Art Moving Center announced on September 11th that it held the 11th Art Moving Technology Contest, a national competition where 10 representative teams (5 from Eastern Japan and 5 from Western Japan) who had won the preliminary rounds held at 160 locations nationwide competed in moving techniques, at its Kita-Osaka branch on September 10th.
<The winning representatives from the Tokyo block (from left: Akane Hiratani, Noritaka Kashiwagi, and President Masato Terada)>
<"A delicate packing technique that safely and carefully stores a glass shelf, a desk, and two futon bags using limited materials.">
<"A transportation technology that combines practicality and precision, capable of safely and reliably transporting a household refrigerator weighing approximately 90 kg, even in confined spaces.">
Ten teams (two members per team, with at least one female staff member), a total of 20 moving professionals who had won their respective regional qualifiers, competed in three categories: 1. Driving skills, 2. Packing skills, and 3. Transportation skills. The cheers of support from each block also added to the excitement of the venue.
The tournament was won by the pair of Noritaka Kashiwagi and Akane Hiratani, both from the Minato branch and representing the Tokyo block. Kashiwagi said, "Thank you so much to everyone who came to support us and everyone who gave us their support. We wanted to meet everyone's expectations with a result, and I think we were able to do so in the best way possible with the best result. Last year, she shed tears of frustration, and this year we were able to turn those tears into tears of joy."
Hiratani also said, "I tried last year as well, but it didn't work out. In the midst of all that, I asked Kashiwagi, 'I want to win this time, so please compete with me,' and we were able to win. She really supported me like a superhero. And thanks to everyone's support, I was able to get this far."
