Thank you for taking the time to read this! I’m Kuroma from Team 0, and I’ll be your writer for this article.
At Dandelions, we regularly hold “recreation” events to strengthen bonds among employees, and this time, Team 0 hosted an Old Maid tournament. We wanted to play during a company dinner, so we checked with the restaurant when making the reservation and received their approval.
Many of you reading this blog have probably played Old Maid at least once in your life. While it’s a familiar card game for our Japanese employees, it wasn’t as well-known among our international team members, so we held a brief session beforehand to explain the rules and play a practice round—together with the Japanese staff.
And this wasn’t just your standard Old Maid match—we decided to spice it up with a loser’s bracket tournament inspired by a popular TV show segment! We divided into five teams for the first round, and only the losers from each team advanced to the second round.
Things got lively right from the first round, but the second round brought even more excitement, with winners from each team cheering from the sidelines!
The unlucky employee who lost again in the second round was given the honor of delivering the closing remarks at the dinner. Thank you…!
Some employees were playing Old Maid for the first time, but the room was filled with laughter and joyful voices from start to finish, making it a wonderful recreation event.
From July 26 to July 28, 2024, we went on a company trip. This time, our destination was Kyushu (Fukuoka & Oita)! Here’s a look at our journey.
From Chubu Centrair International Airport to Fukuoka Airport
For Dandelions, this was our first time traveling by airplane. With about 30 participants, we were a bit worried that someone might oversleep and miss the flight, but thankfully, everyone made it on time, and we departed without any issues!
Upon arriving at Fukuoka Airport, we boarded a tour bus. Our tour guide had a fantastic sense of humor, making the trip even more enjoyable!
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine
Our first stop was Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. Currently, it’s making headlines due to the “Reiwa Great Renovation”, the first major restoration in 124 years, featuring a special temporary hall of worship.
After visiting the shrine, we had some free time to explore the area. Some enjoyed street food, while others completed their souvenir shopping based on the tour guide’s recommendations.
Lunch at Yushoku Kobo Chabana
For our first day’s lunch, we dined at “Yushoku Kobo Chabana”. This traditional Japanese-style restaurant, set in a restored old house, provided a relaxing atmosphere where we enjoyed seasonal dishes.
In the afternoon, we explored two of Beppu’s famous “Hells”:
Chinoike Jigoku is said to be the oldest natural hot spring in Japan, and its striking appearance and strong smell left a powerful impression. A medicinal product called “Chinoike Ointment” was also available for limited sale.
Tatsumaki Jigoku is a geyser, designated as a natural monument of Beppu City, where hot water erupts at regular intervals. The dynamic bursts of hot water were truly spectacular.
Hotel Stay: Beppu Onsen “Hotel Shiragiku”
We stayed at the famous Beppu Onsen Hotel Shiragiku. As per Dandelions’ tradition, we held a lively company banquet, where we enjoyed a great evening together. As a special highlight, our company president presented outstanding employees with a unique “Hell T-shirt” as a token of appreciation!
After the banquet, we ventured out into Beppu’s nightlife!
One of the notable places was “Takegawara Onsen”, which is said to have inspired Studio Ghibli’s “Spirited Away”.
On the second day, despite the temptation to relax at the hotel, we resumed our Hell Tour. With clear skies and intense heat, walking through the various hot springs truly felt like a journey through hell!
Lunch at “Geothermal Tourism Lab Midori”
For lunch, we visited “Geothermal Tourism Lab Midori”, where we enjoyed food steamed using natural geothermal heat while soaking our feet in a hot spring foot bath. The footbath was so hot that many people ended up with bright red feet! We also indulged in a delicious geothermal pudding for dessert.
Iichiko Hita Distillery
Next, we visited the Iichiko Hita Distillery. After a brewery tour, we explored the gift shop, which featured not only shochu but also a variety of other products. Many participants picked up souvenirs to take home.
Hita Mameda Town
The last stop on Day 2 was Hita Mameda Town, a historical district with Edo-period architecture. This area is a popular tourist attraction, and one of its most striking features was the massive “Hita Geta” (wooden clogs) standing over 4 meters tall!
Extended Stay Group
Previously, Dandelions’ company trips were limited to one night and two days, but this year, we leveled up!
Since we had traveled all the way from Nagoya to Kyushu, some members decided to extend their stay and continue exploring for a third day.
Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to return to Nagoya.
Throughout the trip, participants actively uploaded and shared photos in our internal app’s album. This time, we broke the record with over 800 photos—the highest number in Dandelions’ company trip history! That alone speaks to how much everyone enjoyed and cherished this trip.
We look forward to sharing our next company trip blog with you—stay tuned!
At Dandelions, we regularly hold “Recreation” events to deepen the camaraderie among employees!
This is “George” from Unit 3. As previously introduced in this blog, Dandelions has become a sponsor of the young lion “Regulus” at the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens. To go see “Regulus” (and other animals) together, Unit 3 organized a recreation event—a visit to the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
After the date was set for Saturday, October 19, we kept an eye on the weather forecast. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t favor us on the day—it rained, and it was unusually hot and humid for October. However, even while walking around with umbrellas, we were able to thoroughly enjoy the zoo and botanical gardens.
To make touring the zoo and botanical gardens even more interesting, we also held an animal scavenger hunt game. Participants earned points by finding specific animals, taking photos, and submitting them, with points awarded based on their rarity (difficulty of finding them). The recreation participants were divided into four teams and set out to find the animals.
Komodo Dragon (Apparently, in Japan, it can only be seen at the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens.)Finding the Emerald Tree BoaIn Front of “Regulus”
(By the way, before going to the zoo and botanical gardens, we all had lunch together at a nearby restaurant.)
Stay tuned for the introduction of our next recreation event!
Hello everyone! This is Junpei from the second unit. We are once again fortunate to have welcomed three new employees to Dandelions Co., Ltd. this year. This time, we will introduce the new employee welcome party held in April.
First, a toast!! ~ pleasant conversation
The welcome party started with a toast signal from the organizer.
Many of our members work at our clients’ offices due to work circumstances, so we had a great time talking about our recent activities and hobbies, even though we don’t usually see each other.
New employee greetings
As the atmosphere started to heat up, we asked the new employees to introduce themselves.
The three new employees were of various nationalities and backgrounds, and although they were nervous, they talked about themselves.
L-kun from China, who loves GundamL-kun from Vietnam, who loves traveling and has visited various parts of JapanK-san, who changed jobs from a different industry and has a lot of work experience
Summary The new employees seemed nervous at first, but as the conversation progressed, their tension gradually eased, and it was a very enjoyable welcome party. In fact, Dandelions is planning on welcoming new members in the future, and we hope to provide an opportunity like this for them to deepen their friendships (and drink) when they do.
This blog will continue to introduce various in-house recreational activities, so please look forward to the next article!
I’m Chen from the 1st unit, and I’m in charge of introducing this event!
I’m here to report on the cooking event that was held at the end of March 2024. The theme of this event was “Making delicious dumplings together.” We made both boiled dumplings and pan-fried dumplings, and enjoyed comparing the taste.
Preparing to make dumplings
First, the participants were divided into two groups. One group made gyoza skins, and the other made gyoza filling. The gyoza skin group kneaded the dough using strong flour and weak flour, let it rest, and then rolled it out into a circle to make gyoza skins. On the other hand, the gyoza filling group mixed minced meat and seasonings to make meat filling, which they then seasoned well.
We decided to use store-bought wrappers for the pan-fried dumplings, and focused on making the boiled dumplings by hand. Once everything was ready, we started to make the boiled and pan-fried dumplings. We boiled the boiled dumplings in a pot and ate them with soup. We steamed the pan-fried dumplings in a frying pan, and finished them off with sesame oil to add flavor.
After cooking was finished, everyone enjoyed the gyoza they had made. Homemade gyoza have a special taste, and making them together as a team made them even more delicious. Through this cooking event, all participants had fun while learning cooking techniques and had a fulfilling time.
Looking back on the cooking party
I would like to report on the overall impressions of the cooking event. This was our first attempt at a cooking event, and although there were many issues, we were able to make it a success. We would like to take everyone’s opinions into consideration and make the next event even better.
First of all, although we were in a hurry due to lack of preparation, we felt that it was a success in the end. Some people also felt that it was fun to work together as a team because there was a lot to do. Many people said that it was great that we were able to keep to the schedule even though it was our first cooking event. Some people also mentioned that they should have communicated each person’s duties more clearly. Others said that they learned how to make boiled dumplings, felt a sense of teamwork by working together, and that the food was delicious as good points. On the other hand, some people pointed out that the start time was later than scheduled and the importance of time management.
Future events mentioned include a mini 4WD tournament, a sports day, athletics, a picnic, and an amusement park. This cooking event was both educational and fun. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation. Let’s make use of the lessons learned from this event to make our next event even more fulfilling. We’re looking forward to our next event. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know. Finally, the content of this blog was written using ChatGPT.
That’s all for today’s introduction. Please look forward to our next in-house event introduction!
