Eating "a lunch I'll never forget for the rest of my life"!?

This was closely tied to the sentiment I wanted to convey through this training. It was crucial to choose a theme (task) that would get everyone actively and enthusiastically involved with the same mindset.

If someone wasn't interested or someone else couldn't get motivated, that kind of task would be meaningless.

Lunch, however, is something everyone has to eat, and young people get hungry anyway. It's a task that naturally draws everyone in.

■The training finally begins. And guess what? The "President's Team" is participating too!

The training took place on their second day at the company. Though they had only joined the day before, everyone approached the training brightly, cheerfully, and in a friendly, harmonious atmosphere. We learned their ages ranged from 18 to 22, and they came from all over the country. Yet, the atmosphere was already excellent. And surprisingly, the presidents of each group would also participate as the "President Team."

Finally (?), the mission was announced.
"Go out and have a lunch you'll absolutely never forget."

Each team has two hours, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, to decide on a lunch spot and go eat. During lunch, they must send three photos showing their lunch experience to HR. Upon returning, they'll give their report starting at 1:30 PM.

The rules were set as follows:
✔ Teams consist of 4-5 people, with a lunch budget of ¥2,500 per person.
✔ Lunch funds can be used for transportation costs.

Without hesitation, everyone happily began their strategy meetings and soon each team dashed off to their chosen destinations.

■A Lunch That Made Us Sigh

Everyone returned safely on time, and each team gave their report.

One team tackled their first-ever mega-sized roast beef bowl,
the team that had an extraordinary lunch high up in a Shinjuku skyscraper,
the team that had lunch at a moe cafe and took commemorative photos with SNOW,
the team who ate seafood bowls at a famous sushi chain because "Tokyo means Tsukiji,"
the team that tried to tackle jumbo dumplings at a Chinese restaurant near the training venue in Kagurazaka,
and the team that ate insect cuisine (!) at an ethnic restaurant in Takadanobaba... and so on.
Each team had an "absolutely unforgettable lunch" that exceeded our imagination and expectations.
And everyone gave great presentations.

But the one that even made the lab staff gasp was:
was the team that "bought the cheapest roll bread at a convenience store, shared it among three people under a cherry tree, and ate it together."
That day, Tokyo was warm and sunny, and the area around Iidabashi Station

That day, Tokyo was warm and sunny, and the area around Iidabashi Station, where the training venue was located, was in full bloom with cherry blossoms. I was thinking how beautiful the cherry blossoms were, but who would have thought that with a budget of 2,500 yen per person, they would share a single roll. And under a tree in full bloom, no less. How fresh! How romantic!

This wasn't a training session focused on competition, and everyone did wonderfully, but we unanimously awarded the Koppe Pan Team the Research Institute Prize. Their lunch perfectly embodied the goal of this training session.

■The Intent Behind the Training

This time, the institute received two requests from Candle.

One was:
◎ Make it a training program where new employees can bond
.

Candle's new employees, after their first week of training, will be assigned to various group companies during their second week and will begin working at their respective locations nationwide. They will be scattered apart.

We want them to feel reassured, knowing they have colleagues and peers to support them when they face tough times at work. We want them to feel a sense of unity with their peers through the training and carry that feeling with them as they work hard in the field. However, young people these days tend to be hesitant about getting close to others, so we need to help them become friends quickly. That was the main request from Candle's HR department.

And there was one more request.

〇 (If possible) Please understand (or at least remember) our corporate motto: "Innovation and Creation"
Candle's corporate motto is "Innovation and Creation." The request was for you to grasp the meaning behind it (even if only vaguely).

"Innovation": The act of trying to change old habits, systems, conditions, or ways of thinking into something new.
"Creation": To produce something entirely new that did not exist before.
(From Daijirin, Third Edition)
Breaking fixed concepts and creating something new. That is "Innovation and Creation."

Even though each person has 2,500 yen, they buy just one of the cheapest koppepan rolls at the convenience store,
then happily share it under the cherry blossoms. It's the ultimate innovation-creating lunch that brings people closer together.

■Something they'll never forget

I later heard that the evening social gathering was also filled with talk about the lunch training. I'm sure the new employees will never forget this training.

For both the trainers and the trainees, this is a training session they will absolutely never forget. I believe this is closely tied to how much each person "became active" during that training (or class).

Moving forward, whether in schools, companies, or research institutes, I want to keep developing programs that are "unforgettable" and "impossible to forget."