Eco Solutions from Japan: Environmental Products from Japan
During her visit to Japan in February 2005, Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai was introduced mottainai campaign – an accurate reflection of the to an ancient Buddhist term that captured her imagination. That term was mottainai, a Japanese word that describes a sense of gratitude for natural resources and a […]
Marcos Bezerra Abbott Galvão: Ambassador of Brazil to Japan (current Brazilian Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels)
“We have been working together for more than 100 years” By Ryoji Shimada, staff writer Brazil, with its relatively young population of nearly 200 million and rapidly growing economy has overtaken the UK to become the world’s sixth largest economy after the US, China, Japan, Germany and France. There are even more expectations ahead of […]
Japanese-style Debate
Japanese-style Debate and Discussion By P. Pringle An All-too-common Situation in a Japanese Company Have you been in a meeting like this? The Japanese and Americans working at a Japanese multinational company are having a meeting to discuss an issue. Both sides agree to brainstorm the topic. The Japanese start asking questions. The Americans start […]
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 […]
Bicqlo Store Combines Clothes and Electronics to Boost Consumption
Bicqlo Store Combines Clothes and Electronics By Ryoji Shimada “It’s a wonderful hodgepodge!” raves one sign. “Home appliances evolve, and so do clothes!” says another. With such claims at the store front and eye-catching electronic bulletin boards displaying constantly updated information on products, one’s curiosity would naturally be piqued, and certainly expect to find something […]