Thank you for reading! Today’s introduction is brought to you by Junpei, and it’s been a while since my last post.
A Recent Hobby
Lately, I’ve gotten back into Pokémon, thanks to my wife’s influence. It’s been about 20 years since I first fell in love with it back in elementary school, when Pokémon Red/Green debuted on the Game Boy. Now, the nostalgia has kicked in again after all these years.
Not long ago, Mie Prefecture’s Shima Spain Village teamed up with Pokémon for a limited-time collaboration. Naturally, I had to check it out. The park was filled with Pokémon displays everywhere, drawing crowds of all ages.
Throughout the area, Pokémon appeared at every turn!There were lines of people waiting to take photos at popular spots.
Pokémon Everywhere!
Every corner of the area featured Pokémon—and for the more popular photo spots, people were even lining up. I rediscovered old favorites I used as a kid and met new Pokémon introduced over the past two decades. Witnessing a franchise that continues to be cherished by so many people for so long made a strong impression on me.
In the IT industry, we work every day to develop systems that make a positive impact. Lately, I’ve been thinking how wonderful it would be if we could create something as universally beloved as Pokémon—something that resonates with both children and adults alike.
Embracing Nature Through Camping and the Importance of Preparation
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’m “Kito”, and I’ll be handling this employee introduction. I usually work in system development within the IT industry, but starting this year, I was spurred by my interest in disaster preparedness, I’ve discovered a new hobby – camping. Combining daily disaster awareness with the joy of camping has transformed my time in nature into precious moments for relaxation.
At the start of this year, news of an earthquake in the Hokuriku region dominated the headlines, and witnessing the extent of the damage and its impact on people firsthand deeply affected me. Having lived in Kobe during its reconstruction after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in my student days, my awareness of disaster prevention grew even stronger. Although I had always practiced disaster preparedness, I began reevaluating my own measures and thought, “Could these disaster-preparedness items also be used for camping?” This insight led me to make my camping debut.
My first camping trip was to “Lake Motosu” in winter, a famous spot featured in the anime “Laid-Back Camp”. It was around the time when the pandemic-induced camping boom had settled down, so it wasn’t too crowded, but the season and weather made it quite cold. Even so, the next morning was clear, and I was amazed by the stunning view of Mount Fuji—a sight unique to camping that moved me deeply. Of course, I enjoyed some “curry noodles” to fully experience the location. Since then, local day camps where I can relax and enjoy tea have become my go-to style.
With the recent issue of overtourism making accommodations difficult to secure, camping has been a helpful alternative in such situations. During a trip to Hokkaido, I faced challenges transporting camping gear by plane. Dealing with carry-on and checked baggage restrictions taught me the importance of clever packing strategies—a valuable lesson for future long-distance camping adventures.
One of my most immersive camping experiences was a trip to Nagano with some former coworkers. I purchased a new tent, and together we set up camp and made full use of our gear, making for an enjoyable time. This shared adventure offered a different kind of fulfillment compared to my usual solo or day camping. We identified many areas for improvement and clarified our goals for the next trip. (The tent on the left is mine.)
Amidst all this, our company had the opportunity for a thematic discussion, and my proposal on disaster prevention was accepted. We divided into teams based on age groups, and each presented on various themes from different perspectives, such as “disaster-preparedness goods,” “disaster awareness,” “zombie pandemic countermeasures,” “trends in disaster prevention,” and “disaster-prevention business models.” This significantly heightened disaster awareness within the company. With the looming risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, it was a valuable opportunity to deepen our collective preparedness.
What began as a focus on disaster preparedness has evolved into a camping lifestyle that has introduced new values and lessons into my everyday life. By intertwining the two seemingly different worlds of disaster prevention and camping, we can explore a way of living that combines disaster preparedness with an appreciation of nature. Looking ahead, I hope to continue cherishing new experiences and discoveries in the great outdoors.
Thank you for reading! I’m “Yamaguchi,” and this is my third time writing an employee introduction post.
Since it’s been a while since my last “Employee Introduction” blog, I was wondering what to write about, but this time. I’ve decided to write about something I love: “alcohol.”
I’ve always liked umeshu (plum wine). My parents, siblings, and even relatives love umeshu, so maybe it’s a family thing! (lol) One of my fond memories of umeshu is visiting the CHOYA bar in Tokyo, where I got to try different types of umeshu. I ordered a tasting set and enjoyed comparing the different flavors (even though they were all umeshu), each one tasted so unique, which was really fun. Unfortunately, the bar is only in Tokyo, but I highly recommend it!
Umeshu tasting set ⁂
One of the best discoveries I’ve made in the past few years is a parfait bar. There’s one in Nagoya that serves both parfaits and accompanying alcohol that pairs perfectly with them. At first, I thought, “Parfaits and alcohol?” but they actually pair really well together. Enjoying a tasty parfait and drink in a stylish space really takes the edge off.
parfait alcohol set at a parfait bar ⁂
Recently, I’ve also started drinking wine more often. I enjoy sparkling wine, and I like white wine as well. I love drinking it with cheese or liver pâté. My family recently bought a wine that was so easy to drink, I ended up drinking a lot and got pretty tipsy! (lol)
Wine that was easy to drink ⁂
I often go out for drinks with the members of Dande as well. Recently, we held a “Wine Party” and a “Sake Party.”
At the wine party, since there were a lot of people, we got to try a variety of wines. We drank sparkling, then red, then white, then red, then white… It was a lot of fun! Everyone shared their thoughts as we drank, and we enjoyed feeling like grown-ups while having a great time.
wine party
I was surprised by how many people showed up for the sake party. It was memorable that even members who usually don’t drink said, “If it’s sake, I want to join.” There were many different types of sake, but honestly, I got so drunk that I don’t remember much! (lol)
Japanese Sake
The next gathering might be a “Beer” or “Umeshu” party!
Thank you for taking the time to read this. My name is Hachi, and I joined the company in April 2024. On my days off, I practice Tsugaru shamisen (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument). It’s an unexpectedly powerful instrument where the body of the guitar acts as a drum, and you strike it with a bachi (Japanese drumstick). My teacher is in a band called KUNI-KEN, which has performed at the Japan Expo in France. I wish to perform internationally someday too.
While working abroad is still a bit out of reach for me, I will be participating in a concert organized by my current school next year. If you don’t touch your instrument for at least a little bit every day, before you know it, you’ll lose your ability to play. So I practice everyday quietly in the middle of the night.
Participating in a shamisen mini-recital I’ll also be taking part here a bit
Why I joined the company:
After working in administrative roles for a long time, I became interested in programming when I learned about automating simple tasks using Excel VBA. I studied Java for six months through vocational training and then joined Dandelions. The deciding factor for me was the presence of employees from different nationalities. While I love Japan, I wanted to experience working in a more international environment though while still residing in Japan.
My thoughts after joining:
It’s been six months since I joined, and although there have been challenges along the way, I’m just now starting to hit my stride. There are still many things that I want to improve on, but every day is fulfilling as I interact with customers and master new skills. We have companywide get-together events every month and recently, we even went on a company trip to Fukuoka. Conversations about cultural differences between Japan and other countries are always lively. I am looking forward to growing further and doing even more in the future.
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!
Hello, my name is Roru and I joined Dandelions in April this year.
Reason for joining the company
I started job hunting in Japan last year and joined Dandelions in April this year. The reason I joined the company was when I saw Dandelions’ official blog and thought the atmosphere looked fun. I could tell that the company values diversity and inclusion.
And Dandelions has foreign employees from various countries. I think that working together with people from different cultures and backgrounds can broaden your international perspective. I applied for the company for those two reasons. I felt a warmth during the interview. That’s when I decided to join the company.
Thoughts after joining the company
After joining the company, I had a training period of about three months, during which I received basic IT knowledge training and basic training in programming languages. I learned about the basic grammar and concepts of programming languages. Training in basic programming concepts such as variables, conditional branching, repetition, and functions will help me with future coding. In the HTML and CSS training, I learned about the structure of web pages. I learned how to mark up content using HTML and set styles using CSS. By learning how to write HTML and how to apply CSS, I was able to create web pages that are easier to read and more beautiful. In the SQL training, I learned about data manipulation such as adding, updating, and deleting data. I think that creating subqueries using joins will be useful for data manipulation in actual work. In addition, training was given to acquire effective communication skills in business situations. I learned about appropriate language, how to greet, and points to keep in mind when communicating via email and phone. There is a lot to learn in the training content, but the employees teach me carefully. It is always easy to listen to, and the atmosphere is bright and warm. I would like to work harder in the future.
About me
Before coming to Japan, I studied Japanese on my own because I was interested in Japanese anime and culture. I graduated from a liberal arts university in China and decided to study abroad in Japan, and then enrolled in a liberal arts graduate school in Japan. Then, I joined Dandelions in April of this year. My hobby is watching anime and manga. I have watched a lot of anime. Among them, I especially like the “Mobile Suit Gundam” series. I took advantage of my day off and went to Yokohama to see the 18m life-sized moving Gundam. I thought it looked really cool when the Gundam moved. I also enjoyed the Unicorn Gundam statue in Odaiba.
