In this new episode of the Plaça from the radio magazine Territori 17 we fuse Catalan and Japanese culture, talking to Tessin Sano, a Japanese businessman who has been living in Catalonia for 30 years, and co-founder of the Puigpinós Japanese Hotel.

Tessin Sano is a Catalan and Japanese businessman rooted in Catalonia and his country of origin, who throughout his career has always tried to merge these two cultures in his business projects. Born in Japan, but a resident of Catalonia since the 1990s, Sano created Japo.cat, a company dedicated to the cultural exchange between Catalonia and Japan, which organises trips to Japan tailored to each client’s needs.

A project that he complements with his Japanese cuisine restaurant, Kinoko, in Solsona, and the Japanese Hotel Puigpinós. Sano is a renowned entrepreneur who, in this talk, gives us his vision of how tourism in Japan has evolved, making it one of the most visited countries in the world.

Tradition and modernity in one place

Japan is one of the few countries that has managed to perfectly combine the traditions of a millenary culture with modern, cosmopolitan metropolises that stand out for being at the forefront of technological advances. As Sano points out, “one of the reasons why tourism in Japan is so successful is because of the contrast between tradition and modernity”.

While still an exotic country, Japan remains “close to the West, but preserving Japanese traditions”, says Sano. Small cultural nuances that the Catalan-Japanese entrepreneur has made sure are represented in his Japanese hotel, to enjoy the same experience that you would enjoy in Japan.

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