As a part of the NYK Mirai Project,* NYK’s container shipping planning center,* which NYK established in Kumamoto prefecture, sponsored a booth at the Ozu Jizo Festival, a Kumamoto festival that has over 300 years of history dating back to the Edo period (1603–1868).

On August 23 and 24, seven staff members of NYK, Kozo Keikaku Engineering Inc., and another company ran a booth to introduce the attributes of the maritime industry to people in the community, and over those two days 650 residents of the town of Ozu-machi stopped by to learn more about oceangoing ships and the virtues of a seafaring life. Visitors were also given the opportunity to have their photo taken in a captain’s uniform and to play deck billiards, a game that has been played on board ships for many years.

The NYK Group will continue the NYK Mirai Project to encourage people’s interest in the maritime industry and seafaring duties that support our trading society.

* NYK Mirai Project
This project consists of a series of activities that nurture greater awareness of maritime affairs and the seafaring life among Japan’s youth so that they can develop interest in the maritime industry and consider careers at shipping companies. The project was launched at the end of 2014.

** Container shipping planning center
This center was established by NYK and Kozo Keikaku Engineering Inc. in 2014, and now plays a central role in the stowage planning of containerships operated in the Asian region by Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd., in addition to cooperation with container terminals at ports of call.