Okinawa Resorts Recruit Talent in Taiwan, Offering 9 Days of “Soul-Cleansing Leave” Annually

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Want to work in Japan? The destination is just one hour by flight from Taiwan, with a monthly salary of NT$45,000 to NT$69,000; not only that, the scenery is stunning, and you get nine days a year of soul-cleansing leave; plus, there’s no age limit.

In recent years, aiming to tap into the Taiwanese market and eye the boundless business opportunities across the Chinese-speaking world, local governments and private tourism operators in Okinawa, Japan, have been making frequent moves — first with the official opening of Ishigaki Island International Airport in March, followed by two resorts in the Yaeyama Islands recruiting talent across the sea in Taiwan.


▲ Two resorts in the Yaeyama Islands are recruiting talent across the sea in Taiwan. (Photo / Provided by Hoshino Resorts)

The resorts are located in Japan’s hidden paradises
These two resorts are under the Hoshino Resorts group: one is Hoshino Risonare, situated on Kobama Island, which boasts “the world’s second-largest coral reef system and Japan’s southernmost golf course”; the other is Hoshino Nirakanai, located on Iriomote Island, where around 90% of the land is covered by subtropical primeval forests and mangrove swamps.

The two islands are considered by many Japanese to be hidden paradises, as compared to mainland Japan, they enjoy an average annual temperature of around 23°C, preserve more pristine natural environments and simpler local cultures, yet are far away and involve high travel costs and time — within Japan’s domestic tourism market, their main clientele are middle- to upper-class individuals.

 
▲ Left: Iriomote Island; Right: Kobama Island. (Photo / Provided by Hoshino Resorts)

Luring Talent with High Salaries and Generous Benefits
Comparatively speaking, Taiwan is actually the closest place to the Yaeyama Islands — the two share similarities in geography, climate, produce, flora and fauna. Coupled with Taiwanese people’s friendly attitude toward the Japanese, familiarity with, and openness to Japanese culture, tourism operators in the Yaeyama Islands have started to focus part of their marketing efforts on Taiwan. To this end, Ishigaki Island International Airport, which can be reached from Taiwan within one hour by direct flight, officially opened in March. To welcome and serve the influx of tourists from Taiwan, Hoshino Resorts directly crossed the sea to recruit talent in Taiwan — offering salaries up to two to three times higher than Taiwan’s typical NT$22,000 starting pay for fresh graduates, along with all the benefits and allowances granted to regular employees.

Creating a Win-Win Tourism Market Between Taiwan and Japan
As Hoshino Resorts’ general agent in Taiwan, Rolis

Besides, the most important evaluation criterion is the basic qualities of a hotel professional: enjoying interacting with people and having a passion for service. Gender, age, education, and experience are not as crucial. "Because Hoshino Resorts not only has a comprehensive training program for new employees, but also runs 'Rokuroshin School,' an in-house business academy that holds courses on marketing, management, and more at its resorts every year. We’re not afraid you don’t know how to do it—we’re afraid you’re not willing to learn, or lack the enthusiasm to grow."


▲Working at Hoshino Resorts comes with nine days of spiritual cleansing leave per year. (Photo / Provided by Hoshino Resorts)

Tang Guizhen, President of Rolisatour, stated that the monthly salary offered by the group ranges from 144,000 to 220,000 Japanese yen, equivalent to NT$45,000 to NT$69,000, which is considered quite good. But what’s most appealing is the access to all the benefits of a regular employee, a comprehensive insurance system, commuting allowances, overtime pay, and especially the leave policy, which is truly eye-catching. In addition to eight days off per month and leave for weddings, funerals, and other celebrations, newcomers are given 10 days of annual paid leave in their first year. But the real showstopper is the nine days of spiritual cleansing leave per year.

A day off for spiritual cleansing every single day
 
▲Working daily on a resort island, as long as you adjust your mindset well, you can feel like you’re on vacation every day after work. (Photo / Provided by Hoshino Resorts)

What exactly is spiritual cleansing leave? Tang Guizhen, President of Rolisatour, further explained that this type of leave is in addition to the annual paid vacation. "It’s a special holiday designed to help employees enrich their leisure life and rejuvenate their physical and mental wellbeing outside of work." Typically, such leave is only available to those with a certain length of service or who meet specific criteria, and usually, the longer you’ve worked, the more days you can take. "But in the recruitment criteria this time, it clearly states nine days of spiritual cleansing leave per year. For Taiwanese people looking to build a career in foreign tourism, this may be even more attractive than money!"

Tang Guizhen of Rolisatour mentioned that many people are looking for a job that offers "a high salary, little work, and is close to home," hoping for ample time off to travel. If you’re lucky enough to become part of the team recruited by Hoshino Resorts, it seems to fulfill most of those dreams—good pay, at least 2–3 times the average starting salary; close to home, with direct flights from Taiwan to Ishigaki Island and then a short boat ride to Kobama Island or Iriomote Island, all within two hours; and working daily on a resort island, where, if you adjust your mindset well, you could feel like you're on vacation every day after work. "The only uncertainty is whether working at Hoshino Risonare or Hoshino Nirakanai will mean a heavy or light workload—that depends on your own mindset. Those eager to learn will never find the work too much, but for others, well, that’s a different story!"