Maho Hatanaka

I am Maho Hatanaka (畠中真帆), President of HATASTA Inc., a company based in Sakai, Osaka that builds restaurants, retail stores, beauty salons and offices — both new openings and renovations. Our work is to take the design a designer has drawn and build it accurately on site. We travel to sites in both Kansai and Kanto, and I have worked in interior construction for more than 20 years.

Where I grew up

I was born in Nonoichi, Ishikawa. My family moved to Fukui in my first year of primary school, and from the second year until I finished high school I lived in Nanao, Ishikawa. After high school I came to Osaka, and my work has been based here ever since.

I set out to be a furniture maker

In my twenties I wanted to become a furniture maker, and joined a company with that in mind. The company turned out to build shops rather than furniture: reading drawings, planning the sequence of work, and putting a shop together with the tradespeople on site. I went on to work at several companies before starting out on my own. It was not the path I had pictured, but it is the work I have now done for more than 20 years. I have written about how I got here on note, in Japanese: Maho Hatanaka’s self-introduction.

About the work

The name HATASTA comes from “HATANAKA’s STANDARD” — delivering beyond the standard each person involved has in mind. Bringing together the strengths of our team and partners, we put trust first and build with honesty and speed. You can see the shops we have built so far.

We take on work both as the main contractor and as a subcontractor. Some projects come to us directly from our clients; others come from architects and designers. We work with trusted specialist contractors, coordinating their skills on each project. Some projects keep the existing interior and change only what needs changing; others start from a space stripped back to bare walls.

What matters to me on site

I do not compromise on elements that affect a building’s safety. For finishing details, I work through the design intent and the actual conditions on site. I value both the finished appearance and the construction behind it.

In lambne, we worked through curved details and the building services running behind them. At 㐂舌 響, we addressed the conditions of an old timber building. Each project page describes the decisions made on site. There is more on this in how we work with designers.

Before you sign for a property

Much of what a shop can become is decided the moment the property is chosen. If you would like, we join you at the viewing and look at the current state of the electrical capacity, air conditioning, ventilation, water supply and drainage, and gas. What we can check there is limited to what is visible, so where it affects a decision we suggest a survey by a services contractor. We cannot promise on the spot whether a particular piece of work will be possible. What I look at during a viewing is described on note, in Japanese: what I check before a lease is signed.

Areas we cover

Based in Sakai, Osaka, we work on sites across Kansai and Kanto. There is more on opening a shop in Tokyo and Kanto.

Background

HATASTA Inc. was founded in Naniwa-ku, Osaka in 2017 and is now based in Sakai, Osaka. I have been its President since September 2017. The company works mainly on restaurant, retail, salon and office construction across Kansai and Kanto. In Nanao, Ishikawa — the town where I grew up — I also run the seafront, whole-house guesthouse OH!TOMARI, taking one group per day, converted in 2021 from a building that had been a Japanese restaurant, and TUKTUK RENTAL ISHIKAWA. Knowing both sides — building a shop, and running a place once it is finished — helps when I listen to someone who is about to open their own.

Social

note (Japanese) Maho Hatanaka (畠中真帆) on note
Instagram (company) @hatasta_inc
Threads (company) @hatasta_inc
X @hatanakamaho

Company

HATASTA Inc. — founded 2017
1-1-13-101 Minamihanchohigashi, Sakai-ku, Sakai, Osaka 590-0966, Japan
Osaka Prefectural Governor License (Gen-4) No. 149226, Building Construction
HATASTA Inc. company information / send us a message

Last updated 16 September 2026