Where Does Japan's Soft-power Come From?: The Truth About Japan's Creativity
Behind Japanese Creativity The award ceremony for the Ig Nobel Prize, which is given for unique scientific research, was held online in September 2021. The prize was awarded to a Japanese research team led by Assistant Professor Hisashi Murakami of Kyoto Institute of Technology, who conducted experiments and verified why pedestrians sometimes bump into other […]
Guest House Business in Japan
A Place for Gathering, Beyond All Borders By Ryoji Shimada “The guesthouse is just a means of attaining our objective,” Takuya Kirimura admits. “Traveling makes people feel ‘flat.’ With no precondition or prejudice, people can meet new people just as one human being to another, with no barriers between them.” Kirimura is CFO of Backpackers’ […]
Bicycle Taxi in Tokyo
Boosted as “A new transport system easy on the environment as well as a moving advertising media,” vela-taxis first made their appearance in the German capital of Berlin in 1997. They were seen not only as a simple means of transport, but also as a solution to various issues, including environmental problems and stimulation of […]
Canned-food Bar Trendy in Japan
Bars that offer, in addition to drinks, a menu of canned food items --- referred to as “Can Bars” --- have begun catching on in Tokyo, Osaka and other major cities. The canned items include yakitori (grilled chicken), stewed fish, fruits, rice mixed with vegetables and others. The variety numbers in the hundreds. The prices […]
Truth about Japanese Father
About Poor Japanese Old Dad By Dave McCaughan Fathers have a hard time. Japanese fathers seem to feel they have an especially hard time Over the last eight years, before and after the disaster of 3.11, we have seen consistent patterns among people of all ages when they think of their own lives and their […]
Abdulaziz Turkistani: Ambassador to Japan from The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (until 2015)
"We need to build a strategic partnership." “Oil and desert as far as the eye can see,” a Japanese man in his 50s once replied, after being asked to describe his image of Saudi Arabia. He was surprised to be informed that the desert occupies only one-third of that country’s total land area. A Japanese […]
Ninja Still Alive: Devoting One’s Life to Ninjutsu Training and Study
Ninja Still Alive: Devoting One’s Life to Ninjutsu Training and Study Ryoji Shimada, staff writer What is your image of ninja? Their image that comes to mind for most people is of someone clad in black clothes, sword strapped to their back, hurling shuriken throwing stars, and running across the surface of water or disappearing […]
Hierarchy in Japanese Companies
Hierarchy in a Japanese company One aspect of Japanese corporate culture that often is difficult for non-Japanese to understand is the importance of hierarchy. The status relationships among various different members of the organization is a key determining factor in how they interact with each other, and how they expect others to interact with them. […]
About Being a Foreigner Working in Japan
Being a Gaijin or Gaikokujin in Japan By D. McCaughan A foreigner living in Japan, like any expatriate experience, soon learns that working here has many behaviors that might seem strange “at home.” Not long ago I was in a meeting when . . . Differences Between Japan and Foreign Countries Of course there are […]
Changing Manners in Japan
Can Ads' Subtle Hints Elicit More Considerate Behavior in Japan? By Ryoji Shimada Depending on which dictionary you peruse, a variety of definitions can be found for the word “manner.” Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English for example defines the word first as “the way in which something is done or happens.” The second definition is […]