We have opened an OpenChat! ✨
As an exclusive benefit for participants of the #TeaPartyToTalkAboutWork, we have opened a LINE OpenChat! At this moment, over 120 people have joined and are keeping it lively every day.
What is the #TeaPartyToTalkAboutWork?
This is an offline event that Ouka & Nako have been hosting since 2023.
We launched it to create a place for real-life encounters for those who say, 'I want to make friends with whom I can also talk about work a bit seriously.' Each time, the two of us and 30 applicants chat in Tokyo.
As of April 2025, we have held a total of 8 events, with a cumulative total of about 200 participants.
Please check here for past event reports.
Although the event reports haven't been updated, we have been holding events with different themes such as 'Tea Party to Talk About Homes,' 'Tea Party to Talk About Travel,' and 'Tea Party to Talk About Beauty,' as well as inviting guest speakers, which have been well-received.
I have written here about why we hold offline events.
As an aside, derived from the 'Tea Party to Talk About Homes,' we also publish a 'ZINE to Talk About Homes' 🏠
Why an OpenChat?
Until now, those who participated in the tea parties were optionally invited to join our Instagram 'Group Stories.'
The 'Group Stories' feature allowed us to post stories that only participants could see, but it seems it disappeared this March... 😭
After considering various alternative tools where everyone could interact with each other, we arrived at LINE OpenChat.
What do you talk about?
Threads on various topics are created every day, and the conversations are lively.
Let me show you a little bit of what it's like.
In the thread 'Tell me your recommended Podcasts!', over 40 recommendations have been gathered, and my (Ouka's) 'to-listen' list has grown all at once. It seems some people are even going to the same public recording events.
Also, the 'I'm traveling to XX, so please give me recommendations' thread, which was active since the Group Stories era, is packed with information. Since we, the organizers, love traveling, I have the impression that many of the tea party members are travel enthusiasts. (It seems that members of the #TeaPartyToTalkAboutWork 'Travel Party' held in the past also regularly hold meetings to eat exotic food! How wonderful♡)
In the 'Thread to maintain exercise motivation' and 'Thread to work hard on language learning together,' people post reports like 'I did XX today!' every day, which boosts motivation.
Feedback and voices from everyone
It has been over a week since we opened it, and honestly, we are surprised by the excitement that exceeded our expectations.
But when you think about it, these are all people with the initiative and communication skills to gather at a tea party saying they want friends they can talk about work with offline, so it makes sense...
From the OpenChat participants, we have received comments such as:
'Instagram Stories required a sense for posting, and replies were individual DMs, so the hurdle was high, but OpenChat can be used like a bulletin board, so it's easy to talk casually.'
'It's fun, like a high-quality Girls Channel.'
I laughed at the comparison to a 'high-quality Girls Channel.' I know what you mean...! lol
A place for further interaction and maintaining motivation
The #TeaPartyToTalkAboutWork started with the desire to create a place where you can meet friends with whom you can also talk about work a bit seriously.
I was happy to receive reports that people who met at the tea parties have gone out to eat or traveled together, but...
I am excited to see new encounters being born and friendships deepening in the OpenChat. A huge thank you to everyone who is making it lively.
We would like to continue thinking about new attempts and fun projects!
The next date for the tea party is undecided, but we are recruiting on our respective Instagram accounts, Ouka and Nako, so please check them out if you are interested.