Hidetoshi Nakata

In 1996, he represented Japan at the Atlanta Olympics, and in 1998, he played a pivotal role in guiding Japan to its historic first FIFA World Cup appearance in France. His standout performance attracted global attention, leading to his transfer to A.C. Perugia in Italy’s Serie A just seven months later.

Over an eight-season career in Europe, Nakata played for six prominent clubs across Italy and England, helping A.S. Roma secure a memorable Serie A title. In total, he represented Japan in three consecutive FIFA World Cups and two Olympic Games.

Following his retirement in 2006, Nakata was named an All-Time Legend at the 2014 Golden Foot Awards—becoming the first Asian player to receive this honor.

Throughout and following his athletic career, Nakata travelled to over 100 countries. This extensive global exposure made him realize the profound importance of understanding his own roots. Seeking a new purpose, Nakata embarked on a journey dedicated to exploring and promoting Japanese culture. Starting in 2009 with a seven-year tour across all 47 prefectures, he has spent nearly 20 years visiting over 500 sake breweries and thousands of local artisans, farmers, and craftsmen to learn the true essence of Japanese craftsmanship.

Through this ongoing journey of directly engaging with local producers, he launched Nihonmono, a platform created to convey the excellence of traditional culture and craftsmanship to modern audiences. In 2015, he founded Japan Craft Sake Company Co., Ltd. to modernize and globalize Japan’s traditional industries. Under his leadership, JCSC developed Sakenomy—a sake app and e-commerce platform—and launched Craft Sake Week, the world’s largest sake culture event, which won a prestigious International PR Award. In recent years, JCSC developed proprietary Sake Blockchain technology, combining strict quality assurance based on traceability with big data marketing capabilities to drive tech-driven DX across traditional industries.

In 2022, Nakata launched HANAAHU TEA, a Japanese tea brand designed specifically for fine dining. This was more than a brand launch; it represents a strategic approach capitalizing on the rapid global growth of non-alcoholic beverage demand. By providing fine dining establishments with products that generate profitability on par with alcoholic beverages, the brand aims to enhance revenue for tea farmers while sharing Japanese tea culture with the world.

Beyond his entrepreneurial endeavors, Nakata has contributed to cultural and academic leadership, including serving as Honorary Director of the National Crafts Museum and Visiting Professor at Rikkyo University. Moving far beyond traditional patronage, Nakata closely tracks global market trends using data to formulate and execute high-level business strategies, remaining dedicated to building sustainable systems that preserve and advance traditional industries for future generations.