Shopping Guide
On Oct. 30, Luxa Inc., a retailer that operates primarily on the Internet, held a “Square Enix Employee Cafeteria Tour,” the sixth of its “Luxa Coveted Employee Cafeteria Tour Present” offered to members of the Luxa online store. The destination of this tour was Square Enix Co. Ltd., a video game producer that also publishes a manga magazine titled Shonen Gangan. The focus of the tour was the employee cafeteria in the company’s office, and participants would be able to eat from the lunch menu normally reserved for employees only. As to be expected for this precious chance for regular people to visit this major game manufacturer known for such popular RPG series as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, the applications poured in, with 5,040 people competing for 10 spots to participate.
When Square Enix moved their offices to Shinjuku in October 2012, they opened this employee cafeteria, which operates morning to night, with the goals of promoting good health among employees and providing a space to interact. The cafeteria provides 100-yen cups of coffee and freshly baked bread at any time of day, and at night there’s a menu featuring drinks based on items from the Final Fantasy series, such as “Elixir” and “Materia.”
Visitors can choose from three types of options on the food menu: a plate lunch (which includes a main, side, rice, and soup, with the different choices arranged buffet-style), a noodle dish, or a rice bowl. The plate lunch costs 500 yen. The “low calorie select” menu chosen by a nutritionist displays the amount of things like calories, fat, and carbohydrates, and is popular among dieting and health-conscious employees.
The day of the tour happened to coincide with Halloween, and we were greeted by cafeteria staff dressed in various costumes. The tour participants ordered what they liked from the menu and shared an enjoyable lunch time with Square Enix staff while gazing at the view of Shinjuku expanding beyond the cafeteria windows.
One man who participated spoke happily about the long-awaited tour. “It was a luxurious time being able to eat lunch with the staff of Square Enix. Over 4,000 people had already entered when I submitted my entry, so I thought there was no way I would be chosen, but I’m really glad that I was.”
“I didn’t really know anything about Square Enix,” said one woman, however. “It was fun to get a taste of what it’s like at a company I don’t normally come in contact with. The menu is healthy, and the germinated brown rice was particularly tasty,” she added, sharing her satisfaction with the lunch menu.
A representative from Square Enix who attended the cafeteria tour explained its purpose: “We hope this will serve as a way for participants to get to know Square Enix.” Regarding the over 5,000 entries, the representative said, “We feel very sorry [that the number of participants was low],” but expressed enthusiasm for the plans for the next tour to be held, adding, “We’re working out a new plan to have people come and get to know our company.” Square Enix fans will want to to keep an eye out for the next tour event.
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This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
