[SUZU Story vol. 6] The only fully remote employee in the company. What I realized after visiting the site for the first time in 5 years: Kaori Koreeda

[SUZU Story] is a project where SUZU GROUP staff share their thoughts, happenings at the shops, and their feelings about Niigata.
In Vol. 6, I, Koreeda from The SUZUTIMES editorial department, will write about 'the reason I continue to work'.

As a public relations representative for a company that handles Niigata food, I am involved in tasks such as writing for note and creating PR magazines and menus... but actually, I work from a somewhat unique position, being from Tokyo and currently living in Nagoya.

Going back 10 years.
I left the company I joined as a new graduate quite easily when my husband (to be) was transferred (I wasn't even there for two years, and thinking about it now, I must have been a huge nuisance. However, I learned a lot... and I am very grateful).
This was the start of my encounter with SUZU.

I had only visited Niigata a few times with my family to go skiing. Even though it was Niigata, I had only ever been as far as Echigo-Yuzawa, so I remember feeling nothing but anxiety about being in Niigata for the first time.

An acquaintance from Niigata told me, 'It doesn't snow much in Niigata City, so you'll be fine!' and then I experienced 'record-breaking snowfall in Niigata City' during my first winter. (It's true that it doesn't snow as much as in Nagaoka, but that's not the point.)
I also remember underestimating the snowy roads, going out on my bicycle, falling, and running over the chicken breast I had bought at the supermarket.

(While looking for work) For me, living in a land where I was unemployed, had no connections, and of course no friends, going to the supermarket was a very fun time.
You get excited when you go to local supermarkets even when traveling, right?

I would encounter ingredients I didn't know in that area, and especially in Niigata, I could buy sashimi at prices that made me think, 'It's this price for this?'
After moving to Niigata, I was surprised by the abundance of ingredients and the fact that I hadn't known about them.
'It's not just sake and rice!'

After I started working at the shop in Niigata City FARM TABLE SUZU, that feeling became even stronger.
Surprisingly large eggplants, radishes of various colors, edible flowers (asparagus greens), and wild vegetables (urui) that are delicious even raw...
Every time I encountered new ingredients, I just wanted to convey this excitement!! I felt moved not only by the deliciousness but also by the stories behind them and the personalities of the producers.

After working for a while, I also became involved in store operations.
I was originally the type of person who likes organizations and building systems, but I was lucky enough to be blessed with a partner staff member, and my life began to revolve around SUZU.

Even on my days off, I would meet with my partner for karaoke and meetings. If there was a shop I was curious about, I would go with my husband and report back to my partner (lol)
...Wait? Was my life revolving around SUZU, or was it revolving around my partner...?

Anyway, everything I encountered in Niigata related to food was fresh and fun.

I have always loved eating, and after an event in my student days where I realized the importance of eating, I studied food at university.

It was at this shop that someone said to me, 'You've had a life blessed with food,' which was a phrase that really resonated with me.

I think one of the reasons I continue to do this job is that I was interested in the challenging stance of a company that would let someone who just happened to walk in (attracted by the 'delicious staff meal') get involved in store operations and company affairs.

I felt that when 5 years had passed since I joined the company. It was when my husband was transferred to Kashiwazaki City and we had to leave Niigata City.

Kashiwazaki City is next to Nagaoka City, but it is a town on the sea side, separated by mountain passes.
In summer, it is bustling with marine leisure, and in winter, the wind is strong and it is cold.
I found a wonderful coffee shop (Coffee Sobo Jiyujin) in the shopping street in front of the station, and going there was my healing.

Since there were no shops in Kashiwazaki, I was naturally thinking about resigning.
However, the current representative, Masaru Suzuki (hereinafter referred to as Masaru-san), immediately replied, 'Let's do what we can!'
I remember feeling that I could do it, even though I couldn't see what I could do remotely yet. (And I bought a MacBook Pro on impulse. I clicked the button on the Shinkansen while feeling nervous.)

From there, I started a life where I would drive to the headquarters, SUZU365, about once a week, and to my old home, FARM TABLE SUZU, about once a month. Other than that, I worked remotely from home.

First, I started by organizing information about processed products based on the knowledge I had as a registered dietitian.

At the same time, because a position opened up, I took over the management of the website and various things for the online shop as 'Public Relations'.
(This was the first time I touched Illustrator. I was surprised myself, thinking, 'I can't believe I'm going to be someone who uses that Illustrator!')

This was the start of my journey in public relations. From then on, I feel like every day was a day of study.

Even if I had an idea for an expression, I didn't know how to do it. I would look it up in books or online and try it out. Sometimes I would ask the experts around me for advice.
It was just a constant cycle of that.

Fortunately, I had always been good at writing essays, and I also liked reading fashion and gourmet magazines.
Since my hobby is decorating my Hobonichi Techo, maybe I had a bit of a sense for design. (My grandfather also painted landscapes for many years...!?)

Even though I was self-taught, I feel like I was able to do things properly, little by little, really little by little.

About a year later, I moved to Nagoya due to my husband's job transfer.
After giving birth in 2020 and 2023, here I am today.

Currently, I work fully remotely, handling tasks such as The SUZUTIMES (note, paper media), creating menus, and other public relations work (I don't manage SNS other than note, as those are handled by capable SNS managers, including staff at each store!). I also manage processed products.

The other day, I headed to Nagaoka for the first time in about 5 years to attend the company's 40th-anniversary party.

It had been about 5 years since I moved to Nagoya and visited Niigata.
I had only been able to communicate online, so there were many staff members I was meeting for the first time.

In fact, it was my first time staying away from home alone after giving birth, including my eldest son, so I headed there with a mix of excitement, nervousness, and... many different feelings.

But! That all blew away the moment I stepped into the store.
It was so, so much fun!!!

Checking raw materials, talking about processed products with the production staff, setting up the venue, being able to talk face-to-face with the staff I had been hearing from, the producers I'm indebted to remembering me, and being able to eat Niigata's SUZU cuisine (excluding processed products) for the first time in a while—it was all so much fun.

The next day, they arranged a schedule for me to trace the present of Nagaoka and the company, focusing on Settaya, and I was finally able to visit the places I had been watching as a PR person.

The surprise of 'Wow! That's the thing I saw!', 'So this is that!', 'Is this how it's made!' at that time, as well as the gap of 'Oh, it's surprisingly small!', 'I see, so that's what this is...'—even the gaps were fun.

Feeling like I was in Niigata for the first time, I thought, 'Is this the reason why I continue this job!'

Through 'food,' which I love and feel is precious, I want to convey the excitement of experiencing its fun and deliciousness.
It just so happened that the place I encountered was Niigata, but by conveying the charm of food in each region, I want people who visit to have an experience that moves them.
I think that's why I continue this job even now that I've left Niigata.

I work fully remotely, and I'm not from Niigata, but precisely because of that, I want to continue to put into words and share the charms of Niigata that are hard for those who live there to notice because it's part of their daily life.

Of course, I will continue to communicate closely with the on-site staff and deliver accurate information.
Since I'm not there in person, I do thorough research and experience things as much as possible before sharing information, so please don't feel anxious about our public relations...!

To those who read this for some reason.
Please go to Niigata!! It's an interesting place!

The true test of rice is how delicious it tastes after it has cooled down! (According to my own research)
Boil edamame immediately!
If you are in Nagaoka, you must go to Eguchi Dango (the main store, if possible)!
I never thought I would cry while eating dango.
Be careful, as you might not be able to understand authentic Nagaoka dialect!
Niigata City gets a fair amount of snow, too!
Kashiwazaki is just incredibly windy!
On the other hand, the Sea of Japan on a sunny day feels wonderful!
(On rainy days or during the winter, it feels like a Toei movie!)

Thank you very much for reading until the end!
I have been the one offering staff articles until now, so I never knew it felt like this.
This was a great learning experience.

Look forward to the next update!
Please continue to support The SUZUTIMES.

Koreeda