Fumiko Oi is a hospitality and business leader based in Kochi City whose career spans event management, corporate leadership, hotel development, gastronomy and international hospitality associations. She serves as President and Representative Director of BlancBleu Co. Ltd. the company behind the distinctive resort hotel Villa Santorini, as well as President and Representative Director of SAIJIKIYA Co., Ltd., an event-planning company.

Fumiko Oi’s professional story is closely connected with the development of Villa Santorini, a small resort on the Yokonami Peninsula that was inspired by the architecture and atmosphere of the Greek island of the same name. Her approach combines Japanese hospitality with an international sense of place.

From event planning to hospitality
Fumiko Oi began her professional career in September 1987, when she joined SAIJIKIYA, a company with more than 50 years of event planning history in Kochi Prefecture.

Her work in event planning gave her extensive experience in producing and managing events. Importantly she was able to build relationships with a wide range of people and organizations. She describes herself as someone who has always enjoyed creating experiences that bring smiles to people’s faces.

Her career at SAIJIKIYA also included experience in accounting. This combination of event-management experience, business knowledge and trusted relationships within the company later became important in the next stage of her career.

The beginning of the Villa Santorini story
In 2001, a project was launched following the privatization of a public hotel operated by the City of Tosa in Kochi Prefecture. The objective was to create a new resort hotel that would take full advantage of the spectacular scenery of the Yokonami Peninsula.

A central question emerged: What kind of hotel should be created there?

While searching online for ideas and inspiration, Fumiko Oi and her colleagues discovered images and information about resort hotels on Santorini. The landscape immediately stood out because of its striking similarity to the scenery surrounding the proposed hotel site.

The resemblance was not entirely coincidental. Both Santorini and Kochi Prefecture have distinctive crescent-shaped landscapes, creating a visual connection between two locations separated by thousands of kilometres. Santorini consequently became the inspiration for the new hotel.

Studying Santorini firsthand
Rather than simply reproducing an idea found online, Fumiko travelled to Santorini in June 2004, accompanied by an architect and a designer.

During the visit, the team toured approximately 50 hotels, studying their architecture, design, interiors and atmosphere. The objective was to understand what gave Santorini’s hotels their distinctive character and to determine how those qualities could be translated into a resort in Kochi.

The result was Villa Santorini, which opened in August 2005.

The hotel adopted many of the visual characteristics associated with Santorini, including whitewashed architecture, blue-domed roofs and cave-style guest rooms, while incorporating them into the natural setting of the Yokonami Peninsula.

Rather than attempting to reproduce Greece literally, the project created a Santorini-inspired destination within Kochi.

The concept behind Villa Santorini can be summed up in its philosophy: “The luxury of an overseas resort without the need for a passport”. The idea reflects the hotel’s fundamental proposition: to give guests the atmosphere and sense of escape associated with an overseas resort while remaining in Kochi.

Villa Santorini is surrounded by forest and positioned to take advantage of the area’s natural scenery. Its relatively intimate scale with just 16 guest rooms is an important part of its character, creating an environment focused on tranquillity and retreat rather than the scale of a large conventional resort.

We cannot leave a description of the resort without mentioning Gunso the cat. Fumiko said that he welcomes and entertains the guests every day and is incredibly popular with them. She continued to say that at Villa Santorini, they are actively involved in supporting and caring for rescued cats.

The development of BlancBleu
In September 2016, the corporate name of the company operating Villa Santorini was changed to BlancBleu Co. Ltd. with Fumiko Oi appointed as Representative Director. The company therefore represents more than simply the operation of an individual hotel. It embodies the hospitality business that developed from the Villa Santorini project and Fumiko Oi's continuing involvement in its management and development.

In January 2020, Villa Santorini expanded with the opening of a new wing and Restaurant Logue. Since 2021, the restaurant has been featured annually in the prestigious Gault & Millau guide and has received recognition for its cuisine. It adds a gastronomic dimension to Villa Santorini’s wider hospitality concept, complementing the hotel’s emphasis on setting, atmosphere and escape.

Returning to lead SAIJIKIYA
Fumiko Oi’s relationship with SAIJIKIYA has remained central throughout her career. In August 2007, following the passing of the company’s former President, she took over the company and became President and Representative Director. Her decision was closely connected with the trust placed in her by the former President, with whom she had worked and whose confidence she had earned through her years with the company.

Today, Fumiko Oi leads both SAIJIKIYA Co., Ltd. and BlancBleu Co., Ltd., combining her longstanding experience in event planning with her work in hospitality and tourism. The two businesses also reflect complementary aspects of her career. Event planning is fundamentally about creating memorable experiences for people, while hospitality similarly depends on creating environments and experiences that guests remember. In both fields, Fumiko’s career has been centred on bringing people together and creating distinctive experiences.

Recognition in wine and hospitality
Fumiko Oi’s interests and professional activities also extend into the worlds of wine and international hospitality.

In October 2015, she was conferred the title of Sommelier d'Honneur by the Japan Sommelier Association.

Her involvement with the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs has also developed over the years. According to the career information provided:
• February 2015: she joined as a Maître Hôtelier
• January 2019: she was promoted to Officier Maître Hôtelier
• July 2026: she was promoted to Grand Officier Maître Hôtelier

On September 12, 2026, Fumiko was inducted in Athens during the Induction Ceremony of the 60th Anniversary Grand Chapitre of the Bailliage of Greece held at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in the presence of International Vice President Marie Jones.

Other international wine and gastronomic affiliations include being a Chevalier of the:
• Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin
• Commanderie de Bordeaux
• Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne.

These associations reflect the international dimension of Fumiko Oi’s hospitality career and complement the philosophy of Villa Santorini, where Japanese hospitality, international culinary culture and a Mediterranean-inspired environment come together.

Prepared by a Chaîne News Online Staff Writer
Researched from various sources. E&OE