Yoshiyuki Morosawa funded Morrow World, a study abroad agency that empowers people to shape the world of tomorrow.
When future generations look back on the early 2020s, how will their history books describe the era? -- “COVID-19 brought global movement to a halt,” and “Generative AI became a worldwide phenomenon.”
For several years, human mobility was severely restricted, and study abroad and international travel nearly disappeared. Meanwhile, AI can produce English and other languages as fluently as native speakers. Yet — or perhaps because of this — Yoshiyuki Morosawa, founder and CEO of Morrow World believes more than ever in the importance of life‑changing experiences in study abroad and working‑holidays, and of English as a tool for human connection. Morosawa is a leader with a company committed to empower those who will open the world of tomorrow.
Working holiday sparks the idea of consultancy for abroad studies
Morosawa is a man who always pours everything into the present moment.
After four years at a leisure and tourism company in Japan, he hoped to start a business of his own. At age 23, learning that his younger brother — then still a university freshman — had launched a startup ahead of him ignited his competitive spirit. To discover a business idea, he decided to study abroad.
Following language training in the Philippines, he began a working holiday in Sydney, Australia. Under the program, he could work for an employer for up to six months. At the first restaurant that hired him, he made steady efforts — refilling empty glasses, suggesting dishes, and more, eventually being promoted to a manager, despite being a short‑term foreign worker.
At his next job on a farm, he harvested more apples and potatoes than you can count, earning up to 400 AUD per day.
These adventures planted a strong conviction: “I want others to experience the kind of life‑changing journey — through study abroad and working holidays — that transformed my own life.”
And so, in November 2015, Morosawa founded the study‑abroad agency Morrow World.
ENGLEAD online English courses with tailored tutoring
Morrow World’s study‑abroad service, Tabiken, began through trial and error but grew steadily. By 2018, the company had partnerships with more than 100 schools overseas and had opened offices in Sydney and the Gold Coast in Australia, and in Cebu in the Philippines. By 2020, it was also arranging international training trips for professional baseball players and professional golfers.
Then the pandemic struck and international travel came to a stop. Amid deep uncertainty as a study‑abroad agency, Morosawa chose to offer full refunds to all clients whose study abroad plans could no longer be realized. “If we cannot provide a life‑changing study abroad experience, refunding is the only responsible and honest option.”
In June of that year, he launched ENGLEAD, an online English‑coaching service. Traditionally, coaching was believed to require face‑to‑face interaction, yet ENGLEAD offered an online program — combining learning methods, time management, and personalized motivation support.
The program analyzes not only a learner’s English level but also the learner’s personality, enabling coaches to tailor their approach and walk alongside each individual with deep understanding.
In the five and a half years since its launch, ENGLEAD has become Japan’s leading online English‑coaching service in market share, number of learners, and curriculum volume, and Morrow World has grown to over 150 staff.
Translating Morosawa’s aspirations with meaningful branding
Names as Wishes, Brands as Promises
In Japan, parents often give their children names filled with hopes for the future. Morosawa’s given name, Yoshiyuki, carries the wish: “May you lead a good and happy life.”
For Morosawa, a company name or brand name holds the same weight. Each expresses the company’s aspirations:
- Morrow World: A combination of his family name “Moro” and the word “tomorrow,” embodying the mission — “Support those who carve out the world of tomorrow.”
- Tabiken: A blend of “Tabi” (travel) and “Keiken” (experience), meaning — “Deliver the experience of journeying into the world.”
- ENGLEAD: Formed from Electronic (E), English (Eng), and Lead — expressing the hope of enabling learners to improve their lives through online English coaching.
The company has collaborated with well‑known influencers such as Peco and Bilingirl Chika and has even provided English coaching to former Japan national football player Shinji Ono. But Morosawa insists that such visibility is merely the outcome: “Calculated advertising does not create genuine trust. Only those who experience our service and truly believe in its value can spread it authentically.”
Morrow World: A people‑centered company
“As a service company, Morrow World’s greatest asset is its people,” Morosawa declares.
To honor this belief, he personally conducts one‑on‑one performance meetings with all employees, including the highly selective group of English-coaches (with an acceptance rate of just 0.3%). Seventy percent of the workforce is women.
Morrow World’s allows employees to choose between 100% remote or 100% in‑office work — with no disadvantage to their evaluation or career advancement.
All employees use a virtual office reminiscent of a retro role-playing game: by moving their avatar closer to a colleague, conversations and chats naturally emerge. This design reduces the isolation often associated with remote work and allows colleagues to easily see who is in a meeting or conducting a coaching session.
Company benefits often originate from employee suggestions, supported by a culture of “try it first”.
By building trust with employees just as sincerely as with customers, Morrow World attracts talent from Japan and beyond.
Supporting the Challengers and Shaping the World of Tomorrow
For Morosawa, his next milestone is not merely about expanding the company’s scale within the industry. Rather, his focus is on pursuing the company’s core mission—delivering the highest value to each individual stepping out onto the global stage, while ensuring meaningful returns to the employees who work alongside him.
Morosawa believes deeply in the power of human communication — facing others directly, conveying intentions, and building trust.
Even in an age dominated by AI, he is convinced that human connection is something no technology can replace.
