We contribute to a brighter future through educating internationally mobile children and providing holistic, new-generation automobile solutions

Holistic car solutions and education for internationally mobile children.
Businesses founded to serve modern trends.

Nippon Parking Development Group's education and environment business is currently comprised of the holistic car solution business and the online tutoring business for internationally mobile children.
Nippon Car Service Development, which takes charge of the environment business, works mainly in car sharing. The business, utilizing open parking lots and idle cars, was founded in the midst of a generation in which people depend less on cars and ownership style of cars has started to change. It is an environment business that not only optimizes economic activities through the sharing of parking lots and cars in a continuously spreading sharing economy in Japan, but also one that contributes to carbon offsetting.
On the other hand, TCK Workshop (abbreviated as TCK onwards), which takes charge of the education business, is an online tutoring service catering to Japanese students overseas as well as those who have repatriated. In a society that is becoming increasingly globalized, an increasing number of Japanese people are actively involved overseas. Children with such parents, then, are educated overseas.
As a result, it is not rare for children to struggle to find a place of belonging in a foreign culture, overwhelmed by the workload of acquiring a language other than one's mother tongue, during a critical time in one's character building as well as academic experience.
With the proper assistance, such children should be able to spend a happy childhood, and eventually come to think of their overseas experience as a gift. A returnee herself, Saeko Mizuta, the founder, started the business with such passion.

Regarding Our Work in Education Business

From the experience of suffering as a returnee, Launched this service

Mizuta: I was brought up in New York from age five to 10, and I struggled a lot with becoming fully bilingual as well as balancing the polar opposite cultures of the two countries I felt connected to. Returnee children (Japanese children who repatriate to Japan after some years in a foreign country) are considered lucky and privileged, but we have our unique set of problems to cope with. First of all, very few children can be the perfect student in multiple languages simultaneously; In reality, learning and studying in two or more languages at the same time tends to slows things down. TCK Workshop started from a simple concept: if a mentor figure who can relate to these struggles encouraged and supported these children, the journey could be so much easier. The tutors at TCK are mostly now-matured Third Culture Kids (children who feel a deep connection with the countries they are brought up in, but do not feel like the fully belong in any of them), and are willing and eager to sit with the student as he or she tackles the academic, cultural and identity-related struggles involved in international relocation.
Many parents of internationally mobile children are concerned with the uncertainty of the future of their children, and we find great joy in providing scaffolding for them. By serving the children, the atmosphere of an entire household can become happier. What is important, I believe, is to share that while growing up among worlds can be difficult, it can gift you with irreplaceable experiences. A multi-lingual, multi-cultural childhood can nurture people who are champions of inclusivity and non-judgement. Cross-cultural skills and cultural awareness are so important in today’s world. Third Culture Kids will one day be the majority, and bridge the different countries, cultures, races and ethnicities we are blessed with. I think TCK Workshop is a business that can play a part in enabling this to happen.

We want to increase people with cross-cultural understanding ability in Japan and grow with the world

Mizuta: In Japan, about 10,000 returnees return “home” annually. As of May 2018, TCK Workshop teaches 150 students in approximately 25 countries around the world. As there are still an immense number of children who we can serve, I would like to continue building the business to provide better service to more people. I also look forward to creating a community where students and teachers can exchange thoughts and interact with one another. We love tutoring but will not limit ourselves to it. What we truly want to achieve is the development of a generation with cross-cultural understanding.
Japan has very specific cultural norms in relationships and in the office. If more people acquire cross-cultural skills in Japan, we can unleash great potential for the Japanese market to work and grow with the world beyond. TCK Workshop is a relatively new, small business within the Japan Parking Development Group, but I am not any less committed to continuity and growth than the bigger companies in the family. Eventually, our students will grow and play an active role in society. To that end, we must expand our business, provide better services, and make more children happy.

Regarding Our Work in Environment Business

Aspiring to be the "total car solution company" that can solve all car related problems.

Yoshimatsu: In car sharing business, mainly catering to corporate clients that we have already created connections with through the parking lot business of Nippon Parking Development, we inquire about the issues revolving around not only parking lots but also the usage of cars and their accessories, and in turn propose a shift from a lease and rental usage to leasing monthly rental cars along with either car sharing or car and parking lot as a set. We propose the best solution for each company, based on their respective problems, including encouraging corporation's working reform through the realization of a “go directly to and from home” style, in which we prepare a parking lot and car at the nearest station of the home of a sales staff or the nearest station of a point of sales destination. Each client has problems, including cost reduction, the reduction of accidents, labor management, the improvement of compliance in garages and other related entities, as well as the reduction of administrative tasks, and we are striving to face each issue as a "total solution company", one in which it reassures clients that if they consult Nippon Car Service Development regarding issues related to cars, that any kind of problem can be solved.
We realize a "zero accident" state, by changing the original state to cars that are equipped with car brakes, safety sensors, and so on, and by utilizing the newest systems such as drive recorders, we accumulate data of car operations, and optimize the number of cars through visible analysis of each car's operation. As our company's profit obviously diminishes due to the decrease of the number of cars they own, typical lease companies and rental car companies probably don't propose optimization.
However, even if our profit temporarily diminishes due to the decrease in the number of cars, that in turn leads to contract termination and other related acts, we know from experience that pursuing clients' desire for "user first" and thus obtaining trust lead to future business, so we have no fear in making proposals. As we move forward, I want our company to strive to give back to the parent company as a subsidiary, by surpassing the scale of Nippon Parking Development as a parent company, through the pursuit of "user first", based on clients' needs, and continuing to generate new services that would lead to the expansion of parking lot business and car sharing business.

Yoshimatsu: Originally, I had met Nippon Parking Development while working part-time in a manned parking lot in Kyoto, and joined as a new graduate in 2004. The reason why I joined the company was because I was attracted to the "happy triangle" concept, in which three players, the owner, user, and society, all become happy, and the fact that I am originally from a family owning a draper and felt that I could learn a lot here in terms of management.
After joining, I have stepped up with opportunities along the way, serving as the supervisor of a manned parking lot, area manager, vice president of the Osaka branch, and the president of the Kyoto branch, and am currently serving as the president of Nippon Car Service Development. Indeed, I believe that we are headed in the very direction of "nurturing management", "expanding to 100 cities worldwide, and producing 100 presidents”, the company's vision that has been set forward.
And eventually, I aspire to create a new company following discovery of new idle assets. I would love to see the new company accelerate the growth of another existing group business, and also lead to the establishment of another new company. In fact, when we introduce our ski resort business or theme park business to our clients, some have used them as part of their social services; I think that such cases show Nippon Parking Development’s one-of-a-kind group synergy.
Actually, my wife, older brother, and relatives all work for Nippon Parking Development group. That is how much I love this company, and I want to continue to contribute to the growth of the entire group by involving the people around me.


TCK Workshop
Car-sharing service "ecoloca"
*Information on this webpage is as of the time of the interview.

PROFILE

TCK Workshop CO.,LTD.
Director and Founder
Saeko Mizuta (Kumagai)

Class of 2007 at University of Tokyo. After six years of experience at a major consumer goods company, attended Harvard Business School as a Fulbright Scholar. Founded TCK Workshop in 2014 as a 100% subsidiary of NPD.

Nippon Car Service Development
President and CEO
Yuki Yoshimatsu

Joined Nippon Parking Development as a new graduate in 2004. Having served as vice president of the Osaka Branch in Kinki Headquarters and unification of manned parking lots, went onto concurrently hold position as vice president of the Osaka branch as well as president of the Kyoto branch. Became managing director of Nippon Car Service Corporation in 2015, and was appointed to CEO in 2018.

Related Service

  • Utilizing non-performing assets to create
    a business where everyone is happy.

    Parking Lots・Real Estate

    Starting as the first sublease business in the parking industry in 1991, Nippon Parking Development has grown its scale to what it is today. It continues to create businesses such as valet and car-washing services. In 2011, ‘Marunouchi Bike&Run’- a runner’s support facility was established for businesspersons living in the city. Non-performing assets will be utilized in broad fields such as parking lots and real estate.

    MORE

  • We see enormous potential for the parking lot business
    in the flourishing Asian markets.

    Global

    In 2010, Nippon Parking Development Group established the first overseas subsidiary in Thailand. From then on, we have globalized, with a focus on ASEAN countries with a growth rate of more than 3~10%. The parking lot industry is directly linked to the country’s development, with each country having differing laws and regulations. We aim to develop our business in accordance with the situation in each country, and solve problems in the country such as eliminating traffic accidents and traffic jams.

    MORE