Marathons for Business in Japan
On October 30, the day before Halloween, unconventional runners took to the roads of the city of Osaka. Nearly all of them ran with faces wreathed in smiles that belied the taxing distance of 42.195 kilometers they would run. A woman in her 20s on the roadside observing the 8th Osaka Marathon, in which some […]
Sense of Belonging in Japan
Sense of Belonging in Japan on Business The Importance of Belonging It is hard to overestimate this aspect of Japanese culture, particularly since it differs so completely from the experience of most Westerners. For a great many generations, the Japanese have had strength in groups and in collective decision-making. Under the traditional rice farming economy, […]
What will happen to luxury after COVID-19? Learning from the past incidents in Japan
What will happen to luxury after COVID-19? Learning from the past incidents in Japan “Because you never know what happens tomorrow… I want to distinguish what’s REALLY necessary for me” or so said a middle-aged Tokyo women in a focus group in August 2011. The experience of March 11th and the ongoing threat of the […]
Old Clothes Business in Japan
Japan's Second-hand Clothes Business Just 2,000 yen for 9 kg! This is not a meat sales counter. It is the result of an event where you stuff in as much as you can. What can you take as much of as you can stuff in? Is it fruit? Is it vegetables? No, the answer is […]
Weekend Farming in Japan: What’s It All About - Therapy, Social Interaction, Education, Match-making?
Weekend farming boom even in pandemic By Ryoji Shimada, staff writer “Carrots, pumpkins, peppers, burdock, bok choy, tomatoes! Growing food is totally awesome!” fourth grader Masato shouts back. His mother enjoys growing and planting all the things they like and says, “They have a lot more flavor than what you buy in the supermarket. When […]
Sense of Privacy of Japanese People
Japanese people don't want to stand out There are many myths about Japan and Japanese contemporary culture but one certainty is that “standing out” is still frowned upon. So perhaps it is not surprising that when you ask people about the nature of privacy and their concerns about it given that today’s prevalence of social […]
Eating Lunch Together Is Important in Japan
Let’s Have Lunch! Lunchtime in Japan In Japanese companies, the lunch break is almost always 12:00am to 1:00pm. All work stops and everyone goes to lunch at the same time. Large companies have multiple cafeterias so that everyone can get a full hot meal almost simultaneously. It is not a particularly leisurely meal. Once everyone […]
Xenia Lavrow: Wagashi Chef Apprentice in Japan
Creative wagashi, “Goldfish Bowl” (patent pending): Enjoyed by young and old, sold only during the summer months Samples of Korakuya’s creative wagashi Mr. Katsurada, owner chef of Korakuya Xenia’s important notes They include everything she has learned about wagashi at Korakuya. A YOUNG WOMAN FROM GERMANY CROSSES A CULTURAL BRIDGE AND FULFILLS HER DREAM AS […]
Profession as a Gamer in Japan: Daigo Umehara
Japanese first fighting game pro “Wait, you mean you thought you were winning?” “Why don’t you try using your head a little next time?” The trash talking screen character addresses you directly – this is what happens when you lose in the extremely popular one-on-one fighting game Street Fighter IV arcade version. The day after […]
Revitalizing an Old Shopping Arcade in Japan
Two Birds With One Stone – Revitalize Shotengai (or Shoutengai) & Create Jobs For Young People “Good afternoon!” “Irassahimase! Welcome!” Bright young voices resound inside the shops of the Momodani Station shotengai or shopping street, about 15 minutes by train from Osaka’s downtown. The young people selling recycled clothing and other things in some of […]