〆Young Employees of Nippon Yusen Interact with Comedian Osada from Chocolate Planet on TBS Program
On the afternoon of June 29, 2024, young employees and maritime officers from Nippon Yusen participated in the TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) corporate socializing variety program “What’s Your Plan Tonight?”. In this episode, comedian Shohei Osada from Chocolate Planet and writer and traditional culture critic Hisafumi Iwashita, known as Hako-chan, visited Nippon Yusen. Mr. Osada engaged in kendo with the young employees, while Hako-chan experienced a ship-handling simulator, excitedly remarking that he felt like he had “conquered the world”.
■Various ships of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) were introduced in the program.
The program promotes “nommunication” (a portmanteau of “nomu”, meaning “to drink”, and “communication”), a practice where employees communicate over drinks, which is being reconsidered in various companies today.
In this episode, Nippon Yusen was introduced as the leading company in the maritime industry. The program’s theme involved finding employees with special skills within the company and having them participate in a social gathering.
The episode featured Nippon Yusen’s fleet, including car carriers, tankers, and container ships, operating globally. Hako-chan provided an insightful explanation, stating,” Nibiki no kishō”, which means the Double Flag Emblem represents the merger of Mitsubishi Kaisha and Kyodo Unyu, two leading companies in Japan’s maritime industry at the time. People in the past felt reassured upon seeing this emblem.”
Nana Yoshida, an employee at Nippon Yusen, has a history of winning kendo tournaments during her university days. She faced Mr. Osada, who also holds a rank in kendo, in a match at the company, securing an overwhelming victory and enlivening the atmosphere.
A commendable aspect of the program is its ability to subtly convey the significance of the companies visited, beyond just the comedy.
Nippon Yusen’s operation of over 800 vessels worldwide, transporting essential goods for our daily lives, was also highlighted.
In line with being a global shipping company, the program featured Captain Daniel Talifa Capital of the Dry Bulk Shipping Quality Group, representing foreign employees. Despite his heavy responsibilities in the safety management department, he showcased his “Aikido” skills to Mr. Osada.
At Japan Marine Science Inc., a group company of Nippon Yusen, Hako-chan experienced the ship-handling simulator under the guidance of Captain Danpei Mori. Both Hako-chan and Mr. Osada were impressed by the realistic simulation, where the scenery changed vividly with each shift of the gears.
This episode not only showcased Nippon Yusen but also provided a unique television perspective on the work and atmosphere within the broader maritime industry.
Osamu Sakashita, head of the PR Group at Nippon Yusen, commented:
“This program featured numerous maritime professionals who are indispensable to Japan’s economic activities as a maritime nation. There might be few people who know about them(he or she) work both at sea and on land. This show offers a great insight into their (he or she) personalities and the rarely seen office environment. Please tune in and watch.”
For those who missed the episode, it can be viewed on “TVer” (https://tver.jp/episodes/ep14c3oy18).
Additional information can be found on the TBS official account (https://www.tbs.co.jp/konyaippai_tbs/) and the X official account (https://x.com/konyaippai).