion of local artisans—and by connecting people with one another and with the local community—we are working alongside local communities to build a sustainable future.

Address: 10th Floor, Kobe Fashion Mart, 6-9 Mukaiyocho-naka, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture

Representative: Ichiro Nagata, Representative Director

Established: December 1998

Business Activities: Planning, development, and operation of community-based hotels;

　　　　　　 Planning of local resources, consulting services

Official Website: https://www.hol-onic.co.jp/

SETRE Group

■About NIPPONIA Operations Co., Ltd.

With the mission of “From Local Consumption to a Sustainable Local Hospitality Industry,” we operate “NIPPONIA,” a chain of lodging facilities that utilize historic buildings and local culture. Through our lodging services, we aim to generate sustained local consumption and employment, thereby passing on local culture to future generations.

Address: 18-1 Nikaicho, Tanba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture

Representative: Yosuke Oyama, Representative Director

Established: March 2026

Business Activities: Operation of lodging facilities and various retail stores; operational support, etc.

Official Website: https://nipponiaoperations.com/