An entrance ceremony held simultaneously with the announcement of the new era name! What was the “one-of-a-kind gift” for the 11 individuals who will create a new era?

Hello, everyone. This is O from the Public Relations Group.
April 1, 2019, was the day the new era name, “Reiwa,” was announced. On this day, as a new era is about to begin, 11 new members have joined SUNNY SIDE UP!

Regardless of one’s career path, the day one takes their first step into society is a once-in-a-lifetime event. There are millions of companies across the country. For the 11 individuals who chose SUNNY SIDE UP among them, we wondered if we could provide something truly unique—a one-of-a-kind gift that would stay in their hearts forever.

■ What accompanies our annual gift, the fountain pen…
Every year at SUNNY SIDE UP, we gift fountain pens to our new graduates, hoping they will cherish their “own words.”
Unlike a pencil, a fountain pen does not allow you to easily erase a mistake. You cannot simply undo what you have written; you can only cross it out with your own line. It represents the journey taken to reach the right answer. Everyone makes mistakes, but we want our new members to keep taking on challenges. With this sentiment in mind, we gift fountain pens in colors that match each individual’s personality.

This year, we wondered if there was something else we could gift alongside the fountain pens. After much consideration, we came up with the idea of “portraits.”

Throughout their long professional lives ahead, we want them to remember their first company and how they felt on their very first day as a working professional, even decades later. With that in mind, we decided to gift them photographs capturing their faces on their first day of work.

■ A simple portrait isn’t fun enough! We sought help from a “hair salon that doesn’t cut hair”
Our mission is “Let’s Have Fun!” However, simply giving a portrait wouldn’t be fun enough (laughs)! So, we reached out to the team at Jetset, a “hair salon that doesn’t cut hair.”

Since opening its Hiroo location in 2014 and moving to Azabu-Juban in 2016, Jetset has introduced the world to a new concept in hair salons: “shampoo and styling only.” It is a popular shampoo and blow-dry specialist, with a new location scheduled to open in Kirarito Ginza at the end of April. On April 1, the new graduates arrived at the office early to receive hair styling from the Jetset team!

The meeting room was quickly transformed into a temporary hair salon.

This hairstyle was completed in just about 15 minutes!

Styling for all 11 members is now complete!

■ After styling, a professional photographer takes the shots!
Following the hair styling, a professional photographer takes the portraits.

The new graduates being photographed by a professional on their first day. Senior members also stepped in to help them relax (laughs).

And here are some of the finished portraits!
In addition to the group photo, individual portraits capturing their “first-day faces” were also taken. These will be used for their employee ID cards in the future.

■ The entrance ceremony held at the same time as the new era announcement!
With their styling complete, it was finally time for the entrance ceremony to begin. It is remarkable how a good hairstyle can naturally make one’s posture look more professional.
Following the new members’ declarations of determination, Etsuko Tsugihara gave her address.

“I love our slogan, ‘Let’s Have Fun!’ However, the definition of ‘fun’ is ambiguous. The values that shape this word are cultivated by everyone you have met in your life—your parents, friends from school, teachers, and more. That is why I believe everyone perceives it differently.”

“A company is a stage for expressing your values. I hope the 11 of you will respect each other’s values while expressing what you find ‘fun’ on the stage of SUNNY SIDE UP.”

“Of course, in a long life, there will be times when things are difficult or you want to stop. But I hope that when you look back on your life one day, the days you are about to experience at SUNNY SIDE UP will be etched in your memory. Let’s Have Fun together! I look forward to seeing your success.”

By the time Tsugihara finished her address, it was around 11:30 AM. Yes, it was time for the announcement of the new era name.
Everyone in Japan must have been glued to their TV or smartphone screens. After the ceremony, everyone held their breath and stared at the TV monitor in the meeting room.

■ The “fastest ever” commemorative photo after the new era announcement!? For the 11 people who will create the next era
Just when it seemed the announcement would pass without incident, we remembered our mission: “Let’s Have Fun!” We decided on the spot to post a commemorative photo to Twitter as quickly as possible after the announcement (laughs)! We rushed to get calligraphy brushes and ink.
Then came 11:45 AM. Tsugihara stood ready with a calligraphy brush by the TV monitor, while the 11 new graduates watched with bated breath. As soon as the two characters for the new era, “Reiwa,” were announced, Tsugihara’s brush began to move.

The next moment, Tsugihara’s voice echoed through the room: “Everyone, smile!” Just 10 seconds after the announcement, the new graduates were captured in a commemorative photo. (It was likely the fastest in the country! laughs).
Even during the announcement of a new era, challenging ourselves to be the “fastest ever” and always thinking of how to “Let’s Have Fun!” is the destiny of us PR professionals.

These 11 individuals began their professional journeys at the exact moment the new era was announced. It is your generation that will “Let’s Have Fun!” over the next 20 or 30 years. Welcome to SUNNY SIDE UP!! Let’s create “fun” that no one has ever seen before and build a new era together. (From the author, now in their 10th year with the company).
Please look forward to the great things these 11 will achieve!
(If you want to “Let’s Have Fun!” with us, click here: New Graduate Recruitment / Mid-career Recruitment)