Japan's Omotenashi culture is renowned as "the world’s best hospitality”. In 2020, the number of traditional inns ( ryokan) and hotels in Japan exceeded 52,000. Of all the accommodations in Japan, there is one long-established ryokan in Ishikawa Prefecture that stands apart from the others, voted Japan’s number 1 for 36 consecutive years.
KAGAYA. Kagaya has attracted guests from all over Japan and the world for over 110 years, to enjoy the best Omotenashi hospitality in the world.

A project has been launched to have six foreign residents living in Japan, undergo the top class Nakai (staff at ryokan who welcome, serve and attend to the needs of their guests) training at Kagaya.
Over 100 women applied and six women were chosen. They are from the United States, Mexico, Spain, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. How will the Japanese spirit of hospitality, Omotenashi be understood by these women?

The ten days of Nakai training at Kagaya is challenging to say the least. Wearing a heavy kimono is a struggle in itself. The spirit of Omotenashi dwells in everything, not only in etiquette, but even in a single greeting. We journey with these women from six different cultures and value systems and witness the empathy and conflicts that arise. While learning about traditional Japanese culture through Nakai training the six women realize that Omotenashi holds a different meaning for each person.

"Good memories are treasures of the heart, and creating treasures of the heart for our guests is the heart of hospitality.” - Bride & Pride

The genesis of this project is the daytime drama series "Bride & Pride," broadcast nationwide by Tokai Television via Fuji Television Network and distributed in more than 20 countries and regions around the world. Set in a long-established ryokan in Ishikawa Prefecture, the series depicts Japan's world-class hospitality, and the famous line from the show "good memories are treasures of the heart" is now recognized globally. What these six women have in common is the desire to create "treasures of the heart," just like the spirit that inhabits this drama series. Six women take on the challenge of training as Nakai at Japan's oldest ryokan. Through laughter and tears what do they discover in their search for the essence of hospitality?