Category Archives: Japan

eBook – MOSAICA JAPONICA – Lecture Culturelle du Japon socio-économique

MOSAICA JAPONICA - Ph Huysveld - cover

MOSAICA JAPONICA – Ph Huysveld – cover

 

Contient une préface d’André Jaumotte

 

« Aujourd’hui, il y a sans doute mille choses à apprendre de l’Orient : un énorme travail de connaissance est, sera nécessaire …. L’auteur n’a jamais, en aucun sens, photographié le Japon. Ce serait plutôt le contraire : le Japon l’a étoilé d’éclairs multiples ; ou mieux encore : le Japon l’a mis en situation d’écriture. »

Ces quelques phrases de Roland Barthes dans « L’Empire des Signes » résume très bien les préoccupations de votre modeste guide dans la mosaïque socio-économico-culturelle japonaise.

La mondialisation croissante de ces dernières années conduit le manager, tout comme le citoyen du monde, à faire l’effort de comprendre et d’accepter la pensée de l’autre. Pour maîtriser et gérer les différences de culture et de société, il doit avant tout se mettre à la place de l’autre.

Toutefois, au Japon tout particulièrement, la prise en compte des spécificités culturelles n’est pas chose simple. A cet effet, des programmes d’études en « management interculturel » ont fait leur apparition en Europe, mettant en évidence l’importance de la connaissance de l’environnement culturel pour appréhender la dynamique des marchés asiatiques et, en particulier, japonais.

L’objectif de cet ouvrage à caractère socio-économico-culturel s’inscrit dans cette démarche et consiste à amorcer, avec du recul, une réflexion en profondeur sur les liens ou analogies entre l’économique et le culturel au Japon. L’auteur part du constat qu’un certain nombre d’éléments sont liés et ouvre des pistes de discussion. Il prend aussi à cœur de combattre les préjugés.

Avant toute chose, une mise en garde s’impose. L’archipel nippon, très étendu du Nord au Sud, n’est pas un pays homogène et sa découverte ne se limite pas à une visite de Tokyo, généralement le premier point de chute des visiteurs étrangers. En effet, quittant la métropole, s’ouvre au voyageur attentif un Japon plus traditionnel et plus authentique, tel que présenté dans cet essai.

Dans un premier temps, sont présentés, en deux volets, les Arts et l’Economie du pays. La première partie consiste en un survol de différentes formes d’expression artistique, de pair avec des créations originales en théâtre. La deuxième partie reprend l’économie dans son ensemble et, en particulier, un « zoom » opéré sur la gestion des ressources humaines, la négociation et l’industrie automobile.

Dans un second temps, l’auteur reconstitue par l’analyse de ses fragments la mosaïque japonaise. Le décryptage se fait suivant quatre dimensions interdépendantes de la culture japonaise : le collectivisme ou esprit de groupe, l’ordre et la hiérarchie, la notion d’incertitude et son contrôle, la forte division des rôles entre les hommes et les femmes.

Suivant en cela une démarche « zen » classique, cherchons à dégager la substance essentielle de cet univers japonais complexe.

 

Bonne Lecture!

Philippe Huysveld

 

A cultural screening of Japan’s society and economy!

182 pages eBook (in French) available from various e-commerce platforms like:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/philippe-huysveld/mosaica-japonica-lecture-culturelle-du-japon-socio-économique/ebook/product-22618905.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DE1NYKE?ref_=pe_2427780_160035660

or from our website:

http://www.gbmc.biz/mosaica-japonica–ebook-.html


Practice “Omotenashi”: Provide an unique “service experience” and show gratitude & respect towards your customers !!

Japanese bow

The Japanese spirit of hospitality

Of all the memories they take home with them, visitors to Japan cherish and appreciate the ‘Japanese way of hospitality and customer service’ — Omotenashi in Japanese.

Translated simply, Omotenashi means the Japanese way of treating a guest. It blends a welcoming spirit with warmth, understanding, and above all respect.

Interestingly, the Japanese language makes no distinction between ‘guest’ and ‘customer.’

To practice Omotenashi, the host pays close attention to detail and is committed to anticipating the needs of the guest, smiling sincerely and setting a happy, relaxed mood. When authentic, Japanese hospitality and service exceed the expectations of the guests. At its most exquisite, Omotenashi offers a guest a once-in-a-life-time experience. The idea resonates with Ichigo-ichie, the tea master’s belief that every encounter is single and unique.”  (Kanebo website)

 

So what are you waiting for to implement it in your business? In a more and more competitive business world, “service engineering” is a differentiating and winning factor!

Read more from:   The Japanese spirit of hospitality

If you need help, you can also contact us (at info@gbmc.biz) for support or 

check our website at:  http://www.gbmc.biz/Japan_Training.php

 

 

 


Japan Retail: blossoming duty-free shops and the growing tourism market

Shopping in post-war Japan

Shopping in post-war Japan

Takashimaya to open airport-style duty-free shop in Shinjuku

“Major Japanese department store operator Takashimaya Co. plans to open an airport-style duty-free shop in Tokyo in a bid to capture the growing tourism market. Takashimaya will establish a company to operate the shop jointly with All Nippon Airways Trading Co., a unit of ANA Holdings Inc., and Hotel Shilla Co., an affiliate of South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. The duty-free shop will open within Takashimaya’s flagship store in the busy Shinjuku area in spring 2017, according to sources.”  (Japan Times)

In parallel with the soon expected “sakura” blossoming and other “hanami” activities, duty-free shops are blossoming and everywhere in Japan’s busy shopping malls and department stores. The latest trend is however towards “airport-style duty-free” shops, as described in this article. Waves of (Chinese) tourists are benefiting from the 8% tax discount (under some specific conditions, like foreign residency and minimum purchase amount of 5,000 or 10,000 JPY). Should we learn some lessons from this in France, Europe or even US? What do you think?

 

Read more from:  Japan Retail: blossoming duty-free shops and the growing tourism market

 

 

 

 


Sharp’s Air Purifying Technology Found Effective against Bird Flu

Testing Plasma cluster Ion Technology (Source - Sharp Corp)

Testing Plasma cluster Ion Technology (Source – Sharp Corp)

 

“Sharp Corporation announced on November 17 that it has found its air purifying technology is effective to inhibit bird flu virus.

Sharp plans to develop air cleaners and air conditioners using the “Plasma cluster Ion” technology to help prevent infections of the disease to humans.

Sharp conducted a joint research with Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. They found that highly concentrated ions generated using the technology can decrease the infectiousness of H7N9 virus by 99 percent in a container box of 1 cubic meter for about 47 minutes.”      (Source: EU-Japan Centre)

 

More details from (in Japanese): Sharp’s Air Purifying Technology Found Effective against Bird Flu

 


According to MEXT, 70-80% of third-year junior high schoolers fail to reach level 3 in English exam

eiken logo (Source - Eiken Foundation of Japan)

eiken logo (Source – Eiken Foundation of Japan)

 

“About 70 to 80 percent of third-year junior high school students failed to attain level 3 of the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency in all areas except writing, a government survey has revealed.” (The Mainichi Shimbun)

 

This is not new but there is still much way to go! Considering Japan’s efforts towards internationalisation, what should be done to improve the situation?

 

More details from:  According to MEXT, 70-80% of third-year junior high schoolers fail to reach level 3 in English exam

 

 


Tokyo Institute of Technology and Fujitsu Achieve Wireless Transmission Speeds of 56 Gbps, World’s Fastest

Transceiver CMOS chip and module (Picture - Adalidda)

Transceiver CMOS chip and module (Picture – Adalidda)

 

“Tokyo Institute of Technology and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today (1 February 2016) announced that, in an effort to further enlarge the capacity of wireless equipment, they have developed a CMOS wireless transceiver chip that can process signals at high speeds with little loss across a broad range of frequencies, from 72 to 100 gigahertz (GHz). They also developed technology to modularize it. With these developments, they succeeded in achieving wireless transmission speeds of 56 Gigabits per second (Gbps), the world’s fastest.”  (Source: Adalidda)

 

Impressive! What’s next?

More details from:  Tokyo Institute of Technology and Fujitsu Achieve Wireless Transmission Speeds of 56 Gbps, World’s Fastest

 

 


Japan is planning an “International Robot Competition” in 2020!!!

The future of robotics

The future of robotics

 

“A committee of experts to discuss an international robot competition that the Japanese government wants to hold in 2020 met for the first time on Feb. 2, and suggested that the competition cover three categories: product-making, services, and public interest projects. 

“Product-making” would cover fields like factory work and agriculture. “Services” events would include areas like customer service and providing care for the infirm. “Public interest” would cover fields like checks on public infrastructure and disaster rescue operations.”  (The Mainichi Shimbun)

Japan(2020) = (Olympics + Robots) x C2 !

Great but to which extend should humans push for robot development?

More details from:  Japan is planning an “International Robot Competition” in 2020!!!


Japan: GPS Shoes to Help Track Elderly People with Dementia

Docodemo GPS Shoes (Picture - Docodemo)

Docodemo GPS Shoes (Picture – Docodemo)

 

A Kyoto-based company has started selling shoes with the global positioning system to help track down dementia-suffering seniors who wander off and often get lost.

The company which runs nursing homes experienced their inhabitants were getting lost for a short period of time. That was the reason for the company deciding to develop a special apparatus to prevent similar incidents.

The GPS terminal is implanted in the left heel of the “GPS Dokodemo (everywhere) Shoes,” and enables family members and caretakers to monitor the wearer by using smartphones or computers.”  (Source: EU -Japan Centre)

 

Great idea! Maybe this could also be used to track (younger) loved ones, lost while shopping in Department Stores or Shopping Malls? What kind of application would you like to suggest?

 

More details from (in Japanese):  GPS Shoes to Help Track Elderly People with Dementia

 


ANA and the A380: Airbus wins a new customer in return for invaluable Skymark support

ANA_orders (Source - ANA)

ANA_orders (Source – ANA)

 

“ANA is likely to become an A380 operator, with three aircraft due for delivery from 2018. Operating the A380 was not in ANA’s plans. In fact, as ANA itself has itself stated, there are many arguments against taking A380.

The aircraft order appears to be a trade-off: ANA won the last minute support of Airbus to vote for its restructuring plan of the bankrupt Skymark Airlines. There was little obvious reason for Airbus to back ANA, a tiny Airbus customer, over the alternative restructuring plan proposed by Delta, itself a major Airbus operator. It may be that in exchange for Airbus’ support ANA agreed to do more business with Airbus.”    (CAPA – Center for Aviation)

 

Looking forward to more A380 and other Airbus orders (and, therefore, less Boeing orders) for the Japanese Market!! What do you think?

 

Read more from: ANA and the A380: Airbus wins a new customer in return for invaluable Skymark support


Railways Business: Franco-Japanese team shortlisted for new UK trains!

JR East Trains (Picture - JR East)

JR East Trains (Picture – JR East)

TGV_Alstom (Picture -Alstom)

TGV_Alstom (Picture -Alstom)

 

“Merseytravel, an executive body that provides professional, strategic and operational transport advice to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, announced on 11 January 2016 that five bidders including a team composed of  French and Japanese companies have been shortlisted for a contract to supply around 50 EMUs (Electric Multiple Units) for the Merseyrail network.

The Franco-Japanese team is composed of Mitsui, a major Japanese trading company, J-TREC, JR East’s subsidiary rolling stock manufacturing company, and France’s Alstom.

Bids are due to be submitted by the end of April and a preferred bidder will be identified towards the end of the year. The project is likely to cost around £400m.

This joint action between French and Japanese companies is the first of its kind in the European Union, and concrete business results are expected.”  (Source: JR East Newsletter #19)

 

More details about the bid at: Railways Business: Franco-Japanese team shortlisted for new UK trains!

 

Looking forward to more Europe-Japan collaborative projects on both sides!

This is probably the right approach to promoting the completion of an EU-Japan EPA!

What do you think?

 

About J-TREC:

“Japan Transport Engineering Company is a total transport engineering firm manufacturing rolling stock, cargo containers, railway tracks and turnouts with its 100% of stocks owned by East Japan Railway Company. Rail transport nowadays has become a part of modern social infrastructure and the pursuit of safety, assurance and comfort are at the core of our manufacturing philosophy.  Along the pursuit, our belief in manufacturing is to pay attention to every detail, even to those that are not visible at a glance.
The forerunner of our company is Tokyu Car Corporation which has realized the first domestic production of stainless steel rail cars in Japan. We will succeed all the technology and know-how that were acquired during its 63 years of history and leap into the next level by challenging the world market.”

(more details at: http://www.j-trec.co.jp/eng/company/index.html)

 


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