April, when many people begin new chapters in their lives, is a time when you see many people commuting to work or school with expressions that mix anticipation and nervousness.
In Kurashiki City, an event called the Welcome Ceremony for New School Graduates Starting Work is held every April for people who graduated from school that month and have newly started working at businesses in the Kurashiki area.
What exactly takes place at the event?
Here is a report on the 2025 Welcome Ceremony for New School Graduates Starting Work.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in May 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the Welcome Ceremony for New School Graduates Starting Work?
The Welcome Ceremony for New School Graduates Starting Work has been held every April since 1973 for new school graduates who have found jobs at businesses in the Kurashiki area (Kurashiki City and Hayashima Town). It has three aims:
- To welcome new school graduates starting work
- To foster a sense of attachment to Kurashiki City among new school graduates starting work
- To help new school graduates starting work settle into their workplaces
In 2025, it was held at Kurashiki Civic Hall from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8.
The event was organized by the Welcome Ceremony for New School Graduates Starting Work Executive Committee.
Many organizations are involved, including Kurashiki City, the Kurashiki Chuo Employment Development Association, chambers of commerce in Kurashiki City, the Kurashiki City Shopping District Federation, and the Kurashiki Chuo Public Employment Security Office.
In 2025, a total of 432 new school graduates starting work from 62 companies participated.
What happened on the day
The event consisted of two parts: the ceremony and Discovering Kurashiki’s Charms and Connecting with Others.
Ceremony
First, the ceremony.
As the city song played, the stage curtain rose and the ceremony began. All the participants recited the city charter together. Their energetic voices echoed throughout the venue.
After the recitation, Mayor Ito Kaori, representing the organizers, offered words of encouragement: “Kurashiki has had a spirit of craftsmanship since the Edo period. I hope you’ll do your best as people who support manufacturing, support workers, and support the many people who spend time in Kurashiki.”
Matsumura Sora of Kurashiki Transport Co., Ltd., representing senior employees, also welcomed the participants.
“When things aren’t going well, don’t keep it to yourself—turn to your seniors,” he advised. He also said, “My next dream is to buy a house for my family with the money I earn.” His down-to-earth dream as a working person made a strong impression.
After that, Yamato Haruma of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s Mizushima Plant, representing the participants, shared his aspirations: “From Kurashiki, which welcomes many visitors from around the world, I want to share our message with the world.”
Discovering Kurashiki’s charms and connecting with others
This part featured two activities: “Actually, I’m a ___” and “Quiz! Kurashiki King.”
The activities were hosted by freelance announcer Nakashima Chiaki, who works mainly in Okayama, and TV personality Sakamoto Daisuke.
Participants took part in the activities by moving around. Nakashima and Sakamoto interviewed participants and made playful remarks, keeping the atmosphere lively with their lighthearted exchanges.
“Actually, I’m a ___”: a chance to get to know one another
The first activity in the Discovering Kurashiki’s Charms segment was “Actually, I’m a ___.”
For this activity, participants held up cards they had been given in advance in response to prompts such as “I’m from Kurashiki” or “I have a special skill.”
One prompt that got everyone excited was, “I’m confident I’m from the farthest away.”
As participants who had moved to Kurashiki for work from faraway places such as Kyushu and Tohoku called out where they were from, cheers rang out from all around. The participant who had come from the farthest away was, remarkably, from overseas.
When you’ve only just started a new job, you often don’t know much about one another.
It was a fun activity that gave participants a chance to learn something about their colleagues and start new conversations.
Learning about Kurashiki’s charms with “Quiz! Kurashiki King”
The main event in the Discovering Kurashiki’s Charms segment was “Quiz! Kurashiki King.”
In this activity, participants raced to answer questions about the names of festivals, products, people, and other things associated with Kurashiki.
Using the numbers they received on arrival, participants were divided into eight teams, A through H, and competed in the quiz. Participants took turns answering each question. Sometimes a team consisted of people from the same workplace, and sometimes it brought together people from different workplaces.
The key rule was that answers had to use the official name.
Participants particularly struggled with this rule on the third question.
A video of the Ko Hachimangu Shrine Grand Festival, a festival in Kojima, was shown, and they had to name the festival. Someone quickly answered “Ko Hachimangu Shrine,” but no one could come up with the correct answer for a while, offering guesses such as “Ko Hachimangu Shrine Festival” and “Ko Hachimangu Shrine Danjiri Festival.”
The more familiar something is, the less likely you are to remember its official name.
The quiz gave us another chance to rediscover Kurashiki.
Win prizes and participation gifts related to Kurashiki
The prizes and participation gifts for teams that answered “Quiz! Kurashiki King” correctly were all related to Kurashiki. Most were items connected to the quiz questions.
A variety of prizes from different areas of Kurashiki were prepared, including denim tote bags from Betty Smith and a set of products made with Noda Hatsuhatsu’s Appare Eggs from Noda Hatsuhatsu.
Even the participation gifts for those who didn’t answer correctly were generous, including two servings of Bukkake udon from Furuichi.
They were all things I wanted, too.
That wasn’t all. Participants also received a commemorative gift from Takata Orimono: an original accessories pouch and a tatami-edge fabric coaster. The pouch was made especially for the event.
It was a lovely keepsake that will bring the event to mind each time it’s used and help participants remember their original enthusiasm.
We hope you’ll learn even more about the Kurashiki where you’ll be working
What I felt at the Welcome Ceremony for New School Graduates Starting Work was that the organizers wanted participants not only to deepen their friendships through the activities, but also to learn even more about Kurashiki City, where they’ll be working.
Until I covered the event, I didn’t know that a gathering like this was held. I had imagined a formal event where attendees listened to speeches by guests of honor and representatives.
In reality, however, participants enjoyed the quiz not only with colleagues from their own companies but also with people from other companies. The venue remained lively during breaks, and the quiz helped them learn things about Kurashiki they hadn’t known before. I enjoyed covering the event, too.
I look forward to seeing the participants thrive in Kurashiki.
2025 Welcome Gathering for New School Graduates Entering the Workforce Information
| Name | 2025 Welcome Gathering for New School Graduates Entering the Workforce |
|---|---|
| Date and time | 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. |
| Location | 17-1 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Kurashiki Civic Hall |
| Participation fee (tax included) | ¥1,500 per person ¥2,500 if using the shuttle bus |
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