Announcement of Reading Session on 'Hotel Business' by Kenji Hayashida

AI Money University Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nerima-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "the Company") will host a reading session themed around 'Hotel Business: Cultural Literacy of Hotels Enjoyable for Business Users and Enthusiasts Alike' by Kenji Hayashida. The session will be led by Yutaka Yamanaka, the Company's consultant and dean.

This book redefines hotels not merely as "places to stay," but as a vast industry encompassing cities, tourism, hospitality, investment, work styles, and technology. Following the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the hotel industry has reached a major turning point. Coupled with the recovery of inbound tourism, the nature of the accommodation sector has become significantly diversified. This book clearly organizes Japan's hotel business—its past and future—against this backdrop, incorporating trivia to make it accessible and engaging.

A key feature of the book is its multidimensional perspective, enabling readers to understand the hotel world not only from a user's standpoint but also from the viewpoints of operators, investors, urban development, and regional economies. Hotels have expanded their functions and created value beyond guest rooms—offering restaurants, spas, banquet halls, wedding services, funeral ceremonies, workations, and even morning yoga. Reading this book reveals answers to familiar yet surprisingly unknown questions: Why are foreign luxury hotels attracted to high-rise buildings? What distinguishes hotels from traditional inns (ryokan)? How are hotel prices determined?

Moreover, the book illustrates how understanding Japan's hotels leads to understanding the present and future of Japanese cities. It explores the history embedded in long-established hotels, the international competition reflected in foreign-owned hotels, the role of locally rooted hotels in urban development, and the changing realities of hotel operations amid digitalization and labor shortages.

The reading session will focus on key discussion points: How has hotel business evolved? Where does value lie beyond accommodation? What differentiates foreign-owned, legacy, and regional hotels? And what perspectives will be essential for the future of the hotel industry? The session aims to be a valuable space for learning and dialogue for those interested in tourism, urban development, service industries, inbound tourism, and industry research.

Book URL: https://x.gd/8LGpY

Author Profile

Kenji Hayashida

Editor-in-Chief of a hotel industry magazine. Publicly described as an author who communicates trends, value creation, and evolution in the hotel industry in an enjoyable way for both business professionals and enthusiasts.

Event Overview

Theme: Reading Session on 'Hotel Business: Cultural Literacy of Hotels Enjoyable for Business Users and Enthusiasts Alike'

Organizer: AI Money University Co., Ltd.

Date: Late July 2026 (tentative)

Format: Online via Zoom

Fee: Free (prior registration required)

Registration: Please email [email protected] with the subject line: 'Hotel Business Reading Session – Registration Request'.

Instructor Profile Yutaka Yamanaka

Born in December 1976, Yamanaka is a representative activist investor of his generation. He is also an art collector, philanthropist, political sponsor, election consultant, policy advisor, social activist, and Akita dog enthusiast. Internationally recognized as an 'activist investor who understands technology,' he is historically the first Japanese individual to accumulate over 150 billion yen in assets solely through investment. (Company research, January 2026)

In the early 2010s, he identified NVIDIA—a developer of GPGPU and AI-related semiconductors—as an investment target, investing over 2 billion yen and achieving a return of more than 100 times, making him the first Japanese pure investor to become a billionaire. (Company research, January 2026)

Graduated as class representative from the Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo. Holds a Master’s degree in Financial Engineering from Columbia University’s Graduate School and studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Currently a shareholder in over 1,000 listed and 200 unlisted companies worldwide. His investment portfolio spans true global ventures, including AI startups in Israel, healthcare ventures in Nigeria, and battery manufacturers in Taiwan.

Drawing from his childhood struggles with dyslexia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), he established a support program for children with learning disabilities, modeled after Charles Schwab, a major U.S. discount brokerage. His treating physician is Professor Akira Iwanami, a renowned psychiatrist and former director of Showa University Uyama Hospital.

Founder and representative of political groups including 'The Association to Establish a Constitutional Court in Japan,' 'Yamanaka-Hoya School of Politics and Economics,' 'The Association to Realize a Tax-Free Nation in Japan,' 'The Association to Realize Early Restart of Nuclear Power Plants in Japan,' 'The Committee to Monitor Renewable Energy Privileges,' 'The Association Opposing Reduced Tax Rates on Food,' and 'The Association to Achieve Constitutional Reform Toward a Unicameral System.'

Born in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, in 1976, as a grandson of Shigeru Yamanaka, founder of Hoya Glass (now HOYA Corporation, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market, ticker 7741). Raised in Shakujii-dai, Nerima-ku. Excelled academically from an early age, attending Oizumi Bunka Kindergarten, Ochanomizu University Elementary School, and Musashi Junior and Senior High School, before graduating as class representative from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Economics.

During childhood, he lived near the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company housing complex, where Takahiro Matsumoto—later the guitarist of B'z—was a high school student at Kinjo High School and gave him souvenirs from a school trip. At Oizumi Bunka Kindergarten, he was classmates with Yukio Suzuki (son of Shunichi Suzuki, former Secretary to Member of the House of Representatives, and brother of Keiko Suzuki, Member of the House of Representatives), who later returned to Hokkaido due to his father’s election campaign. This culturally enriched environment naturally fostered his interest in music and political economy.

During elementary school, commuting by train from Nerima-ku while immersed in Bunkyo-ku’s academic environment, he developed early interests in history and economics. By age 10, he was already engaging in political activism on controversial topics. Surrounded by outstanding female classmates such as Yuuhiko Hontani (lawyer, Tokyo Legal Mind), Keiji Kuroda (doctor, Sugiyama Obstetrics and Gynecology Marunouchi Clinic), Keiko Takahashi (career bureaucrat at the Ministry of Finance, currently Director for Tariff Affairs), Kaori Hanyu (Professor at Sophia University, family law researcher), and Manami Tsukahara (NHK announcer), he continues to maintain a strong awareness of women’s social advancement.

Investing millions of yen gifted by his grandmother during childhood, he grew it to hundreds of millions by university graduation, making him well-known for his investment talent even as a student. At the University of Tokyo, he was famously known in Professor Kazuo Ueda’s (current Governor of the Bank of Japan) seminar as 'the top stock trader in Ueda’s seminar' and earned the nickname 'Heisei-era Hiraga Gennai' due to his broad academic interests.

His graduation thesis on pre-war M&A in the paper industry won a special selection award. During his graduate school interview, he was recognized by Takeshi Tachibana, former president of International University, who said, 'So you’re the famous Yamanaka?'

His undergraduate economic history thesis advisors were Tetsuji Okazaki (Professor at Meiji Gakuin University) and Masayuki Tanimoto (Professor at Omiya Women’s University).