Hello, this is Robert from the ATC Management Strategy Office. Exactly one week has passed since last week's article . This is the third installment of "ATC, Summer is in Full Swing."

There's a Polish word, "przedsmak." It's difficult to translate perfectly into Japanese, but something close might be "a small prelude before the main event." This word somehow seems to fit the atmosphere at ATC today.

Serial Feature | ATC, Summer is Here. Part 2 of 8

A small surprise prepared by Funeshiru

At the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Museum "Funeshiru" on the second floor of the ITM building, I found some sweets in unusual colors. Bluish-gray, light green, and coral. Three small, bird-shaped chilled sweets in these three colors were lined up on wooden sticks. They had round eyes and yellow beaks. I heard that the light green and coral colors are always available, but the bluish-gray one is a little special and was only available by chance this time. It reminds me of someone, but I'll leave that up to the viewer to decide.

Funeshiru is a museum where you can learn about the world of ships and shipping by "seeing, touching, and playing." The cafe is usually popular for its light blue soft serve ice cream and beef curry with seven kinds of fruit as a secret ingredient, but this dessert offers a different kind of enjoyment. It's strange how encountering it at this time, just one day before the opening of the Ghibli Park exhibition, makes it seem somehow meaningful.

The person who took this photo was the trio from ATC's official Twitter account (@nanko_atc), whom we introduced in our June article . These girls, who quietly share their small daily discoveries, once again didn't miss this moment. Apparently, they were also the ones who acquired that bluish-gray color.

This isn't the first time I've encountered these kinds of small surprises at ATC. The "SUNSET CHILL LOUNGE" raffle I mentioned in an article two weeks ago was one such example, and in the spring, they held an event called "Tomica Expo x Police Safety Class" in conjunction with the Golden Week mat event . They're not widely advertised, but only those who notice them get a small reward. Moments like these regularly sneak into ATC.

The Ghibli Park Exhibition finally opens on July 18th.

And tomorrow, July 18th, the "Ghibli Park Exhibition" will begin at the ATC Gallery (ITM Building 2F). Detailed information about the exhibition period and tickets is summarized in the previous article , so I won't repeat it here. However, I would like to convey the atmosphere inside the gallery beforehand. I feel that there has been a noticeable increase in conversation among the staff over the past few days. It's not a bad thing that many people are looking forward to it.

There's one more thing I can't talk about much yet. A new project is quietly underway somewhere at ATC. I'll just leave the name here for now: "ATC Bay Runner". I'll tell you more details later.

Enjoy a relaxing summer at the cool ATC.

Before or after visiting the Ghibli Park exhibition, it's a good idea to take a stroll around the building. The O's building, facing the sea, has shops where you can find Osaka-style souvenirs and restaurants where you can dine while enjoying the ocean view. On the ITM building side, you'll find shops selling outdoor wear, sea-related goods, and traditional crafts such as wooden bowls and lacquerware. Even just wandering around without a specific purpose can lead to unexpected discoveries.

To be honest, July in Osaka is unbearably hot. However, thanks to its design facing the sea, the ATC building feels somewhat cooler than outside. You can access the ATC from the nearest New Tram "Trade Center-mae" station via a single covered pedestrian bridge, so you hardly have to walk in the blazing sun. Just walking around the cool building can easily fill up a summer day.

This is the second installment of "ATC, Summer is Here!" We'll cover the Ghibli Park exhibition starting tomorrow, Funeshiru's new sweets, and a glimpse of a new project. This series will run for eight installments until the end of August. There's still so much more to talk about at ATC this summer. Please join us again next time!

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