Narita Hospitality Academy to Train 25 Foreign Technical Interns in Its 11th Cohort from May 14

MRM LLC, headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo and represented by Shunsuke Yamamoto, announced that Narita Hospitality Academy, its post-arrival training facility specializing in hotel skills training for foreign technical interns, will welcome 25 trainees in its 11th cohort. The trainees will attend approximately one month of training at the academy from May 14 to June 12. The academy is a specialized facility where foreign technical interns can study a training program supervised by Iconia Hospitality, which operates a wide range of lodging facilities from limited-service hotels to full-scale resort hotels, at a dedicated facility managed by Village House Management Co., Ltd. Since opening on June 1, 2023, 358 trainees from the first through tenth cohorts have completed the academy’s program. Graduates are assigned to Iconia Hospitality group hotels and are currently working on the front lines at hotels across Japan. The previous 10th cohort marked the academy’s first acceptance of trainees in the building cleaning occupation. For practical training, trainees used guest rooms at Art Hotel Narita, part of the Iconia Hospitality group, to learn building cleaning skills in a more hands-on environment. In addition to Japanese language and Japanese lifestyle education, the academy offers practical room-cleaning training in mock-up rooms designed to resemble hotel guest rooms, as well as classroom-based restaurant training and other instruction needed for employment in lodging facilities. A key feature is technical guidance from professional instructors who specialize in various areas of the hotel industry. The Technical Intern Training Program was established in 1993 to contribute internationally by transferring skills, technologies, and knowledge to developing regions and helping develop human resources that support economic growth. In November 2017, the Act on Proper Technical Intern Training and Protection of Technical Intern Trainees came into effect, launching a new technical intern training system. Trainees can learn skills while training for up to five years across 94 occupations, including construction, food manufacturing, crop farming, and machining. As of October 2025, there were approximately 500,000 technical interns, according to Japan’s Immigration Services Agency. Narita Hospitality Academy was opened because most host organizations for foreign technical interns and specified skilled foreign workers are in manufacturing, while the hotel industry still has limited experience accepting such workers. MRM determined that a reception framework was needed to actively utilize foreign talent, leading to the opening of the academy in June 2023 as a specialized post-arrival training facility. The academy aims to help develop highly skilled hospitality personnel by providing an optimal learning environment and training program for foreign technical interns and other foreign talent. The academy provides an original training program supervised by Iconia Hospitality with the aim of developing highly hospitable personnel. In addition to legally required courses such as Japanese language instruction, trainees learn the spirit and culture of Japanese hospitality while acquiring the mindset and specialized skills needed as hotel staff. The hotel skills and knowledge program is longer than general statutory training requirements, offering a comprehensive 176-hour curriculum. To help trainees begin hotel practice smoothly, the academy has introduced restaurant service training supervised by Iconia Hospitality. The four-hour course covers basic restaurant service, beverages, Western cuisine, Japanese cuisine, buffets, and restaurant terminology. Trainees learn the flow of Japanese cuisine, a part of Japanese culture, as well as Japanese and Western tableware and service methods, building a foundation in Japanese restaurant service and hospitality. After post-arrival training, the academy conducts OFF-JT room-making instruction. A mock-up room resembling a hotel guest room is installed inside the classroom, with beds, tatami mats, and a unit bathroom, allowing trainees to practice bed-making and bathroom-area cleaning in an environment close to an actual workplace. Training also includes laying futons on tatami mats in preparation for room-making in Japanese-style ryokan rooms. For the month-long training period, the academy provides private rooms designed to protect privacy and allow trainees to focus on learning. Each room includes heating and cooling, a mini refrigerator, toilet, bath, and Wi-Fi. The facility also has a laundry room, and the garden includes a BBQ terrace where trainees can deepen communication with one another. The surrounding area has supermarkets, convenience stores, hospitals, city offices, banks, and restaurants, offering high daily convenience. Nearby attractions include large shopping malls, Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, and Naritasan Park, where visitors can enjoy seasonal scenery such as cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. To support trainees’ health during their stay, the academy provides hotel-made boxed lunches and dinners from Iconia Hospitality. The academy supports trainees’ ability to focus on training from both health and nutrition perspectives. Technical training will take place at Iconia Hospitality facilities across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. As of May 1, 2026, the group operates 183 properties, including limited-service hotels, full-service community hotels, resort hotels, hot spring hotels, and ryokan inns. These facilities provide an environment where trainees can fully apply the skills and knowledge learned at the academy. Narita Hospitality Academy is located at 7-1-2 Tamatsukuri, Narita City, Chiba Prefecture. The main building has 80 private studio rooms of 14.85 square meters, each equipped with air conditioning, a mini refrigerator, bath, and toilet. Its large training room, which can accommodate about 50 people, includes a mock-up room recreating a hotel guest room. Shared facilities include a free laundry room, vending machines, and a BBQ terrace. MRM LLC operates consulting services related to the management of hotels, ryokan, and other lodging facilities, as well as post-arrival training services for foreign technical interns. The company is headquartered on the 44th floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. It was established on July 30, 2021, and is represented by Shunsuke Yamamoto.