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We Held Our First Company-Wide Event of 2024!
Hello! This is Haruka from the Corporate Communications Team at Flagship.
I'm excited to report on our recent company-wide event!
At Flagship, our team members reside all over Japan and the world. Most of our daily communications take place online via Slack, and some members had never met in person since joining the company. (For one of our members living in London, this event marked their first time meeting the team in person!)
In such a setting, the opportunity to meet "offline" is incredibly precious and significant for us.
This time, as it was our first all-company event of 2024, we planned activities that align with our purpose of "Develop Maps."
Initially, we considered workshops where we would create our own maps and delve deeper into what "Develop Maps" means to us. However, the planning team's mood was generally warm and casual, leading us to think:
"It would be great if people who don't usually come to the office could learn about its charms and the surrounding area."
"Spring is here, and it's a beautiful time with flowers blooming!"
"Since we're always working at our computers, it would be good to get some physical activity."
Eventually, we decided on the following activity:
Yotsuya Stamp Rally Activity
Thanks to a team member with experience in organizing stamp rallies, we turned it into a team competition game, where exploring the office's vicinity could become a way to create everyone's "Map."
Game details:
- The game master sets quizzes about famous spots around Yotsuya (including Akasaka) in the stamp rally app.
- Participants visit these spots and stamp in the app.
- Teams take a group photo at each spot and post it on a designated Slack channel.
- The team that collects the most stamps the fastest within the time limit wins!
*Team members and leaders are pre-assigned by the game master, with leaders managing roles such as timekeeper, photographer, navigator, and communicator for their teams.
After the start, it was fascinating to see teams either rush out to find quiz answers immediately or plan their route after researching all the answers.
Blessed with beautiful cherry blossom season, the "group photo" mission captured all teams enjoying themselves and making the office surroundings look appealing!
Now, you might be curious about some of the top spots in Yotsuya and Akasaka that we featured in our quiz, which we arbitrarily selected to introduce to you.This article hopes to map out the allure of Yotsuya and Akasaka.
While we've rarely shared internal matters at Flagship before, we look forward to bringing you more about our diverse team members in the future!
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Quiz #1 This place was originally built as the Imperial Palace for the Crown Prince Tōgū Gosho in 1909. Today it is designated by the Government of Japan as an official accommodation to host foreign dignitaries. Answer: Akasaka Palace |
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Quiz #2 Open since 1958, this tiny snack shop has been very popular in the area. It specializes in fish-shaped cakes filled with red bean paste. Answer: Taiyaki Wakaba |
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Quiz #3 In 2016, the anime movie "Your Name (Kiminonawa)" was released, achieving great success. The stairs of this shrine are depicted in the last scene of the movie. Answer: Suga Shrine |
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Quiz #4 With a history over 400 years, this vast Japanese garden covers approximately 10,000 square meters, surrounded by the outer moat of Edo Castle. Throughout the four seasons, various flowers bloom, and dense foliage creates tranquil shade, making this pond and stream-style Japanese garden a symbol of the hotel. Answer: Hotel New Otani Japanese Garden |
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Quiz #5 This building was constructed as the residence of Prince Yi Un, the last crown prince of Korea, who was later treated similarly to Japanese royalty.
In 2011, it was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo, undergoing renovation and reopened in 2016 as a facility equipped with restaurants, wedding venues, and banquet halls. Answer: The Classic House at Akasaka Prince |
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Quiz #6 A Catholic church dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It was established on April 17, 1949. The dedication ceremony was offered by Archbishop Peter Tatsuo Doi. |
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Quiz #7 This is the headquarters building of the Japanese subsidiary of a company that operates convenience store businesses through both directly owned and franchised stores. Answer: 7-Eleven Headquarters |
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Quiz #8 One of the temples which is related to the “Yotsuya Kaidan” a famous Japanese ghost story. This Temple has a history of over two hundred fifty years.The statue of lady Oiwa has been enshrined within this temple,and has become renowned for its ability to fulfill the wishes of worshippers. Answer: Youun-ji Temple |
In addition to the stamp rally, we also held a hybrid "all-company meeting" and AI prompt games both offline and online at note PLACE, operated by note.
Thank you to everyone at note PLACE!
