Every year, freee kicks off the new fiscal year with freee Spirit, bringing teams together to celebrate what they’ve accomplished, share what’s ahead, and get everyone excited for the year to come.

This year, a few of us from Likha had the chance to experience it in person in Japan.

We went to Tokyo for the event, caught up with teammates we usually only see on screens, learned more about freee’s direction for FY27, and, of course, made time to explore and have fun together.

But more than anything, we came home with new ideas and a few things we wanted to bring back to Likha.

Experiencing freee Spirit in person

The event was held on July 8 at Pacifico Yokohama North.

For those of us attending for the first time, the scale of the event was probably one of the first things we noticed. Seeing so many people from across freee gathered in one place made the whole experience feel very different from our usual day-to-day work.

From registration to the main event, everything was well organized and easy to navigate. It was clear that a lot of thought went into making everyone feel welcome and part of the experience.

 

Looking ahead: AI, D4U, and FY27

One of the biggest highlights was hearing about freee’s direction for FY27.

AI was naturally a big part of the conversation, along with product updates and the “Done For You” (D4U) concept, freee’s vision of making things easier for small businesses by taking more work off their hands.

For us at Likha, it was interesting to see how these ideas connect with the work we do every day.

AI is changing how software is built, tested, and delivered. Seeing the scale of freee’s investment in AI gave us a better sense of how important it will be in the years ahead, and also got us thinking about how we can make better use of it ourselves.

The Majikachi Awards were another highlight.

It was great to see teams recognized for creating real value for freee’s customers. What stood out to us was that the work being celebrated wasn’t just about hitting targets. It was about solving problems and making a real difference.

That was a good reminder that even when we’re working within our own teams, there’s always a bigger impact behind what we build and support.

 

What stuck with us

Of course, everyone experienced the event a little differently.

Ms. Amor: “Being there for the first time, the electric energy and sheer size of the crowd blew me away! Seeing the huge crowd paired with leadership’s bold vision for ‘Done-for-You AI’ was easily my favorite highlight of the trip.”

Aireen: “Reconnecting face-to-face with people I’ve only worked with virtually was amazing! I loved how clearly the future plans were explained, but what surprised me most were the dedicated stretch and mingle breaks built into the schedule. It was so refreshing—and definitely something cool we can try doing in Likha events!”

Bads: “Seeing DS dress up as a magician to show how AI brings ‘magic’ to our ‘Done 4 U’ theme was unforgettable! What surprised me most was getting a live translation radio set—it felt so high-effort and kept us completely connected to everything happening on stage.”

Ween: “Seeing our teammates from Empower recognized on stage among freee’s top performers was such a proud moment! I was also blown away by how inclusive the event was—the real-time translation made sure everyone, regardless of language, felt genuinely welcomed and valued.”

Antman: “The awards segment was my favorite highlight—it put into perspective how one team’s work trickles out to everyone else across such a large company. What surprised me most was the massive scale of investment in freee-mcp and AI. It showed that AI isn’t just a side project, but a core foundation for where freee is heading.”

Gelo: “Seeing bottom-up initiatives recognized at the freee Awards was super inspiring. It showed how an idea someone just starts building can end up changing how the whole company works, and it really motivated me to keep pushing my own ideas further!”

 

Taking the experience back to Likha

One of the best parts of the trip was knowing that we could bring some of what we experienced back home.

Our PeopleOps team came back with plenty of ideas after seeing how freee Spirit was planned and run. Those ideas became useful when we started preparing for All Hands on Deck FY27, Likha’s own annual kickoff.

We didn’t want to simply copy what we saw. Instead, we picked out the things we liked and adapted them to what felt right for Likha.

Just two weeks later, we got to put some of those ideas into practice.

And seeing the team enjoy the event made all the planning worth it. 🎉

 

Catching up beyond the screen

The trip also gave us a chance to spend time with our counterparts from Japan and the Likha Group Assignees currently based there.

The group assignees are part of a program that gives Likha team members the opportunity to immerse themselves in freee’s development and QA practices. Since we normally work together through video calls and chat, being able to catch up in person was a nice change.

 

The Tokyo side quests

Of course, we couldn’t go to Japan without making time to enjoy Tokyo.

Some of us visited temples. Others went shopping. We had izakaya dinners, tried different food, and eventually ended up at karaoke.

Some people took the microphone very seriously.

Others were perfectly happy cheering from the sidelines. 😂

These were the moments that made the trip even more memorable—a chance to spend time together without a schedule full of meetings and work.

 

More than just a trip

Going to freee Spirit gave us a chance to see freee from a different perspective: to experience the scale of the company, hear about its plans for FY27, and see the people behind some of the work we’ve mostly experienced from afar.

But the trip wasn’t just about what happened in Japan.

We came home with new ideas, new perspectives, and things we could try here at Likha. From the way we run our own events to how we think about AI, collaboration, and the value we create, there was plenty to take away.

The freee Spirit may have started in Tokyo, but we’re bringing it home to Likha. 🇵🇭🇯🇵

Here’s to FY27! 🌊✨