Czech Viktor Slavíček builds a mountain lodge in Japan's Hakuba

Czech entrepreneur Viktor Slavíček, together with three friends from Pardubice, has opened his own mountain lodge at the Japanese resort of Hakuba — a place famous for the finest powder snow in the world, known locally as “Japow”. Their project, Nabaraku, is already sold out for the key dates of the coming winter season, and the partners have already bought the neighbouring plot to expand the business.

The story began long before the business itself. From the age of 21, Slavíček led an almost nomadic life: he worked as a beach lifeguard in the US, earned a snowboard instructor's licence in Canada, and took on any odd job he could find in New Zealand — all just to be able to ride in the mountains every winter. It was there, on Facebook, that he stumbled across an ad: the foreign owner of a small mountain lodge in Japan was looking for a couple to run the place.

The requirements included five years of experience in the hospitality industry and a relevant higher education — Slavíček had neither. He was turned down twice, but persisted and eventually secured a video call with the owner. The gamble paid off: he got his chance and stayed on to run the lodge for seven seasons, lifting a previously unknown spot to the top of TripAdvisor's rankings among hundreds of competitors in the area. Over those years he immersed himself in Japanese culture and earned the trust of the locals, learning how the mountain business works in the country.

The idea for his own venture took shape over several years. Friends from Czechia regularly flew in to snowboard with Slavíček — among them the seasoned entrepreneurs Antonín Mlejnek, Ondřej Ipser and David Blažej. The three of them decided to invest in the project with capital and the business experience of their companies, while Slavíček took charge of launching and fully running the lodge on site in Hakuba.

Last year the partners bought a traditional Japanese log house built in 1969 and, working with architects, fully renovated it in just two months while preserving its wabi-sabi aesthetic — the beauty of imperfection and the traces of history. The beams, worn surfaces and original wood were deliberately left untouched in contrast to the modern fittings, while the interior design was handled by Czech designer Vojtěch Podlesný, who created original neon lighting for each room.

That is how a family log house turned into a comfortable private lodge — and how a Czech team proved that a successful business can be built even on the other side of the world, if you believe in the idea and aren't afraid to start from scratch.