Among the many financial institutions, credit unions provide services rooted in the community. Mizushima Credit Union also plays an active role as a familiar financial institution for the citizens of Kurashiki City.
Mizushima Credit Union serves not only as a facilitator of monetary transactions but also as a consultant that supports the local community. They engage in community exchanges beyond work and are actively involved in festivals and local events, which is quite impressive.
What kind of young employees work at Mizushima Credit Union, which values its connection with the community?
Let me introduce Mizuko Takumi (Mizuko Takumi), who works at Mizushima Credit Union.
About Mizushima Credit Union
Mizushima Credit Union (commonly known as Mizushin) is a financial institution established in 1950.
Like banks, it handles deposits, loans, and financial products such as investment trusts, but credit unions have significant differences in philosophy and area.
Mizushima Credit Union's basic philosophy is "coexistence and co-prosperity with the local community."
It operates branches only within Kurashiki City, and many of its employees are from Kurashiki, which is also a characteristic.
Not only does it provide financial products, but as a public-interest organization, it engages in various cultural and social contribution activities for regional revitalization. Here are some examples:
- Participation in local festivals (Mizushima Port Festival, Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival)
- Participation in workshops at local high schools and exchanging opinions with high school students
- Acceptance of Kurashiki Challenge Work
- Assistance with local children's cafeterias
Mizushima Credit Union also conducts its own training.
To foster connections with the community, new employees conduct interviews and information dissemination with local businesses. Each year, they decide on a theme such as "local restaurants" for their interviews.
In 2025, the theme was "Food x SDGs." The calendar published by Mizushima Credit Union includes a QR code linking to an introduction video created by new employees. If you're interested, please check it out.
Knowing the city where we work is a unique initiative of Mizushima Credit Union, which is deeply rooted in the community.
Mizuko Takumi Working at Mizushima Credit Union
The person who agreed to this interview is Mizuko Takumi (Mizuko Takumi), who works at Mizushima Credit Union. Born in 1998, he is from Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.
Having studied commerce and management in high school and university, Mizuko considered a career in the financial industry and joined Mizushima Credit Union in 2021. During the job search amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he felt warmth in the recruitment response at that time.
"Joining" is a term used similarly to "entering" a company.
After being assigned to the deposits and loans department, which handles customer service, he is currently working as the chief of the external affairs section, engaging in various tasks.
About Mizuko's Job
Mizuko's current job consists of three main areas.
The first is proposing services offered.
As a credit union that handles various financial products, the most familiar ones might be car loans and housing loans. Mizuko proposes loans, as well as asset formation suggestions using deposit products (such as ordinary deposits and time deposits), insurance guidance, and introductions to investment trusts.
The second is supporting problem-solving using networks and services.
For example, if a company struggling with a lack of successors seeks advice, Mizuko first conducts a thorough hearing. Based on that information, he connects them with affiliated staffing agencies or suggests utilizing the Okayama Polytechnic Center (a specialized institution for employment and retention support), collaborating with various organizations and institutions to provide support.
Finally, there are managerial tasks as a chief, which started at the end of August 2025.
He also receives consultations regarding inheritance from individual clients and sometimes facilitates discussions among families about their assets.
In addition to managing branch numbers and setting goals, he also provides daily support for the work of his subordinates in the external affairs section. There are three members in the external affairs section of the branch where Mizuko works, including Mizuko, all in their 20s. It is an environment where young people are active.
At 27 years old, Mizuko has become a chief.
His work is diverse, but through the interview, there was a sense of reassurance that "he must be someone who can properly meet expectations."
Encounter with Mizushima Credit Union
Influenced by his older brother, Mizuko became passionate about volleyball before entering elementary school. He joined the volleyball club in middle school and, due to his achievements, was recommended for admission to Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School. After graduating from high school, he moved to Tokyo to attend the Faculty of Commerce at a university in Tokyo.
When he was job hunting, he narrowed his focus to the financial industry, feeling it was a natural extension of his path in commerce during high school and university. He also wanted to return to his hometown, so he conducted job searches in Kurashiki.
However, in 2020, when Mizuko was job hunting, it was in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
Job seekers from outside the prefecture faced various restrictions, and the financial institutions that Mizuko could proceed with after returning from Tokyo were limited. He was unable to attend the information session for Mizushima Credit Union because the two-week quarantine period after returning home did not allow enough time.
However, when he explained his situation, Mizushima Credit Union was very accommodating and offered to arrange another date. Furthermore, he was impressed by the enthusiasm and personality of the recruitment officer at that time, saying, "It was different from the image I had of banks." He reflects that the response was speedy even before he received the job offer, and he felt their agility.
Attracted by the environment where he could work as a citizen of Kurashiki without transfers, he decided to join Mizushima Credit Union.
Mizuko's Perspective on the Appeal of Mizushima Credit Union as a Workplace
Mizuko believes the greatest appeal of Mizushima Credit Union is its "strong work-life balance" and the "number of employees who care about the community (Kurashiki)."
Employees at Mizushima Credit Union tend to have a clear separation between work and personal life, and he mentions that work and private life are distinctly divided. Since they handle financial products, they are always serious during work hours, but during off-hours, they show a friendly side during social gatherings.
With a not overly tense atmosphere and a moderate off-time aspect, it becomes easier to build trust.
Additionally, the fact that many employees are from Kurashiki is a unique characteristic of Mizushima Credit Union, which is community-oriented.
In conversations among employees, they often get excited talking about local shops they used to frequent, saying things like, "I used to go here a lot," and they exchange the latest local information, making local topics a part of their daily conversations. Many employees are well-informed, and there are plenty of common topics in conversations with customers.
Mizuko says, "Many employees love the city we live in, creating a sense of unity."
This warm connection with the community may also lead to the trust of customers.
Having joined Mizushima Credit Union, Mizuko is now entering his fifth year in 2025. We interviewed him about the sense of fulfillment in working for a community-oriented financial institution and the appeal of the workplace.
Data on Mizushima Credit Union
| Organization Name | Mizushima Credit Union |
|---|---|
| Industry | General financial services based on the Credit Union Act |
| Representative Name | Yokomizo Hiroyuki |
| Year Established | 1950 |
| Address | 8-23 Nishitokiwa-cho, Mizushima, Kurashiki City (Head Office) |
| Contact | 086-446-2229 |
| Website | Mizushima Credit Union Website |
