Contents
2012 June Contents
Featured Articles
The Righteous Merchants of Ohmi
Unraveling Origins of Japan's Business Philosophy
Over 700 years ago, the merchants of a small town in west
Japan developed unique and sensible models for ethical
business practices that live on even today
Flash
A Modern Under
Located 30 minutes to the northeast of Tokyo by train, in Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture, is a facility that resembles a huge underground Parthenon. This 6.3 kilometer long drainage conduit, built for flood control, cost a total of 230 billion yen ($2.875 billion) and took 13 years to construct. It was completed in 2006. Its function is to drain water from a river before it overflows its banks and transfer the water underground to another river.
Products Of The Month
Pillow Talk
The "Hugvie," whose name is derived from the English "hug" and the French "vie," meaning life, is a human-shaped interactive robot composed of microbeads, measuring 75cm (2'6") in length and weighing 600 grams (116.5oz) It was designed by Hiroshi Ishiguro, a robot designer and fellow at the graduate school of Osaka University and as its name implies, its purpose is to be hugged.
Truth About Japan
Behind PETS
By Dave McCaughan
It is just the truth that Japan is fixated on pets. The low birth rate and aging demographics are real headline makers. However the number of children being born did level off years ago and the number of people who are reaching middle age with no children has steadily grown. So maybe it's no wonder that a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and a middle class that, while shrinking, still takes in the great majority of the population uses pets to supplement a need for companionship rather than having someone to fuss over.