Wayfarer, Kiraku and Cove to Unpack Lodging Strategies at Mingtiandi Tokyo Forum

Next Wednesday’s second annual Mingtiandi Tokyo Forum brings together a trio of players in Japan’s lodging sector for a panel discussion on trends shaping the fast-growing business.

The number of inbound tourists in Japan surpassed 31.6 million in the first nine months of 2025, closing fast on the full-year record of 36.87 million set last year, according to official statistics. At the same time, the state-run Japan Tourism Agency is promoting programmes aimed at attracting digital nomads, co-living fans and other long-staying visitors.

To explain how hospitality-residential convergence, the rise of management platforms and the growing importance of property and asset management are transforming both the living sector and hospitality in Japan, the 30-minute session features senior leaders from lodging players Wayfarer, Kiraku and Cove.

The forum takes place on 5 November at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Tokyo and consists of 11 sessions covering sectors including hospitality, residential, industrial and commercial, as well as featuring a panel on the growing role of Japanese capital globally. Tickets to the forum are available at the link above.

Inns in Style

Joining the lodging panel is Winston Chu, co-founder and CEO of Wayfarer, a Tokyo-based living and hospitality management company. Wayfarer manages 13 assets in Japan with over $150 million in asset value on behalf of institutional real estate investors.

From Kiraku comes Kou William Sundberg, founder and CEO of the specialist in traditional Japanese inns known as ryokans, which feature onsen thermal baths.

Kyoto-based Kiraku recently announced a partnership with Hyatt Hotels to invest in the development of luxury hot spring hotels in Japan under the Atona brand. Atona plans to begin operating in 2026 at three locations in Hakone (a spa town west of Tokyo), Yufu (on Kyushu island) and Yakushima (a remote island south of Kyushu).

Rounding out the panel is Kentaro Sato, country director of Cove Japan, a co-living company that provides fully furnished, flexible rental apartments. Sato previously served as a principal in asset management at Alyssa Partners, where he managed various portfolios across multi-family, hotel and office assets.

Be There Wednesday

The Mingtiandi Tokyo Forum is headlined by spotlight interviews with Takashi Murata, co-head of Asia Pacific real estate for Warburg Pincus, and Andrew Burych, head of east Asia real estate for Brookfield Asset Management, with more than 20 speakers set to take the stage.

A third spotlight interview session will feature a team from Deloitte Tohmatsu Group to explore solutions to challenges facing global investors in the Japan market, with special insights into corporate buyout considerations for real estate investors.

To take a closer look at the megatrends driving Japan real estate, the event’s keynote panel will feature Chedli Boujellabia, the founder, managing partner and CEO of Alyssa Partners; Calvin Chou, head of Asia Pacific at Invesco Real Estate; Michio Matsumoto, managing director and head of Japan at EQT Real Estate; Stanley Shen, executive director at TE Capital Partners; and Tokyo Trust chief executive Christopher Handte.

A panel on hospitality and tourism in Japan will bring together Suchad Chiaranussati, chairman and founder of SC Capital Partners; Abhijay Sandilya, managing director for Japan and Micronesia at IHG Hotels & Resorts; Bryan Lee, founder and CFO of AB Capital Investment; and Gary Kwok, CEO and managing partner of Axe Management, for a look at opportunities linked to travel growth in Japan.

With hotels continuing to shine as one of the most attractive asset classes for both global and domestic investors in Japan, a panel on hotel strategies will feature Perry Tan, managing director of Pegasus Capital; Seth Sulkin, president and CEO of Pacifica Capital; and Daniel Wei, head of Singapore at CREAL Asia.