I first learned about municipal marketing in the mid-2000s while I was earning my MBA in California. During that time, The City of Riverside Development Department hosted an on-campus presentation about promoting the city to businesses around the country, and the world, to create a vibrant community and increase economic activity. Upon graduating, I joined…
Akiya – Causes and Measures of Vacant Houses in Japan
“Akiya” is the Japanese term for “vacant house”, whose number has been increasing more and more during the last few years and has become a societal issue, especially in rural Japan. Read on learn about the diverse causes behind this phenomenon, and some hints at solving it. This article was kindly provided to Kokoro Media…
Rogai: When the Elderly Give Headaches to Japanese Society
After my article about the Japanese generation Z, this time, I would like to write about a phenomenon that concerns the Japanese elderly: rogai. This Japanese word applies to elderly people who create trouble in their surroundings. However, as often in Japanese culture, it has several levels of meaning. The Original Meaning of Rogai In…
Looking Back on 2020 as a Foreign Resident in Japan
This time last year, I was in the middle of a whirlwind U.S. tour, working nomadically, while celebrating the holidays with my family and friends in Washington D.C., Nevada, and California. Upon returning to Tokyo in early January, I couldn’t fathom what 2020 would have in store for Japan and the rest of the world….
Why I Do Not like Japanese “Girl Power”
I am looking at women’s magazines at the convenience store. On the cover of one of them, I can read “Improve your joshiryoku!” I am in a long meeting. One of my colleagues has prepared snacks and drinks for everybody. Someone says, “Your joshiryoku is high!” I am on the train. An advertisement advises visiting a…
Japanese Cram Schools Are Not What You Think
Takahiro Goto is the director and a teacher at the cram school “GS Shingaku Kyoshitsu” in Hachioji City in the Greater Tokyo Area. Cram schools (“juku” in Japanese) are schools where young students study hard to prepare for their desired school or university entrance exams. Before talking to Mr. Goto, I did not quite understand why…
How Science Helps in Revitalizing Japan’s Fishing Industry
Takashi Suzuki is an assistant professor at Kagoshima University and a former project researcher at the University of Tokyo. Now a specialist in marine life and fisheries, he was a student on the Iwate Prefecture campus of Kitasato University student when the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake happened. Since then, he has been devoting his studies and activities to…
“Kay” – a Japanese Short Film Exploring Parent-Child Relationships
I recently had the pleasure to be invited to the screening of a Japanese short film titled “Kay”, directed by Hironori Kujiraoka. The screening should have taken place in April 2020 but was postponed to September because of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, it was shown and awarded at several international short film festivals. It received Best…
Can Anarchy Save Japanese Communities?
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…
How Universal Movement Uses Instagram to Promote Inclusiveness in Japan
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…