I hope it will become a place where people can see what is happening. I have been running the Monosas site for the past two years.

The Monosasu website has now entered its third spring under a system in which it is run by secretariat members.

I spend my days thinking about what we can do on the company website, trying new things, and running it. I write articles while discussing this and that.

Mr. Saito, a member of the secretariat who has been with us through all this trial and error, will be leaving Monosus this spring.

I would like to look back on the past two years together with Mr. Saito, who has been running the secretariat with me since it was first established.

Nakajima: Today is your last day at Monosus, right?

Saito: That's right. It's lonelier than I thought it would be. I get lonely, so I can't really look people in the eye.

Nakajima : It's a company that's been around for a little under 10 years. I had fun working with you on the Monosasu website for the last two years. It was in Kamiyama that Saito and I first met, right?

Saito-san talking to a scarecrow during his five months in Kamiyama, Tokushima.

Saito: That's right. I told him about my experiences in Kamiyama and we had a great time even though it was our first time meeting. I remember laughing a lot.

Nakajima: From there, we went out to eat, and I interviewed him. When was it that we spent New Year's together in Suwa, Nagano?

Saito : It was the beginning of 2020. I had a chance to go to Suwa with some of my colleagues once, and I thought I'd like to stay a little longer. Then Kimi-chan said she was going, so I tagged along. I went to Suwa first, and since there was nothing to do, I spent six hours walking around Lake Suwa.

We had a lot of laughs at Suwa Nakajima. That spring, I asked him if he would like to work with me as the secretariat for the Monosasu website.

It seemed like it would be fun to work with Saito Kimi-chan, but I had no experience in editing, and I didn't think there was anything I could do at the company other than checking. My first reaction was wondering if I was the right person for the job.

I recommended you to Manabe-san, who was thinking about Nakajima Office with me. We seemed like we could talk honestly with each other, and we didn't seem like we would get into fights. I also thought it would be helpful to have Saito-san, who has connections with various members, with us. I got you involved, but were there any difficulties?

Saito: At first, I was just supporting Kimi-chan and proofreading, but it was difficult to balance the priorities between the client's work and the internal work for the Sasu site. Also, the section introducing the members that I was in charge of required some ingenuity.

Nakajima: We decided that it would be a good idea to create an article in which the members would introduce each other in a relay format, and Saito was put in charge of proceeding with it.

Saito: Even though everyone was busy, I was thinking about how to write and communicate, and how to make articles easier to write. So I made materials that said it was okay to use familiar themes, like the "3-minute corner to express gratitude to someone" that we used to have at morning meetings in the company.

Nakajima: I see. I didn't know that.

Saito: I think some people have the image that writing articles yourself is a tough step to take, or that you have to meet deadlines. The other day, when I was talking to Takita-san, who appeared in another corner, he said, "I realized that being involved with the Monosasu site is so much fun." I was really happy to hear that.

Nakajima: That's nice to hear. Me too.

Saito: I thought that if everyone could just have a little fun interacting with the company's website, they would get to know each other better and their relationships would improve, or they'd feel more involved with the company, and that this might lead to something new.

Nakajima Saito-san also helped us find people who would like to use the exploration type. (Exploration type: A mechanism where Monosus members apply for something they want to try, and after carrying it out, they write an article on the site that also serves as a report.)

Saito: You made a list with information about this person, such as "This person likes beer" or "He seems to be into YouTube these days."

Nakajima: It was really helpful that Saito -san helped me find things that everyone liked and asked me, "Why don't you try it?" At that time, I didn't know many people, and I think some people would be wary if I approached them. Above all, I'm so shy that I can't invite people to dinner. Even now, I'm not good at asking people if they want to write an article together.

I don't think anyone would think that Saito Kimi-chan is like that. There are a lot of interesting people and people with their own unique personalities, so it was fun to bring out everyone's special skills. It also gave me the opportunity to interact with people I don't usually have the chance to meet.

Nakajima : When we were thinking of a project, we had to listen to Harada-san talk about "why I'm growing my hair" for about an hour. Unfortunately, it didn't make the article, but it was interesting. Saito-san, which article left the biggest impression on you?

Saito: That's right. I guess it's brewing beer. Seeing Kojima-san and Okubo-san having so much fun, drinking the beer made with Monosus in mind with everyone at the company, and writing a great article. What about you, Kimi-chan?

Nakajima : That's right. Baba-san's idea to make a video about Kawarazaki-san and Porta was something that made me feel glad to be working in the secretariat. I heard that on the day of the shoot, Saito-san accompanied us, the three of them had a lot of fun talking about various things during their break. I could see that by creating articles for the site, they were able to form a kind of relationship that would not have developed in their normal work.

Saito : Yes, yes. There were a lot of different projects.

Nakajima: Right now, it's like a frame for trying something completely different from work, but it would be nice if it could be used for something closer to work, like developing an app. I hope it will become even more versatile in the future.

A scene from the filming of the inquiry-based "Porta Goes to Town." Saito-san accompanied the group as a support.

Saito : What I think after coming here is that the team of Kimi-chan, myself, and Manabe-san watching over us was very reassuring. It was also reassuring when Nakani-san and Sugimoto-san joined us afterwards. In the end, we didn't fight. There were times when I thought Kimi-chan might be a little grumpy, though.

Nakajima : Eh, did that happen? I forgot... But I think there were things we were able to do because of Saito-san's positive attitude. Even if Manabe-san or I make a difficult suggestion, Saito-san says, "Well, let's give it a try."

Saito: I never felt like I was being too harsh on him. Even outside of meetings, I would ask him if I wanted to talk for a bit, and we would talk about things other than work quite often.

Nakajima: Small complaints and worries. I don't write them on the meeting agenda, but I think it was good that I was able to talk about things that would have been refreshing if I had been able to talk about them. We often talked about how we were doing what we could, but whether this was really the right way to do things.

Saito : That's right. I was proud of each and every article, but I was always worried about whether this was good enough for a company website. I can't say that the website has become a communication tool, but I guess it's become a place where you can see that the website is alive and that everyone is working. We've also received feedback from customers.

Nakajima : Creating and publishing articles is a very steady process, but I hope it will have an effect gradually. In that sense, the "Freedom and Responsibility" column that I worked on with Sugimoto-san was well worth reading, and it was a good corner to introduce what the members were thinking.

Saito: I was just present during the interview, but I could tell that everyone was working with a lot of passion. I'd never even spoken to Murakami-san, who usually sits at the desk next to me, about how I felt about my work.

Nakajima: We wouldn't talk about that unless someone gave us a reason to do so.

Saito: Hinata's story in particular was one of the catalysts that inspired me to move forward. As I listened to him, I looked back on myself and it really touched me.

Nakajima: From now on, you will be working as a dental hygienist full-time, which has been your part-time job up until now.

Saito : Yes. As medical professionals have come into the spotlight, I started to think that if I have the qualifications and experience, I could contribute more to society and find more value in that field. At Monosus, I was blessed with great people and was respected for my individual life. From now on, it's my turn to think about the lives of others. I think I'll be walking a thorny path. I feel both anxious and excited.

Nakajima : Have you decided on your next job?

Saito: I was just looking for a new job. I bought a black suit for my ID photo and interview. But it didn't have the crispness of an adult. When I asked Okubo about it, he said, "Isn't it weird to wear a suit for a job interview at this age?" and I thought, "I see!" I'm still as laid back as ever, and that's how I feel now.

Nakajima: I'm rooting for you in your new challenge. Once again, thank you for running the site with me for the past two years.

Saito : Thank you. I'm glad I said "I'll do it" back then. I'm looking forward to your future projects on Monosasu! Thank you.

Mr. Saito became a colleague and friend that I could talk to about anything. His natural curiosity and positive attitude helped me a lot during those two years.

We will be a little sad, but we have new members on the Monosas site office, and we are able to do more. We will be introducing Monosas from various angles in the future, so we hope you will continue to support us!