Featured Articles
I'm Not a Valuable Person: Lost Confidence of Japan's Youth
These are the results of a survey, carried out in February of this year, of the attitude of high school students in Japan, the U.S.A., China and South Korea. Of the four countries, Japanese students overwhelmingly had the lowest scores. Why are Japanese students so lacking in confidence?
Working with Japan
Dedication to Principle
By Patricia Pringle
The Morning Meeting
A couple of years ago, I was at one of the Panasonic group companies in the US, working with a team of American engineers. They were embarking on an ambitious collaborative project which would involve intensive communication with Japan. I asked the people in the group to tell me what they like best about working with the Japanese. "Dedicated," said one engineer. "Tell me what you mean by that," I asked. "Well, I went to Japan last month, and the group over there starts each day with a meeting. Not a long meeting, in fact everyone is standing up, but everyone is there together and able to quickly touch base. Also, after everyone is assembled, the manager reads from a scroll. It seemed a bit unusual to me, but when I asked they said it was the Panasonic Basic Management Objective. We have a copy framed here in our office, which I had never really looked at before. Anyhow, I was impressed that they start each day with the thought in their mind about ethical behavior and contribution to society. In the US, when we come to work in the morning, we grab a cup of coffee and head straight to our desks."
Contents
2011 September Contents
Products Of The Month
Self-powered Washing Machine
After inserting the items to be washed and adding warm water and detergent, all that needs to be done is rotate the handle.
Ranking
The Things in Japan in Which Non-Japanese People Most Want to See or ExperienceIn July, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries held the first study meeting of experts, with the goal of getting Japan's food culture registered as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Asset. The aim is to regain worldwide trust in Japanese food, which has been shaken since the recent accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, and to expand exports of food ingredients and attract more tourists to Japan. The study group will compile a report in October, aiming for a decision on registration to be made in November, 2013. The majority of the members of the study group hold the view that "the global interest in Japanese food lies in the health and beauty aspects." Accordingly, the contents of the application for the UNESCO registration will range from sophisticated types of Japanese cuisine such as kaiseki ryori (elegant vegetarian Buddhist-based cooking) to everyday Japanese food. It is true that, in the above survey results, of all the things that non-Japanese people would like to experience in Japan, at the top of the list was Japanese food. We would like all visitors to Japan to experience the profound aspects of Japanese cuisine, which includes much more than just sushi. Source: JNTO; conducted among non-Japanese tourists in 2010
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