March 2013
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How to Manage those Meeting Monsters
In the December issue of BCCJ ACUMEN, I wrote an article on meeting monsters (“Are You a Meeting Monster?”, page 29) that has elicited some interesting responses. I thought it would be a good idea to provide some solutions concerning how to deal with these monsters.
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Something Green around Every Corner
At almost any given moment in spring, somewhere in Japan people can be found seated under boughs heavy with the pale pink blooms of the sakura (ornamental cherry blossom tree).
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Networking that Works
How big is your database of contacts? How many business cards have you collected and filed? How many people do you know? Turns out these are all rather pointless questions!
For Language and Science
Two Britons have received awards from the Japanese government for their contributions over many years to improving relations between the two countries.
Old is New
A British entrepreneur is giving a new lease of life to vintage kimono and obi (sashes) by turning them into eye-catching items of clothing, bags and home furnishings, while at the same time helping some of the people worst affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Tools and Skills
Two years on from the Great East Japan Earthquake, the towns and villages laid waste by the triple disaster have been helped to their knees; now it is time for a final push that will get them back on their feet.
A British Education
Offering a first-class education to more than 700 young people from the age of three to 18, the British School in Tokyo (BST) is approaching its 25th anniversary at an exciting time in its development.
Middle-aged Men in Lycra
Ten British cyclists—who happily describe themselves as keen amateurs—are to cycle 320km from Tokyo to Fukushima Prefecture to raise funds for the disaster-hit residents of Minamisoma.
Lord Marland
The UK’s business community in Japan is “in the vanguard of the British economic recovery” and successes here will translate into increased trade, the creation of more jobs and growth at home, Lord Jonathan Marland told a British Chamber of Commerce in Japan luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo in late February.
Battle of the Black Cabs
With some of the most cutting-edge technology that one of Japan’s leading automobile manufacturers has ever devised, the new generation of London’s Hackney Carriages is to bring together the heritage and iconic design values for which the vehicle is renowned around the world.
Blue-sky Thinking
National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the UK-based provider of air traffic services around the world, has linked up with Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (MRI) to look into “exciting” new opportunities in the aviation sector in Japan and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
What You Missed in the Japanese Press
Targeting Insular and “New Yankee” Consumers; Cycling Overnighters; Department Stores, Railways Cater to Foreigners; Taxman Targets Expats; and Pack Rats: Enemies of the Economy
Books for Smiles Update
Thank you to all those who have contributed so far to our Books for Smiles initiative.
Designer Produces Collection with Popular Fashion Brand
Celia Birtwell has collaborated with Uniqlo to create a capsule clothing collection, according to a press release issued on 30 January.
Poppy Day Inspires Expat Charity
A charity founded by Japanese people living in London has been inspired by the UK’s Poppy Appeal, the Daily Yomiuri reported on 26 February.
Getting Back on Track
Scottish-born entrepreneur Thomas Glover brought the first steam train to Japan in 1868, demonstrating the Iron Duke on a 13km track in Nagasaki. According to reports from the time, locals who saw the demonstration were in awe of British technology.
Harry Potter Train Starts Operation to Osaka Theme Park
A new train featuring a Harry Potter design has started running on the JR Sakurajima line from Nishikujo Station in Osaka to Universal Studios Japan, Japan Today reported on 12 February.
Tokyo’s Shrine to Sport
British architect Zaha Hadid CBE has won the New National Stadium International Design Competition for the construction of the New National Stadium Japan, with the selection panel praising the project for its dynamism.
News in Brief
Your monthly digest of UK–Japan news.
Fighting—and Cooking—for a Cause
There are just 10,000 foreign refugees living in Japan compared with over 200,000 in the UK, the eighth-largest recipient of asylum seekers in 2011, according to the most recent numbers I could find.
UK Firm Pensions: Is the End Nigh?
In 2007, the world suffered the largest financial meltdown of our generation. While this was a key catalyst in today’s pension crisis, it is not the sole issue.
Car Insurance in Japan
Although the basic idea of car insurance in Japan will seem familiar to foreigners, car insurance here is very different from that in other countries.
Living the Dream
In bars, live houses and recording studios around Tokyo, musicians from across the UK are demonstrating that Britons really do have talent.
Arts Events
Arts events compiled by Yoko Yanagimoto
Otemachi Financial City Art Project
Living and working in Iwate Prefecture, I am inspired by the seasonal, solar, lunar and stellar cycles, as well as the countryside.
