Reliable Shadow“美しさ”を守る人

Two men are moving briskly down the hall of the hotel. One is a member of Facility Management Department, Yamaoka, and the other, with a toolbox in his hand, is Toshiki Nakamura, the main character of this story. The two enter a guestroom. “It’s that shelf, right there.” Yamaoka shows him a scratch on the wooden display shelf. “There’s a guest checking in today, so can you get it done in an hour?” A man of few words, “I’ll try,” Nakamura replies, while already closely examining the scratch. “Great, thank you,” Yamaoka says and exits the room. Nakamura removes his shoes, as always, and goes to work. No one has instructed him to take off his shoes. Shoes, of course, can be worn in guestrooms. This is just something Nakamura routinely does, his brand of courtesy towards guests staying at the hotel and his personal style when focused on a job.

Toshiki Nakamura is Palace Hotel Tokyo’s dedicated repairman.

Nakamura carefully repairs nicks, scratches and other damage to the hotel’s guestrooms, lounges, banquet rooms and elevators, returning the rooms to their original state while leaving no trace. When the damage is conspicuous, it must be repaired right away, which he does on the instructions of the facilities department. When there are no urgent projects, he conducts regular maintenance on guestrooms at a pace of four rooms a day. Most of his work is focused on the wood fixtures and furnishings, but he also repairs marble, leather, cloth and other materials. Cracks, chips and holes are first carefully filled with putty, and then the putty is shaped and colored. The color is the hardest part of the job. The repaired area has to be matched to the original color, so Nakamura mixes various pigments while making ever-so-slight adjustments to the amounts. His trusty toolbox is always stocked with over 30 pigments. Of course, coloration differs with the material; it also changes depending on exposure to the sun. He recreates the most appropriate color for the place it is needed while also taking sightlines and angles into account. Odor is another consideration. There can be absolutely no paint smell left. Time, too, is a factor. Everything must be completed quickly between check-out and check-in. There are many challenges, but Nakamura loves his job.

“I studied architecture and design as a student, and I’ve loved old things since that time. I was more interested in repairing old things than designing new ones.”

So after graduating he joined a company that repairs antique furniture and spent ten years honing his craft. He then became an independent contractor and has continued for almost nine years. Combined, he has spent nearly 20 years in the world of maintenance and repair.

Not even an hour has passed, and the work on the shelf is done. Yamaoka returns and searches for the scratch. “Where was it again?,” he asks, amazed, and Nakamura looks at him with a smile. His high standard has been met.

Nakamura never sees the guests. He never hears from them, “Thank you.” The best thing a repairman can do is leave no trace. But Nakamura likes it that way.

“I always do the job right, the only way I can be satisfied with it. Even if I never hear back from guests, I’m happy to have a place here to challenge myself and grow.”

Nakamura puts his all into every job as a repairman, the pride of a true professional.