Category Archives: Social

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

 

 


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

 


Recycled Paper Churches from architect Shigeru Ban (Japan) !!

Cardboard Church, Christchurch, New Zealand (Yahoo UK, Photo: Courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects )

Cardboard Church, Christchurch, New Zealand (Yahoo UK, Photo: Courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects )

 

“Japanese architect Shigeru Ban operates in extremes, creating everything from disaster housing made of beer crates to museums with price tags in the tens of millions of dollars. But whatever the cost, all of his projects have embraced simple materials and natural surroundings. Ten years before winning the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2014, for example, Ban convinced the UN that his recycled-paper tube shelters could house refugees of the Rwandan civil war, a feat that eventually led to his TED talk on emergency shelters—and one that has made a lasting impact on the architecture world.”   (Yahoo UK – Decor Contributors)

 

This is an example of how Japanese Innovation in Architectural Design can contribute to the world’s needs!!  If you know of other interesting applications originating from Japan, please let us know!

 

Read more from:   Paper Church from Shigeru Ban

 


LEGO Japan: “People think better if they just put a few blocks together”

LEGO Blocks (Picture - Wikimedia Commons)

LEGO Blocks (Picture – Wikimedia Commons)

 

“In this digital era, where children are often found playing computer games or gazing at handheld devices, some might say there is little room for old-school toys. But Danish-born Steen Lauge Kokkenborg would dispute that thinking. As representative director and general manager of LEGO Japan, Kokkenborg says children get tremendous value from hands-on play.

“We know from research that kids actually need a spatial understanding,” he says. “And you don’t get a spatial understanding from a two-dimensional TV screen or phone. I think that’s where the active play with LEGO products comes in, as an important way of developing children.”

If you put kids in front of LEGO, they will intuitively start immersing themselves in building,” he says. “It’s suddenly them deciding 100% what they want to do. If you play a computer game, you are always depending on how the game is designed, who are the players, how do I go through the game … With LEGO products, you just build whatever is in your head. To me, that’s the fascinating thing.

The firm’s head office in Tokyo is populated with massive LEGO-shaped stools and chairs, while each meeting room has a bowl of LEGO on the desk. Kokkenborg believes people “think better if they just put a few blocks together”.   

With stiff competition from Japanese toy manufacturers, Kokkenborg says Japan has been a tough market to crack. LEGO’s market share here is nowhere near that of its other global markets. However, Kokkenborg is optimistic that LEGO will continue to catch on with parents and children in the world’s second-largest toy market.”   

(EUROBIZ Japan)

Lesson learned in Japan: If you can imagine a product, it has already been launched in Japan.”

What is your experience of the Japanese Toy Market?

Read more from:  LEGO and the Japanese Toy Market


Japan rewards “Pharma Innovation” with an “Innovation Premium”!!

Medicines in Japan

Medicines in Japan

 

“Over the past five years, Japan’s central government has made great strides in streamlining the approval process for new drugs and medicines. The reduction in the so-called drug lag has led to a drastic improvement in approval times for medicines available to patients in other countries.

According to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), other government measures including an “innovation premium” have also helped get new and innovative medicines into the hands of Japanese patients.

How can Japan become a more dynamic market for pharma companies to invest in?

The first important message is that investment is becoming more competitive. Pharma companies invest a lot into emerging markets, so we’re competing with resources to get investment into Japan. The reason Japan is attractive is it’s a fairly predictable environment and innovation is rewarded ….”      (EUROBIZ  Japan)

Great update on the “Pharma” Market in Japan!!

Reducing the “drug lag” and supporting the introduction of new (Innovative) Medicines will definitely give a boost to this growing market in Japan, attract investments from EU (foreign) Pharma companies as well as being beneficial to Japanese patients. What do you think?

 

Read more from:

Japan rewards “Pharma Innovation” with an “Innovation Premium”!!

 

 


GBMC Lecturing Speaking Page

Check out http://gbmc.biz! Japan Lecturing, Japan Speaking Page, GBMC, business consulting firm specialised in Japan Lecturing, Japan cross cultural training, Japan Speaking

Source: GBMC Lecturing Speaking Page


Festival du cinéma japonais contemporain Kinotayo – KINOTAYO映画祭 2015

 

Festival du cinéma japonais contemporain Kinotayo – KINOTAYO映画祭 2015 (France – フランス)

Plus qu’un petit mois à attendre avant le coup d’envoi du 10e festival Kinotayo le 24 novembre au cinéma Gaumont Opéra Premier. Nous sommes vraiment impatient de pouvoir vous retrouver du 24 novembre au 10 décembre pour fêter ensemble cet anniversaire en Île-de France. Le festival ira par monts et vaux dans les différentes salles partenaires du Val d’Oise et en région jusqu’en février 2016.

2015年度 KINOTAYO映画祭まで約一ヶ月となりました。第10回記念となる今回は11/24(火)ゴーモン・オペラ・プルミエにて開幕、イル=ド=フランスでは12/10(木)まで、引き続き各地方都市・パートナー会場では2016年2月にかけて開催します。KINOTAYO映画祭の記念すべき10周年を皆さんと祝うべく、ご来場を心からお待ちしています。

Voici les 8 films en compétition qui se disputeront le soleil d’or. Parce que Kinotayo souhaite rapprocher son public et ses invités japonais pour ce 10ème anniversaire, nous accueillerons 10 invités japonais qui présenteront leur film en competition.
グランプリのソレイユ・ドールを争うコンペティション部門にノミネートされたのは8作品。また10周年となる今回は日本の映画人をより身近に感じて頂けるよう、10人のゲストをお迎えして各作品をご紹介頂きます。

<FILMS et INVITES en COMPETITON>

  • FIRES ON THE PLAIN de Shinya TSUKAMOTO
    Invité : Shinya TSUKAMOTO, réalisateur
  • TAG de Sion SONO
    Invité : Yuki SAKURAI, actrice
  • HAMAN de Tetsuya OKABE
    Invité : Tetsuya OKABE, réalisateur, et Yusuke KOJIMA, acteur
  • 100 YEN LOVE de Masaharu TAKE
    Invité : Masaharu TAKE, réalisateur, et Shin ADACHI, scénariste
  • LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM de Nobuhiro YAMASHITA
    Invité : Shinji OGAWA, producteur
  • WE SHALL OVERCOME de Chie MIKAMI
    Invité : Chie MIKAMI, réalisatrice
  • KAKEKOMI de Masato HARADA
    Invité : Takahide SHIBANUSHI, directeur de la photographie
  • KABUKICHO LOVE HOTEL de Ryuichi HIROKI
    Invité : Naoya NARITA, producteur

<コンペティション部門 作品&ゲスト>

  • 『野火』塚本晋也監督
    ※ゲスト 塚本晋也(監督)
  • 『リアル鬼ごっこ』園子温監督
    ※ゲスト 桜井ユキ(俳優)
  • 『歯まん』岡部哲也監督
    ※ゲスト 岡部哲也(監督)、小島祐輔(俳優)
  • 『百円の恋』武正晴監督
    ※ゲスト 武正晴(監督)、足立紳(脚本)
  • 『味園ユニバース』山下敦弘監督
    ※ゲスト 小川真司(プロデューサー)
  • 『戦場ぬ止み』三上智恵監督
    ※ゲスト 三上智恵(監督)
  • 『駆込み女と駆出し男』原田眞人監督
    ※ゲスト 柴主高秀(撮影)
  • 『さよなら歌舞伎町』廣木隆一監督
    ※ゲスト 成田尚哉(プロデューサー)

A travers cette sélection de choix et variée, vous pourrez apprécier les différentes esthétiques de ces réalisateurs de talent. La liste complète des films ainsi que les synopsis et bandes annonces sont disponibles sur le site du festival:  KINOTAYO Film Festival

今年も幅広いジャンルから選りすぐった日本映画を通して、様々な監督たちの溢れる才能を堪能頂ければと思います。 作品ラインナップ・内容詳細及び予告編は映画祭ホームページにてご覧頂けます。

 


Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started