Being cloudy, but windless and very warm for December, it was a good day for children to see where their parents work and to experience how big a ship is. Every kid looked extremely excited as they looked up at huge cranes and looked down into the deep newbuilding dock! And of course, smiles were blooming everywhere.

The program started with the president's speech, where Katsuhiko Ochi said that although being somewhat vulnerable to economical waves by its nature, the shipbuilding is an important industry that provides the indispensable tools to the global logistics. He didn't forget to add that the company had secured order backlogs for almost 3 years, which gave the participants extra smiles.

A series of presentations followed. Honest one, smart one, one that was difficult to keep up with - each presentation was made in very individual way, reflecting the company's rich human resources(!). The kids were very much entertained anyway, with their eyes locked on the screen where movies were beamed to show how building blocks were piled, or how iron plates were bent, etc.

As soon as the lectures were over, the plant tour began. Being good talkers, senior staffs of manufacturing team nicely guided the families to every section in the factory. Some tour guests also voluntarily acted as guide to explain what they are doing on weekdays to their family members!

For the mock naming and delivery ceremonies, the main event, Tomohiro of Production Division was awarded the role of shipowner. His beloved wife, appointed as sponsor, named their ship "Yui ☆ Aya" after their 2 daughters. When the sponsor cut the tethering rope with a little help from Tomohiro and Yui, a bottle of champagne (filled with water) was smashed, a salute was fired, and lots of pieces of ticker tapes and confetti were released, just like the real ceremony for the real owner. Finally, a flag with the image of Yui and Aya was hoisted, creating timeless memories for the family.

Like this, Kyokuyo's 2nd plant tour event for employees' family was another great success. Those unlucky who has missed the events, or those greedy who want to experience the feeling of being a shipowner, or a sponsor, you guys still have a chance as the shipbuilding company is planning to conduct the event one more time, at least, although the schedule is not yet fixed.

Our sincere thanks go to the real shipowner, Imoto Lines Ltd. for their allowing us to conduct the event onboard.

[2015/12/21]