Notice of additional recruitment for Entertainment Operator positions (shipboard) for "Asuka III Original Performing Arts"

We are recruiting for an Entertainment Operator position (shipboard) for "Asuka III Original Performing Arts", the entertainment programme performed in the Lumiere Theatre, the entertainment space on Asuka III, the newly built cruise ship of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd. that enters service on 20 July 2025. The position is held concurrently with a manager / planner / director position (ground-based; one of these job types will be designated) in our business divisions — projection mapping, immersive art museums, immersive shows and so on — or in our corporate division.

* For the latest information, including the Q&A, please see here.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Recruitment details

Duties

(When working on land: approximately 6 to 8 months per year)

* When working on land, the job type will be designated as manager, planner or director according to the individual's aptitude and preference.

* Other job types such as designer, creator or engineer may also be designated if the individual's aptitude and preference match the company's business needs.

<Manager>

・ Accounting, labour affairs, finance, human resources and legal affairs in the corporate division

・ Secretarial work in the corporate division (management support, schedule management and coordination, driving, attending, receiving visitors, handling telephone calls and emails, arranging business trips, expense settlement)

・ Project management, budget management, contract management, production schedule management, PR, advertising and marketing, website operation and social media operation for business divisions such as projection mapping, immersive art museums, immersive shows, digital installations, 3DCG animation and VR/AR/metaverse

・ Management and operation of equipment such as projectors, lenses and speakers

・ Other duties relating to the company as a whole

<Planner>

・ Planning, concept development, project management, art management, PR, advertising and marketing, website operation, social media operation, contract management, budget management and production schedule management for business divisions such as projection mapping, immersive art museums, immersive shows, digital installations, 3DCG animation and VR/AR/metaverse

・ Coordination with clients such as national and local governments, presentations and sales

・ Branding strategy, promotion strategy, website operation and social media operation for the corporate division

・ Other duties relating to the company as a whole

<Director>

・ Planning, concept development, direction and staging, project management, art management, PR, advertising and marketing, website operation, social media operation, contract management, budget management and production schedule management for business divisions such as projection mapping, immersive art museums, immersive shows, digital installations, 3DCG animation and VR/AR/metaverse

・ Coordination with clients such as national and local governments, presentations and sales

・ Event operation planning, spatial design, security planning, construction planning, various applications, fire-safety liaison, staff arrangement, equipment arrangement, on-site operation management and on-site construction management for projection mapping, immersive art museums, immersive shows, digital installations and similar

・ Other duties relating to the company as a whole

(When working at sea: approximately 4 to 6 months per year)

<Entertainment Operator>

・ Running the entertainment programme, stage management, backstage work, supporting dancers with costumes and hair and make-up, and responding to emergencies

・ Managing the dancers of the entertainment programme, and handling rehearsals

・ Operating and maintaining the media servers for holographic-screen and LED-screen images (no experience required)

・ Operating and maintaining video equipment such as projectors and lenses (no experience required)

・ PR, advertising and marketing, website operation and social media operation for the entertainment programme

・ Other duties relating to the entertainment programme as a whole

Essential skills

・ Self-discipline, initiative and a sense of responsibility that allow you to maintain motivation and performance during long periods of work at sea

・ Cooperativeness and a positive, proactive attitude that allow you to spend long periods of shipboard life working well with those around you

・ An interest in projection mapping, immersive art museums, immersive shows and the like (no experience required)

・ Basic PC skills

・ Communication skills

・ An ordinary driving licence (if you do not yet hold one, obtaining it after an informal job offer or after joining the company is also acceptable)

Preferred skills and qualifications

* Preferred skills and qualifications are for reference only. Both experienced professionals and new graduates may apply, so work experience and qualifications are not required.

<Manager>

・ Work experience in accounting, labour affairs, finance, human resources or legal affairs

・ Work experience as a secretary

・ Secretarial Skills Test

・ Bookkeeping

・ Financial Planning Technician certification

<Planner>

・ Work experience in sales

・ Work experience in PR, advertising or marketing

・ Work experience in the advertising, mass media or publishing industries

・ PR Planner

・ General / Domestic Travel Services Manager

<Director>

・ Work experience in video content production

・ Work experience in events

・ Work experience in the content business

・ Work experience in the video or event industries

・ Event Business Manager

・ General / Domestic Travel Services Manager

<Entertainment Operator>

・ Work experience operating equipment such as video, lighting and sound (no experience required)

・ Work experience at theme parks and similar

・ Work experience in the airline, hotel, bridal or travel industries

Number of positions

A small number (one manager who is also an Entertainment Operator will be recruited as a priority, whether mid-career or new graduate; other job types combined with the Entertainment Operator role will be recruited if the individual's aptitude and preference match the company's business needs)

Application requirements

・ Those expecting to graduate or complete a graduate school, university, junior college, vocational school or similar between April 2025 and March 2026 (no work history required)

・ Those under 30 years of age as of 1 April 2026 (no educational requirement; graduates already out of education are welcome)

・ Those able to board Asuka III for up to approximately six months a year (up to approximately one month continuously at sea) and to work and live on board

・ Those able to work at the Head Office (Nagoya) when working on land (current place of residence is not a requirement)

・ Those who accept the possibility of future transfers, secondments or changes of job type in Japan or overseas, including when working on land (decisions on transfers, secondments and changes of job type are made with full consideration of your working and family circumstances and with respect for your wishes)

・ Those able to work on the preparation and running of events including on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and late at night, and to travel on business in Japan and overseas, when working on land

How to apply

Please send your CV (any format) to the email address below (10 MB or less).

Send to: recruit@hitohata.jp (HITOHATA, INC. recruitment team)

<Deadline: Sunday 25 May 2025, 23:59>

<Example items to include in your CV>

・ Name (with reading) ・ Date of birth (age as of the date of writing) ・ Gender ・ Photograph ・ Current address ・ Address of family home etc. * if you have a family home you can live in ・ Contact details (email address, mobile phone) ・ Educational background ・ Work history (if any) ・ Licences (with date obtained) ・ Qualifications (with date obtained) ・ Reasons for applying ・ Self-introduction etc. ・ Preferred job type ・ Other personal requests (if there are circumstances requiring special consideration)

* When applying, please agree to the HITOHATA, INC. Privacy Policy, which sets out our rules on the handling of personal information.

Selection process

・ Entry (submission of CV)

・ Notification of the result of the document screening (within two weeks, by email)

・ Aptitude test (SPI3) * document-screening successful applicants only

・ Interview (held at our office or online) * document-screening successful applicants only

・ Practical test * interview successful applicants only

・ Final interview

・ Observation of an "Asuka III Original Performing Arts" rehearsal or similar (planned)

・ Informal job offer

* Emails may fail to reach you because of mailbox capacity limits or spam filtering. If you have not heard from us within two weeks of entry, please contact us via the enquiry form.

* Interviews and selection tests may be held more than once depending on the applicant's experience, skills and abilities.

Enquiries about the recruitment details and requests for information sessions

Please email us at recruit@hitohata.jp.

* Enquiries from individuals and from schools are both welcome. For schools, we can also hold information sessions (dates and details to be discussed).

Conditions and benefits

Type of employment

Contract employee (one year, including a three-month probationary period)

* Contract renewal available

* System for conversion to permanent employment available

Salary, bonuses and allowances

Base salary: 252,800 yen (for a graduate of a four-year university in Japan, aged 22 at the time of joining as a new graduate)

Base salary: 250,400 yen (for a graduate of a two-year vocational school or similar in Japan, aged 20 at the time of joining as a new graduate)

For new graduates who need to relocate in order to join, a new-graduate relocation allowance of 200,000 yen is paid in the month of joining

For both mid-career and new-graduate hires, the base salary is increased according to previous experience, qualifications, age and so on

Shipboard daily allowance: 2,500 yen per day (paid according to the number of days on board, regardless of whether they are working days or days off)

* For one continuous month on board, a shipboard daily allowance of 2,500 yen × up to 31 days = 77,500 yen is paid in addition to the base salary.

Overtime, holiday-work and late-night allowances are paid separately according to the hours worked, calculated by the minute

Bonuses paid (twice a year, in June and December)

Regular base-salary review (once a year, in July)

Full payment of commuting expenses and boarding/disembarking travel expenses (up to a limit), plus allowances such as business-trip allowances

A work PC that can be taken off site is loaned (in principle a MacBook)

For new graduates who need company-leased housing in order to join, a housing allowance of 10,000 to 30,000 yen is paid depending on the area of residence

Working conditions, days off and leave

Prescribed working hours: (at sea) shift system

(on land) 10:00–19:00 (one-hour break, eight hours of actual work; a flexitime system that allows the prescribed working hours to be varied is available)

Days off: (at sea) shift system (123 days off per year in total, at sea and on land)

(on land) in principle Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and the New Year period (29 December – 3 January)

Annual paid leave: 10 days granted in the first year (granted six months after joining), increasing by one to two days each subsequent year up to a maximum of 20 days per year

In addition to full days, half days and hourly leave (leave taken in units of one hour) can be used

Special leave: three days granted in the first year only, in addition to annual paid leave (granted three months after joining)

Refresh leave: at the start of the business year after five years of service, ten consecutive days of paid leave to be taken within that year are granted in addition to annual paid leave, and every five years thereafter

Other leave systems are also available, including maternity leave, childcare leave and nursing-care leave

Probationary period

Probationary period: three months

* No reduction in salary or allowances during the probationary period

Principal place of work

(At sea) on board Asuka III

(On land) Head Office * headquarters

3F 3-2, Nagono Campus, 2-14-1 Nagono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 451-0042, Japan

* If you become a permanent employee through the conversion system, there is a possibility of future transfers, secondments or changes of job type within Japan.

Other benefits

Enrolment in social insurance schemes (employment insurance, workers' accident compensation insurance, health insurance, employees' pension insurance, long-term care insurance)

Regular health check-up (once a year; optional examination items designated by the company can also be taken at the company's expense)

Subsidies for the purchase of books and for participation in training and study groups to improve skills (where approved by the company, up to a limit)

Outside activities such as lectures, writing and presenting your own work are permitted (where approved by the company)

Other benefit schemes will be expanded progressively

Training

A range of compulsory and optional training programmes is available, including business manners training, logical thinking training, mentor training, communication training, time management training and leadership training

About "Asuka III Original Performing Arts"

"Asuka III Original Performing Arts" is an entertainment programme performed in the Lumiere Theatre, the entertainment space on Asuka III, the newly built cruise ship of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd. entering service on 20 July 2025. Making full use of cutting-edge digital technology, it is a new kind of immersive performing art in which dance performances are fused with fantastical, dynamic digital art images on holographic screens and LED screens.

"KAGUYA" is an original work that pays homage to Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), which was established in the Heian period and is said to be the oldest surviving Japanese tale. It weaves a fantastical story through dance and the emotional beauty unique to Japan — the moon, bamboo groves, the Milky Way and the world of folding-screen paintings.

"MYSTERIO" is an original work themed on the mysterious and romantic ancient civilisations of Mexico, weaving a mysterious story through captivating culture and dance — the sun, the jungle, animals in primary colours and prayers to the gods.

[Title] Asuka III Original Performing Arts

"KAGUYA" / "MYSTERIO"

[Performance period] Summer 2025 (when Asuka III enters service) onwards

* Approximately 104 performances of the two works in total are planned per year

[Production staff]

Executive Producer: Takeaki Higashiyama

Director: Junya Yamada

Creative Director: Takaki Nagao

Choreographer: MIWA

Concept Director: Kazu Nakagawa

Art Director: Nobuya Hayasaka

Technical Director: Fumiya Takeuchi

Project Manager: Naoko Masugi

[Running time] Approximately 30 minutes for each work (planned)

About Asuka III

Asuka III is a newly built cruise ship of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd. scheduled to enter service in 2025.

Her port of registry (home port) is Yokohama, and at 52,200 gross tonnes she is the largest Japanese-flagged passenger ship.

She is 230.2 m long and 29.8 m wide, and is planned to have 385 guest rooms and a passenger capacity of 740.

Asuka III will continue to offer the hospitality and high-quality service unique to a Japanese ship that Asuka Cruise has cultivated over the years, while pursuing services that let guests enjoy the freedom sought by the next generation.

The ship will also convey the wonder of Japanese culture through its cruises: the interiors are adorned with works of art and craft by artists who support Japan's artistic culture, carrying Japanese culture forward as a "floating museum".

* Information about Asuka III is current as of April 2024. Details are subject to change.

Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.

Computer-generated image. Image courtesy of NYK Cruises Co., Ltd.