The Struggles of 32 New Graduates! From a Team-Building Event at the President’s Home to the First Practical Training Session

Hello, everyone!

We are Nakamura from Social Relations Division 2 and Ikeda from Social Relations Division 3, both first-year employees who joined SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP in 2025.

In the first part of our new graduate training report, we focused on internal training under the theme of “Learning.” In this second part, we will cover the “President’s Home Event,” a highlight of the training, as well as the external training provided by Egg Forward, which began this year. The latter half of the training was packed with events! How did the members fare in their struggles?

▼Click here for Part 1
A Record 32 New Graduates! What was the “Learning” Training Like? Two Synchronized Members Report [Part 1]

Roles Reversed! Executives “Rejuvenate” by 20 Years!? The President’s Home Event

With a push from the HR department, we somehow managed to complete the preparations for the event at the President’s home.

This year’s theme was “School.”

When those of us in the Class of ’25 were in high school, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and all sorts of school events like sports days, inter-high school championships, and cultural festivals were cancelled.Because of that experience, we chose “School” as our theme, with the wish that “even though we’ve graduated from university, we want to go back to being students!” and “we want the executives and management team to become students and feel fresh again!”The executives and management team fully embraced being “students,” likely for the last time in their lives.

New students arriving one after another

Of course, there are teachers too ♪

The team playing the role of teachers

The “students” arrive one after another.Immediately after enrollment, it’s time for the nerve-wracking class assignment announcement!

In reference to the fact that “Sunny Side Up” in our company name is a way of cooking eggs, the class names were egg-related, such as Boiled Egg and Scrambled Egg 🍳The entrance ceremony began with a greeting from Principal Iwasaki.

Speaking of the joys of school life… school lunch! Centered around the cooking team, nostalgic meals were laid out on the tables.

This photo was taken by our colleague, Umezawa!

The students (executives) were given homework to talk to every single new graduate. Excellent students finished their homework one after another. On the other hand, some students unfortunately had to “drop out” (leave early due to schedules)… Thanks to the kind students, the tension among the new graduates began to ease.

After lunch, it was time for the Sports Day to unite the teams!

To achieve one of the goals of the President’s home event—”getting to know us”—we held a “New Graduate Identification Quiz” using AI-generated images. Being an inter-class competition, a heated battle unfolded.

The next competition was the “Suni-Pon Grand Prix.”

Faced with quirky topics related to the company—such as the President, leaders, or a messy meeting room—each class brainstormed the funniest answers to win a point. The winner was… the Scrambled Egg team led by SUNNY SIDE UP Vice President Kokubo!

With the excitement still high, it was finally time for the graduation ceremony… It concluded in a warm atmosphere created by the students (executives).

A First Attempt! External Training by Egg Forward

After the highly successful President’s home event, the new graduates participated in external training provided by Egg Forward, which was newly introduced this year. The program consisted of three parts: “Management Simulation,” “Logical Writing,” and “Mock Appointments.”

The first part of the external training was “Management Simulation.”

In this program, we acted as business owners and simulated all operations related to management, from product trading and financial closing to securing human resources.

While we usually work on daily tasks as members of the company, in this training, we formulated strategies and took action while discussing with members under the theme of “What can we do to increase sales?”

It was a program to learn “What does it mean to manage a company?” and “What is a management perspective?” through experience. It was a valuable experience that provided unprecedented perspectives and insights. Furthermore, the staff from Egg Forward, who played the role of shareholders for the “companies” managed by the participants, provided sharp feedback, allowing us to gain new knowledge and learning different from our daily work.

The second part of the external training was “Logical Writing.”

In this program, we learned the basics of “effective writing” tailored to the purpose and recipient, such as language usage in business settings and how to write emails for different situations. Although we have many opportunities to write text for others, such as approaching the media or distributing press releases, many members still do not consider it their strength. Through this part, we reaffirmed the importance of writing according to the scene and situation. We will continue to practice so that we can quickly write copy that moves the reader’s heart!

The third part of the external training was “Mock Appointments.”

In this program, external partners played the role of clients, and the entire series of interactions—from creating appointment request emails to the actual meeting and follow-up thank-you emails—was subject to evaluation. As this was the culmination of the external training, every member approached it with a sense of tension. While we have been working hard on media relations, this training allowed us to regain the perspective of being conscious of “how we are perceived objectively.”

After the appointments, we received feedback sheets from the external partners, who carefully evaluated our strengths we hadn’t noticed, areas needing improvement, and points that could be corrected immediately. We will apply this valuable feedback to our future work and continue to hone our skills to become more trusted PR professionals!

The external training, which started as a new initiative this year, allowed us to engage in more practical programs compared to the previous lecture-based internal training. We would like to thank everyone at Egg Forward for their cooperation in the new graduate training!

We asked three colleagues for their thoughts on the second half of the training!

Through the first half of the training, the Class of ’25 members have gradually deepened their understanding of one another. This time, to let more people know about these new graduates, we conducted interviews with different members than in Part 1.

Appearing are Mina Kunii from Social Relations Division 1, and Ayaka Ito and Ryo Murase from Social Relations Division 2. Following Part 1, we will hear from each of the four types of the “Anthropoid Diagnosis” that became a hot topic during the training!

From left: Ito, Kunii, and Murase. Ito and Kunii were Chimpanzee types, and Murase was a Gorilla type 🐒

— What did you learn through this event?

Murase: I was anxious about accomplishing something with members I had only met a week prior, but in the process, I was able to learn about my colleagues’ strengths and personalities, making it a valuable opportunity.

Ito: During the preparation process, I discovered many of my colleagues’ charms, such as their personalities and how they proceed with discussions. On the day of the event, members who were doing other tasks came to help, and I am grateful that we were able to work as a team.

Kunii: I was able to feel that I have colleagues I can rely on when I am in trouble while working in the future.

— What did you learn or find impressive in the external training?

Murase: It was stimulating to interact with people from Egg Forward and other companies whom I wouldn’t normally meet in internal training.

Kunii: The content focused on logical thinking, such as management simulation and logical writing. Since these are areas I enjoy, I was able to work on them while having fun.

Ito: The logical writing training I received just as I started media outreach via email was very helpful. It was a new learning opportunity to realize, “It can be this concise.”

— Please give us your impressions of the new graduate training as a whole!

Murase: The most memorable part was the “Letter of Gratitude.” I sent that letter to my father later, and he messaged me saying, “I’m so happy. I’ll treasure it.” I’m too embarrassed to go back to my parents’ house now (laughs).After being assigned to my department, every day goes by in a flash, and it takes time even to write a daily report. However, I was told, “It’s something you should write in 30 minutes,” and I’ve become more conscious of how I use my time.

Ito: During the Letter of Gratitude session, I cried so much that my colleagues were surprised (laughs). Through appointments and practical work, there were scenes that were still difficult to handle alone, but I feel I gained much learning and insight by being helped by the support around me many times.

Kunii: The time spent writing the life chart was memorable. It was a valuable opportunity to look back on my life and reconfirm “why I chose this company.” The content of my colleagues’ life charts was also very interesting, and I was surprised by how many members have extensive overseas experience.

Comments from the Training Supervisors

【Director: Rie Matsumoto】

[Director: Yoshinaga Matsumoto]

These 32 people became our colleagues through such a connection. I have a strong desire to make each of our choices the right one.

To that end, what should be conveyed, when, and how… There is no single correct answer, but the new graduate training project continues every year to search for the best way.

This year, we have come this far after several months of incorporating new methods, emphasizing parts that we thought we had conveyed but hadn’t, and receiving cooperation from members and external parties. Of course, this is not the end.

From here, days of self-improvement and growth will continue as professional PR practitioners who can think of the best and strongest ideas as partners to our clients, put them into practice, move people’s hearts, and produce results that move the world in a positive direction.

Never forget your original intentions, humility, and sincerity. Please use SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, which you chose yourselves, as a place to shine and continue to create “fun commotions.”

【Training Supervisor: Remi Takauji】

This year, we have a total of 32 new graduates.

April 1st arrived, and I felt it was a miracle that the number unintentionally became 32 (Sunny).
Everyone’s nervous faces now feel nostalgic.
Since finishing last year’s new graduate training, days of thinking about how to make the training even better began.

This year, in addition to intensive internal training, we decided to try external training as a new initiative.That is where we met Egg Forward. I had personally assumed that external training would be more detached and impersonal, but I was deeply impressed by how they faced each new graduate and provided feedback tailored specifically for them.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude once again.
Thank you very much.

That said, the internal training was also quite packed!

The number of executives, seniors, supervisors, and external instructors who helped with this new graduate training is countless. I want you to remember what you learned from them in various situations. And above all, please do not forget your gratitude toward them.

In Closing

Conclusion

Group photo at SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s “President’s Home Event”

I hope this has helped you form a clearer image of what it’s like after joining the company!

At SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, unique members are waiting for you!

We will continue to share many of our charms, so please look forward to it!
Keita Ikeda, Social Relations Division 1, SUNNY SIDE UPMiku Nakamura, Social Relations Division 2, SUNNY SIDE UP