The Golden Age of AI: Kyoto's Nishijin to Save the World with 'Honmamon' (Authenticity)

Our company endorses April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day for announcing dreams. This press release is the dream of "G.K. Saiaru Mono no Rakuen."

G.K. Saiaru Mono no Rakuen (Location: Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City / Representative: Takashi Yamamoto) provides management support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) utilizing a team of 31 AI advisors, based at the "Nishijin Sangyo Sozo Kaikan," a National Important Cultural Property completed in 1921 (Taisho 10). Today, April 1st, endorsing April Dream, we announce our dream to "deliver 'Honmamon' from Kyoto to the world." We envision transforming the economy with authentic value by 2035, starting with the establishment of the "Honmamon Research Institute" in 2026.

■ Background: Why "Honmamon" now?

SME business owners face two major challenges:

【Challenge 1: Loneliness of Business Owners】

・Feeling loneliness and mental burden in management: 85.3% (Manegy survey/2023) *1

・No one around to consult for management advice: Over 40% (Miraijuku survey/2023) *2

・Seeking "accurate advice" from consultants: 54.2% (Ibid.)

【Challenge 2: AI Utilization Gap】

・Promotion rate of generative AI utilization among SMEs: 23.4% (Tokyo Shoko Research/2025) *3

・Promotion rate of generative AI utilization among large enterprises: 43.3% (Ibid.)

・Barrier to adoption "lack of specialized personnel": 55.1% (Info-Com Research/2025) *4

Business owners are lonely and not utilizing AI. Solving these two challenges simultaneously is the starting point of our dream.

■ What is "Honmamon"?

In Kyoto, there is a word called "Honmamon." It means genuine, not superficial. It is the crystallization of the "eye for discerning authenticity" that the people of Kyoto have refined over 1,200 years of history.

In an era where AI technology can instantly mass-produce content and systems, the last remaining differentiator is "who is doing it, for what purpose, and with what conviction." We will apply this spirit of "Honmamon" to four modern domains:

・Management: Sustainable management as a company structure, not just trendy frameworks.

・Human Resource Development: Fostering individuals who can think and act independently, not just memorize manuals.

・Services: Delivering truly necessary value, not just catering to customer voices.

・Technology Utilization: Using tools as means to solve essential problems, not just chasing trends.

■ Base: A 105-year-old National Important Cultural Property

Our office is located in the "Nishijin Sangyo Sozo Kaikan."

・Completed: 1921 (Taisho 10)

・Designed by: Rokuro Iwamoto, engineer of the Ministry of Communications (his only existing work)

・Cultural Property Designation: 2006, National Important Cultural Property (Agency for Cultural Affairs) *5

・Original Use: Kyoto Central Telephone Office Nishijin Branch

・Current Operation: Kyoto Prefecture, NTT West, NPO Kyoto Nishijin Machiya Studio

・Current Use: Incubation facility for entrepreneurs and SME support

We feel significance in this seemingly coincidental inevitability: a building born as a communication hub is now, 105 years later, a place that supports management with AI, a new communication technology.

■ Practice: Proving the "Right Way to Interact" between Humans and AI Agents through Our Own Management

Is AI a tool or a threat? We believe this debate misses the point.

AI is not something to "use" or "fear," but rather there is a right way to interact with it as a "co-worker."

Representative Yamamoto is testing this hypothesis through his own management at this Nishijin office.

・AI Advisor Team: 31 members (e.g., COO = daily management, Black Knight = risk monitoring, Sales Advisor = negotiation preparation, etc., designed by role)

・Operating System: "Clocks in" at 9 AM every morning. Operates automatically 24 hours a day on a 3-shift system.

・What AI handles: Information gathering, market analysis, risk checks, task management, content creation.

・What humans handle: Dialogue with clients, final decisions, philosophy design, building trust.

・Structure: 1 Representative + Expert Partners (contractors) + 31 AI Advisors

AI does what AI is good at. Humans do what only humans can do. We demonstrate this seemingly obvious but often unpracticed principle daily in our management.

The result has shown that instead of "AI taking away jobs," by interacting with AI correctly, humans can concentrate on more human-centric work.

Thinking, deciding, interacting with people – the essence of management is all "human work."

From April 2026, we will be enrolled in the Kyoto University Graduate School of Management to academically systematize this practical knowledge.

■ Our Dream – Six Concepts

【2026: Establishment of the Honmamon Research Institute】

What is "Honmamon"? We will seriously confront this question.

This year, we will establish a place in Kyoto to research and systematize what constitutes "authenticity" in each domain: management, human resource development, services, and technology. By combining learning at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Management with practical experience, we will elevate "Honmamon" from the realm of intuition to the world of academia and practice.

【2027: From Kyoto to the World】

"Sanpo Yoshi" (three-way satisfaction), "Monozukuri spirit" (craftsmanship), "Omotenashi" (hospitality). Japanese management philosophy is something to be proud of globally, yet surprisingly few examples are communicated in modern business language.

Utilizing AI and multilingual technology, we will disseminate "Honmamon" from Nishijin to the world. First to English-speaking regions, then to Asia. We will deliver Kyoto's 1,200 years of refined "eye for discerning authenticity" as a 21st-century management method.

【2028: Achieving "Zero Lonely Business Owners" – Starting with 100 Companies】

85% of Japanese SME business owners feel "lonely." We will not leave this situation unaddressed.

By combining AI-powered management support systems with platforms where business owners can speak frankly, we will leverage technology and human power to create a state where at least 100 business owners can say, "I'm not alone anymore." 100 companies are just a waypoint. Beyond that, 3.81 million SMEs in Japan (Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications "Economic Census") await.

【2029: International Standardization of "Honmamon"】

We will make "Honmamon" an international common language for management.

We aim for the day when "Honmamon Management" is discussed alongside SDGs and ESG as a management evaluation axis, through its introduction into MBA curricula, presentations at international conferences, and joint research with overseas universities.

【2031: Nurturing the Next Generation of "Honmamon"】

What is most needed in the AI era is not technological skills. It is the ability to continuously question "what constitutes authentic value."

In collaboration with universities and educational institutions, we will nurture 1,000 next-generation business owners who possess this ability. Passing the torch of "Honmamon" to the next generation. Our job is not only to remain "Honmamon" ourselves but also to nurture 1,000 people who can discern "Honmamon."

【2035: Creation of the "Honmamon Economic Zone"】

By 2035, AI will likely replace most human intellectual labor, and blockchain will automate value transfer and proof. In an era where technology solves "what to create" and "how to deliver," one question remains unsolved:

"Is it authentic?"

We will create an economic zone that answers this question.

A protocol to identify "Honmamon" from countless AI-generated content. A mechanism to prove "authentic value" on the blockchain and circulate it across borders. By combining human "good conscience" with technology's "processing power," we will build an economic infrastructure where only authentic value is justly evaluated.

We will start from Kyoto a world where the economy revolves around essence, not efficiency; depth, not scale; value, not profit.

■ Finally – Towards "Super Management" of Honmamon

April 1st is not a day for telling lies, but for speaking dreams.

We aim for "Super Management" of Honmamon. Management that transcends the pursuit of profit, seeks the management of happiness, and transforms society through authentic value. This path aligns with what pioneers who pursued happiness management called "A→W" – the process of consciousness evolving from egoism to intrinsic publicness.

Transcending stores, industries, and borders, awakening the "intrinsic natural sensibility" within people. Continuously refining "good conscience" in a world of "public, private, and shared" that transcends the dichotomy of public and private. That is the form of Super Management we aspire to.

The information revolution made the world fast. The AI revolution will make the world smart. However, neither speed nor smartness is "value" in itself. Technology does not make humanity happy. Humans who use technology for authentic value make humanity happy.

The core of humanity is emotion.

No matter how smart AI becomes, we are moved by beauty, wish to work for someone, and feel our hearts race when we see something authentic. That emotion is the core of humanity and the core of management. In 2035, in a world where AI handles knowledge and blockchain handles trust, what humans handle is "Jo" (emotion). Management that forgets emotion, no matter how efficient, cannot be "Honmamon."

This is a preposterous dream for a small company in Kyoto.

But Kyoto has been a city that has protected, nurtured, and delivered authenticity to the world for 1,200 years.

From Kyoto's Nishijin, to the world with "Honmamon."

Today, we take the first step on the path to good conscience.

■ Representative Profile

Takashi Yamamoto

Born in Osaka in 1986. Graduated from Kyoto Sangyo University. Studied abroad at Boston University and Ohio Northern University. After achieving top sales results nationwide at SoftBank, he founded multiple businesses and gained international experience in the Netherlands. Founded in December 2024, "Saiaru Mono no Rakuen" officially started activities in Kyoto in 2025. He designs and operates a team of 31 AI advisors himself, engaging in management support for SMEs as a practitioner of AI x management. Enrolled in Kyoto University Graduate School of Management from April 2026. Registered expert for Kyoto Industrial 21 Public Interest Incorporated Foundation. Member of Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Member of Japan Startup Support Association. Member of Kamigyo Taxpayers Association.

■ Company Overview

Company Name: G.K. Saiaru Mono no Rakuen

Representative: Takashi Yamamoto

Location: Nishijin Sangyo Sozo Kaikan 1F, Kaimoricho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Established: December 2024

Philosophy: "Transforming society with value created by authenticity"

Business Activities: Management support for SMEs (AI utilization consulting, training, hands-on support)

URL: https://saiaru.com

■ Inquiries Regarding Interviews

We welcome interviews regarding this press release.

〈Interview Themes〉

・"Working with 31 AI advisors" – A day in the life of a business owner practicing the right way to interact with humans and AI

・85% of presidents said they feel "lonely." Can AI be the business owner's "last confidant"?

・105-year-old National Important Cultural Property x Cutting-edge AI – The "Super Management" experiment happening in a Taisho-era building

・40 years old, running a company with AI while attending Kyoto University MBA. The reality of new "reskilling x management"

・Can "Honmamon" be exported? – The challenge of delivering Kyoto-born management philosophy to the world

Interview Contact: Representative Takashi Yamamoto will respond directly.

Email: takashi@saiaru.com

Phone: 070-1255-2009

Location: Nishijin Sangyo Sozo Kaikan 1F, Kaimoricho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City

■ Sources

*1 Manegy "Survey on Loneliness and Mental Burden of SME Business Owners" (2023)

*2 Miraijuku Co., Ltd. "Survey on Business Owners Lacking a Right-Hand Man" (2023, published on PR TIMES)

*3 Tokyo Shoko Research "TSR Data Insight: Generative AI utilization remains at 25% of companies" (2025)

*4 Info-Com Research "Current Status and Outlook of Generative AI Adoption in Companies" (2025)

*5 Agency for Cultural Affairs Cultural Heritage Database "Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Nishijin Branch" Completed in 1921, designated National Important Cultural Property in 2006