Photo/Illutration Ngun Nei Par, general manager of Ginsyotei Awashima, poses on March 4 in the Oigami Onsen spa resort in the Tonemachi district of Numata, Gunma Prefecture. (Motoyuki Maeda)

NUMATA, Gunma Prefecture--A woman from Myanmar has been appointed general manager of Ginsyotei Awashima, a well-established “ryokan” inn of the Oigami Onsen spa resort in the Tonemachi district here.

Ngun Nei Par, 31, was promoted from front desk clerk to the top post last November in her ninth year in Japan.

“I will be going all out to make our ryokan a warm place where people will feel like stopping at again,” Ngun said in fluent Japanese.

Ngun was born in the town of Kalaymyo in northwestern Myanmar as a member of the Chin ethnic minority group.

The eldest daughter among five siblings, Ngun graduated from a college in Myanmar and worked in Singapore, where she took interest in Japanese culture.

She studied at a Japanese language school in Myanmar for six months before entering Japan in October 2015.

Ngun was enrolled in a Japanese language school in Tokyo and worked at a ryokan in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture. She joined Awashima in July 2020.

She has been granted resident status as a worker in the field of technology, humanities and international affairs.

The six-story Awashima opened in 1960. It has 49 guest rooms and a convention hall that can accommodate up to 150 people.

At the ryokan, Ngun performed all duties, from housekeeping to customer service at the front desk.

She was initially reluctant to take the top post.

“I was unsure if I would be able to play that role given my abilities,” she recalled.

But Ngun told Wataru Tsutani, president of Awashima, that she would “take the offer,” saying that “turning it down might make it impossible for me to grow further.”

“I wanted to learn as many things as possible by taking on challenges,” she said.

The general manager at the inn oversees 20 employees, including eight from Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam, and is responsible for the three departments of business promotion, administration and cuisine.

Looking back on her days as general manager, Ngun said, “I still have many things to learn and have made it through thanks to help from others.”

Tsutani showed his gratitude for Ngun’s hard work.
“She not only has a sense of responsibility but also has a cheerful personality and the spirit of hospitality,” Tsutani said.

“She also meticulously cares for our sales and other aspects of management.”

Ngun said she had never tried onsen until coming to Japan. She was initially embarrassed about getting naked in front of others at the communal bath but grew fond of the facility to “warm myself up.”

“I will be treating our guests with care as if they are (my own) family,” she said. “My hope is they feel happy with us.”

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