[Showa Nishikawa] Initiation Ceremony "First Mission": "Let's Make the World's Only Custom-Made Pillow" 30 New Employees Experience Production in Groups of 3
On April 1, 2026, Showa Nishikawa challenged 30 new employees to create custom-made pillows during their initiation ceremony, aiming to foster customer perspective and teamwork from day one.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 18:04
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 05:20 (419h 16m after Collected)
Showa Nishikawa Co., Ltd. (Location: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative: Motoyichiro Nishikawa), which handles various bedding products such as MuAtsu and the custom-made pillow Makurabo, held its initiation ceremony on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. On the day of the event, President Nishikawa made a surprise announcement: the first mission for the new employees was to "create a custom-made pillow that the company sells" themselves. They were required to experience customer perspectives and communication firsthand.
### Mission from the President: "Cooperate to make a pillow within the time limit!"
After the initiation ceremony, the president suddenly told the new employees, "It might be abrupt, but... today I want everyone to make a 'custom-made pillow'!" As a murmur went through the venue, the new employees' first mission began under the rules of "forming a team of three with people you haven't talked to much" and "using one person as a model to make the best pillow that fits them." How to use the tools, what filling to choose... The new employees started by thinking for themselves and searching for the "optimal solution."
The new employees formed teams and interviewed each other. "What is the height of your neck and head?"
"What kind of firmness do you prefer?" "What are your usual sleep concerns?" --- They adjusted the height, firmness, and filling materials based on the interviews.
Furthermore, through repeated prototyping and fine-tuning, they crafted the "best pillow." At the very end, after completing the mission, they presented to everyone their challenges and discoveries, including why they tailored it with that specific height and filling.
### Mission from the President: "Cooperate to make a pillow within the time limit!"
After the initiation ceremony, the president suddenly told the new employees, "It might be abrupt, but... today I want everyone to make a 'custom-made pillow'!" As a murmur went through the venue, the new employees' first mission began under the rules of "forming a team of three with people you haven't talked to much" and "using one person as a model to make the best pillow that fits them." How to use the tools, what filling to choose... The new employees started by thinking for themselves and searching for the "optimal solution."
The new employees formed teams and interviewed each other. "What is the height of your neck and head?"
"What kind of firmness do you prefer?" "What are your usual sleep concerns?" --- They adjusted the height, firmness, and filling materials based on the interviews.
Furthermore, through repeated prototyping and fine-tuning, they crafted the "best pillow." At the very end, after completing the mission, they presented to everyone their challenges and discoveries, including why they tailored it with that specific height and filling.