Last weekend, I visited the “Dreamland”, located near the border of Tokyo and Chiba Prefectures, and stayed at a partner hotel nearby.

 

This hotel operates a free shuttle bus that takes guests to and from the “Dreamland.” The bus stops first at the sea-themed section of “Dreamland,” then proceeds to the land-themed area, before returning to the hotel.

 

When I boarded the shuttle for the first time at the bus stop right in front of the hotel, an announcement came over the speaker saying, “We’ll be departing in a few minutes, so please wait a moment.” The content was ordinary enough, but the tone and intonation of the voice had a peculiar flair. I thought to myself, “What an unusual way of speaking.”

 

After departing, the bus made another stop in front of a sister hotel on the same premises. Just before that stop, another announcement rang out: “Next, we’ll be stopping.” Again, the content was nothing out of the ordinary, but the manner of speaking was laced with an unmistakable personal touch.

 

After picking up passengers from the partner hotel, the bus entered public roads to “Dreamland.” There, the driver gave an announcement explaining the route and some riding precautions, much like any typical bus would.

 

And in that moment, the mystery of his unique tone was solved. The driver was speaking just like a “Dreamland” cast member—a skilled entertainer weaving enchantment over the journey for passengers headed to a magical destination.

 

Over the 15-minute shuttle ride, he transformed into a charismatic tour guide, energetically previewing the traffic conditions ahead with dramatic flair.

 

For example, he said, “We’re approaching a bridge where two bumps await us. Be especially careful of the second bump—it might feel like your body is dropping!”

 

Naturally, the unassuming passengers started buzzing with excitement. With each bump or curve in the road, he would call it out in advance, entertaining the riders as he steered the bus toward “Dreamland.”

 

To be clear, this was just an ordinary public road. The bumps he spoke of were the same minor imperfections on streets all over Japan.

 

And yet, after hearing his performance, even those everyday bumps began to feel as if “Dreamland” itself had created them intentionally for our amusement. That’s how powerful his narrative was.

 

When I got off the bus, I told him, “That was fun.” He replied with a thank-you in his distinct intonation.

 

Still, I was left with a lingering question: Why does this driver perform his announcements like this? He most likely isn’t directly employed by “Dreamland.”

 

However, because the shuttle bus was decorated with “Dreamland” characters, it’s possible that the park requested this style of performance as part of the partnership agreement with the hotel.

 

To investigate, I paid close attention to the announcement when taking the shuttle back to the hotel from “Dreamland.” This time, the driver was different, and he simply gave plain, procedural announcements.

 

So, how should we interpret this contrast? Was that initial driver improvising out of personal passion, or is the going-to “Dreamland” route designed to be more entertaining by policy, while the return trip is not?

 

The next day, curious as ever, I boarded the shuttle to “Dreamland” again. And to my surprise, the new driver gave no special performance.

 

In short, the driver from the first day was going above and beyond entirely of his own volition. He added his creative flair to the ride, making even the short shuttle trip an entertaining experience. I was genuinely impressed.

 

Where does such an initiative come from? What inspired him to start performing those announcements? Has “Dreamland” noticed someone like him? If not, they absolutely should.

 

I believe every business leader and HR professional would want to know: How can we nurture more employees like him?

 

No one asked him to do this (probably). He likely isn’t even directly employed by “Dreamland.” And yet, at his post, he’s upholding the magic of “Dreamland” with everything he’s got. That miracle was the most moving part of our family trip.

 

Thank you for reading Hokuroku again this week. If more people like him were sprinkled across this region, Hokuriku could easily become the number one tourist destination in Japan.

 

MasayoshiSakamoto
Editor-in-Chief of Hokuroku