Ayako Ishida has been a psychologist in Japan for eight years. Highly motivated in helping others, she works as a school counselor and as a clinical psychologist at a hospital. Through helping her clients on a personal level, she is also a witness of social issues and changes in Japan’s society. In 2020, on top…
mamoru, the New App That Supports a Sustainable Lifestyle in Japan
Philip Nguyen is an entrepreneur with an unusual profile. Originally from the U.S., he has been living in Japan for nine years. After studying environmental science and cultural studies in the U.S., and completing his PhD in Japan, Philip decided to launch his own business to contribute to solving social and environmental issues. This year,…
This Japanese Winery Is Aging Wine Bottles Under the Sea
Michihiko Sasaki is the CEO of Minami Sanriku Winery, in the town of Minami Sanriku in Miyagi Prefecture. 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami that left the town in ruins, the team at Minami Sanriku Winery are using wine as a way to give life back to the place and…
The Shikoku Pilgrimage: Practical Tips and Anecdotes by Oliver Dunskus
Oliver Dunskus is a German national who spends most of his year being a marketing manager. However, he has an atypical hobby: spending a few weeks each year walking the most famous pilgrimage of Japan, on Shikoku island. Noticing the lack of practical guidebooks for western pilgrims, he wrote and released the first Shikoku pilgrimage…
Amélie Geeraert: Life Lessons from Living and Working in Japan
I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Amélie Geeraert, Kokoro Media editor-in-chief, ever since we started producing articles and building brands for combrains, the parent company of Kokoro Media, in 2018. Over the years, Amélie’s passion for Japan has inspired her to create some amazing articles including fascinating interviews with artists, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists from…
Cooking Japanese Food at Home is Easier than You Think
Aki Sugiyama and her business partner Lillian Rowlatt have founded Kokoro Care Packages, a unique subscription service that allows customers to be delivered different kinds of Japanese ingredients and food monthly or seasonally. When I first heard of this company, I was intrigued by our common choice for the word Kokoro in our respective brand…
Together, These People Have Renovated an Entire Japanese Village
Akira Yamaguchi is one of the founding members of TEAM Clapton. This construction group does design, renovation, and builds event spaces. Their specialization: their construction sites are open to everybody who wants to help, beginners included. Last year, TEAM Clapton was involved in renovating a small traditional village, transforming it into a small lodging complex…
Yuki Nivez: Teaching Japanese with Empathy and Precision
When it comes to learning Japanese, there are deceptively simple questions that most teachers struggle to answer. For example, “What is the difference between the particles wa and ga?” Or, ”Why is this word typed without kanji?” When I saw that Yuki Nivez, founder of Bow & Arrow Language, was succinctly answering some of these…
Why We Should Protect Japanese Bears and Their Home
Eli Sooker is a New Zealand-born nature conservationist. After working for some time in his home country, he started exploring the world on his own and ended up living in Japan. There, he discovered aspects of Japanese nature which people do not often talk about. He also became involved in local bear conservation. In this…
Insights on Japan’s Food and Beverage Industry with GourmetPro’s Ugo Bataillard
Ugo Bataillard is committed to helping foreign brands discover the rewards of entering the Japanese food and beverage market. As CEO and co-founder of GourmetPro, he partnered with COO Vincent Nicol to form an exclusive network of local consultants to support international brands of all sizes. In this interview, Ugo and I discuss his entrepreneurial…