Mrs. Iijima and Mr. Usuda are co-heads of Atelier Taik, a design company that does all kinds of design work with the exception of architecture. They are passionate about their jobs and pursue rewarding experience, often becoming fans of their clients’ products or services in the process. In 2012, they opened Atelier Gangu, a small…
Anarchic Sustainable Development: A Solution for Japan?
Ko Hayakawa is an associate professor of cultural anthropology and a researcher at Osaka International University. He currently mainly studies community development, an important topic for Japan, which must face new challenges as its population slowly disappears. This year, Professor Hayakawa published a book introducing his idea of “anarchic community development.” As I was very…
Universal Movement: An Instagram Account for a More Inclusive Society
Kizu Takami is the creator of Universal Movement. This Instagram account promotes a better understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities in Japanese society. To do so, she uses colorful illustrations and easy-to-read explanations. I have interviewed her to know more about her mission, her creative process, and her point of view about the place of…
A Life of Love of the Stage
Midori Okuyama is a Japanese theater producer who has always been involved with the Japanese performing arts. One of her main works is producing Sankai Juku, the most famous butoh dance company. In this interview, she talks about Japanese arts and how it is received by foreign audiences, explains to us what butoh is about,…
Embracing a New Life through Calligraphy: an Interview with the Calligrapher Kaku
My First Encounter with Kaku The first time I met Kaku-san was during the fall of 2018. I was working on a project regarding tourism in the town of Takahama, in Fukui prefecture. I was told I was going to participate in a calligraphy workshop. My guide told me, “The calligrapher is very talented–he’s even…
Ryuji Nakayama: Revitalizing Kamiyama and Sharing What Cannot Be Bought
I met Ryuji Nakayama for the first time in 2019. At the time, he was working on how to attract foreign visitors to his village of Kamiyama and what content to show them. I was helping in the project, which has led me to spend a few days on the field, with Mr. Nakayama as…
Michiru Hasegawa: A Writer Covering the Realities of Japanese Food Production
Michiru Hasegawa is not your usual kind of media writer. Her job takes place in a particular field: where people grow, raise, and fish the food the Japanese find on their plates every day. This time, she’s the one being interviewed. She opens up about her peculiar origin story for the first time and tells…
Kota Nagami and doq: Building a Cultural Marketing Bridge Between Japan and Australia
Kota Nagami is a Japanese national currently living in Sydney, Australia. He made the decision to move there to find the right balance between work and nature, as well as to have a direct experience with the global business. He now works at doq, a cross-cultural marketing agency founded in Australia by Japanese entrepreneur Yoshinori Sakuno….
Sathi, Getting Thailand and Japan Closer with a Positive Attitude
Sathi (full name Sathirat Srimaneelert) is a dynamic and cheerful Thai national. After studying and living in Japan for more than 10 years, she decided to go back to her home country. There, she built a company around what she does best: reducing the culture gap between the two countries. In this interview, she tells…
Mr. Komatsu and the Samurai Tabi Project: Traditional Japanese Footwear from Gyoda City to the World
Mr. Komatsu was not destined to work in the traditional clothing business. However, when his father-in-law needed his help to open an online shop, Mr. Komatsu discovered the world of tabi, the traditional Japanese footwear. In the following interview, he tells us about reaching a foreign audience and his projects to give more life to…