Here are some great blogs that consistently have beautiful photography from the Land of the Rising Sun:
More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan
Off the beaten track in Japan:- Nature, Culture, History, Spirit, Art….
Tokyo Daily Photo
An almost daily photo from Tokyo, Japan…
Fixed in Japan
Fixed Gear and Life From Japan
Photographer in Japan
A finalist in the Photoblog Awards for Best Asian/Oceanian Photoblog 2008
阿波踊り: Awa Odori 2009 Festival
The “one-coin theory” is a hallowed principle of retailing in Japan, the idea being that if your product can be purchased with one coin, people are more willing to buy it. This principle was formulated through Japan’s extensive vending machine business, in particular vending machines that sold beverages. Until the mid-90s, 100-yen was the upper limit for all canned beverages sold in vending machines since it was considered a kind of psychological barrier. Most vending machines are owned by beverage makers, and no one wanted to be the guy who increased their prices first, even though material costs had been rising for years. If one was going to do it, they all should, and eventually they did. After a short period of sluggish sales, profitability eventually returned and there have been regular rises in prices ever since. The standard VM price is ¥120 for canned drinks and ¥130-¥150 for drinks in larger PET bottles.
But in the past few years, there’s been a marked reversal. Independent vending machine operators have bucked the big manufacturers like Kirin, Suntory, Asahi, Pokka and Dydo by selling their products below the retail prices these manufacturers dictate. The trend has seen prices not only drop back to the one-coin level, but even further. Wex, a VM operator out of Osaka, sells Suntory, Pokka and Kirin products for ¥100, as well as its own private brand of canned coffee called Two Down for only ¥80, all in their own vending machines, and the big manufacturers are seriously ticked off.
![A group of spotted seals are pictured resting on breakwater blocks at the Bakkai fishing port in Wakkanai, Hokkaido Prefecture, on Sunday, Nov 8. More than 350 spotted seals have already migrated to the port from Sakhalin, Russia, to pass the winter, and the number will increase to nearly 700 from late December to early January.
[ Photo Journal - The Mainichi Daily News ]](http://20.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ktmkilYf971qa29loo1_400.jpg)
A group of spotted seals are pictured resting on breakwater blocks at the Bakkai fishing port in Wakkanai, Hokkaido Prefecture, on Sunday, Nov 8. More than 350 spotted seals have already migrated to the port from Sakhalin, Russia, to pass the winter, and the number will increase to nearly 700 from late December to early January.
While a noodle-cooking robot has been around for a while, apparently noodle-creating has just entered the robotic age. The Sanuki Shokunin robot can make traditional buckwheat soba noodles and other Japanese noodles of varying thickness and ingredients, but this robot is eyeing global dominance. A slight change to the settings and it can also crank out Chinese noodles too. Lo Mein anyone?
A two-day event marking the 400th anniversary of relations between Japan and Mexico kicked off in Mexico City on Saturday with a parade that highlighted several aspects of Japanese culture, including the traditional arts, high technology and pop subcultures.
This little boy, for whom the ceremony was held, is holding a bag that contains Chitose-ame, “thousand year candy” for healthy growth and longevity. From More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan: Shichi-Go-San
The victory of the Democratic Party of Japan in the House of Representatives election held on August 30 was an epoch-making event in the history of Japan’s postwar democracy. The two-party system has actually started to work, giving the Japanese people the option of changing government through elections.
“Anime, Japan’s stylized animation that has become hugely popular around the world, helped reshape the country’s image as a cultural trend-setter. But behind the scenes, things aren’t so rosy.
Japan’s animation industry is struggling. Anime workers are unhappy, toiling long hours at low pay. Sales have been declining. On top of that, there is fast-growing competition from across Asia. Studios in China and South Korea now churn out high-quality anime-style programs, helped by cheaper labor and, in some cases, government subsidies.
”
— WSJ.com
If you’re looking to come to any upcoming Corporate Events, be sure to check out this video on how to properly exchange business cards or meishi (名刺) with a Japanese business person.
“Many people in the financial world - not all of them kooks - have managed to convince themselves that Japan is hurtling towards some kind of fiscal doomsday, and that no matter what the Yukio Hatoyama government does or doesn’t do, it’s already too late - Japan, they say, will be defaulting on its pension obligations. Or defaulting on its debt. Or will find itself unable to halt a string of bank failures that will bring the financial system to its knees. Or some combination thereof.”
Lucky for us, Sir Deryck Maughan, the head of KKR’s Global Financial Institutions Group and Chairman of KKR Japan and John Paulson, President and Portfolio Manager, Paulson & Co. Inc. are coming to JS next month to discuss the future of economics in Japan and the US. So we’ll know for sure whether fire is really going to rain from the sky or not.
← Older Entries Page 1 of 23
