The Importance of Dealing with Japan’s Dynamic Diligence Factor!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

 TOKYO—In 1953 as a fledgling journalist in Tokyo I went to the dean of foreign correspondents in Japan [the Far Eastern Bureau Chief for a major London newspaper] and asked him if he thought it would be a good idea for me to stay in Japan—if there would be opportunities for me to build a worthwhile career, or if I should go home.

     His instant response was: “Japan is never going to amount to anything! Go home!”

     Just ten years later Japan was already on the verge of becoming the second largest economy in the world…and fortunately, I had not taken the famous correspondent’s advice.

  

     There are several reasons why Japan was able to recover so rapidly from the destruction of World War II. Two of these reasons are especially outstanding. First was the hundreds of millions of dollars pumped into the Japanese economy by the Allied Forces during the Occupation of the country from September 1945 to the spring of1952. And second was the fact that the United States bought hundreds of millions of dollars worth of supplies from Japan during the Korean War [1950-1953].

  

     An obvious third factor in why Japan was able to become an economic superpower by 1970 was the fact that from 1948 on Japanese manufacturers [that had sprouted up like weeds following the end of WW II] were inundated by American importers who began flocking into the country by the thousands seeking consumer goods of all kinds at cheaper prices, giving this mass of new Japanese companies total access to the American market. [By the mid-1950s Sears had 65 buyers permanently stationed in Tokyo alone.]

  

     But undergirding all of the effort that went into the creation of the world’s most efficient export industry were a litany of national characteristics that made the Japanese both unique and formidable competitors.

  

     One of the most important of these deeply ingrained cultural characteristics is subsumed in the word monozukuri (moe-no-zoo-kuu-ree)…a word that is so new it does not appear in most [if any!] dictionaries of Japanese words.

  

     The applied meaning of monozukuri evolved from the meanings of its parts, including original thinking, the application of extraordinary efforts to achieve goals, craftsmanship, and diligence—all of which have traditionally been readily discernable in the character of the Japanese.

  

     While all of these traits have made vital contributions to the economic success of the Japanese the one that is the most visible—at least to foreigners—is their built-in diligence.

  

     For me, this remarkable trait was underscored in the 1970s when I was at a New York hotel for a business meeting that included a number of Japanese managers. I came down to the hotel restaurant before 6 a.m. for an early breakfast and found myself standing in line behind the Japanese.

  

     I commented in Japanese to the man next to me that he and his co-workers were starting the day early. He replied with great emphasis and without smiling: Kimben na Nihonjin desu kara! [“Because we are diligent Japanese!”]

  

     The level of diligence in Japan is far higher than in most countries, and it expresses itself in everything they do…from the finish and the packaging of the products they make to the meticulous attention they pay to forging and maintaining their business contacts.

  

     Many of the failures of American companies and U.S.-made products in Japan have been because they did not live up to the diligence standards of the Japanese.

  

Monozukuri is a concept that must be taken to heart by any company wanting to succeed in the Japanese market.

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

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Boyé Lafayette De Mente is a graduate of Jōchi University in Tokyo and Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. He is the author of more than 50 books on the business practices, cultures and languages of China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including WHY MEXICANS THINK AND BEHAVE THE WAY THEY DO—The Cultural Programming that Created the Character and Personality of Mexicans [available from Amazon.com] Learn more at www.boyedemente.com.

 

Finding China’s “Back Doors” Key to Business and Political Success!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

BEIJING—In China where personal connections play a paramount role in all relationships—business, personal and political—the typical Western way of doing things is often ineffective, and may be considered both arrogant and rude.

   Historically ordinary Chinese had no inalienable rights to protect them from those in power. Bureaucracy was universal and honed to perfection, and expecting something simply because it was “right” and you should get it, and especially “demanding” something or some action, would virtually always result in doors being slammed in your face—or far more serious results.

   This situation resulted in the Chinese, including government officials, having to develop a variety of strategies and tactics to get things done—ways that were unofficial but were a key part of the system—like authorities allowing a black market to function because it provided them with advantages of one kind or another, including keeping the level of frustration in the population below the point of eruption.

     After the Communist Party came to power in China in 1949 and instituted a number of democratic principles and polices—including giving women the right to vote—the policy of both allowing and promoting unofficial processes remained virtually unchanged, both because it was so deeply embedded in the culture and because it continued to serve the interests of the government.

     The most common of these unofficial practices was using the hou men (hoe-uu mane) or “back door”—that is, contacting and making deals with people behind-the-scenes, in private settings, making them fait accompli on the QT.

     Despite political reforms and cultural changes that have made life in China far more open, rational and practical, the use of hou men remains a vital part of the conduct of business, national politics and international relationships.

     When there is a “back door” most Chinese will automatically take it—and if there isn’t one they will generally attempt to make one, because that is almost always the fastest and most efficient way of getting official as well as unofficial things done.

     In simple terms, these “back doors” are people who can get things done because of their power positions or because they can call on their personal relationships with others to bypass bureaucracy, official policies and often laws as well.

     Obviously, this aspect of personal as well public behavior is a factor in all cultures, but in China the hou men element functions as an integral part of business and politics, without which the official social, economic and political systems would not work well enough to sustain themselves.

     Until foreigners who are newly arrived in China learn about the existence of hou men and develop skill in making and using them their chances of success are slim.

     In fact, it pays to start building “back door” connections before you set foot in China—developing contacts and getting introductions through the overseas offices of Chinese companies, chambers of commerce, banks, cultural organizations, university professors, such clubs as Kiwanis, and so on.

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

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Boyé Lafayette De Mente is a graduate of Jōchi University in Tokyo and Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. He is the author of more than 50 books on the business practices, cultures and languages of China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including ETIQUETTE GUIDE TO KOREA—Know the Rules that Make the Difference. Learn more at www.boyedemente.com.

Japanese Scientists Make Break-Thru in Universal Translation!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

TOKYO—Throughout history languages have separated human beings into exclusive groups, making communication difficult or impossible, exacerbating their cultural differences and contributing to wars and other kinds of violence.

    The primary reason for this linguistic plague is the fact that languages are the reservoir, the transmitter, and the controller of cultures, so people who speak different languages have problems because they think and behave in different ways.

     When working as a trade journalist in Asia in the 1950s and 60s I learned that the cultures of China, Korea and Japan were bound up in hundreds of key words in each of the three languages, and that you simply could not understand their respective ways of thinking and behaving without intimate knowledge of these key words—a fact that I subsequently used in a series of “cultural code word” books on these countries.

      But technology is on the verge of eliminating some of the linguistic barriers that separate human beings—and much sooner than you might think.

    Most of the world is familiar with the “universal language” devices used by the fictional Capt. James T. Kirk and the intrepid crew of Star Trek to communicate with the various life-forms they encountered during their travels around the galaxies.

     Now, reality is rapidly catching up with fiction. Japan’s Council for Science and Technology Policy [CSTP] has challenged the country’s automated speech translation researchers to improve the present technology in the next five years to the point that automated translators will be a reality for Japanese who want to communicate with English and Mandarin speakers.

     Prototypes of these translators have already been field-tested in China, and the word is that they worked perfectly as long as the conversations were simple. The process is based on storing hundreds of thousands of sentences and speech patterns into the devices that have exact equivalents in the target languages.

     The goal of the CSTP is to have universal translators on the market for all of the world’s major languages within ten years!

     The impact that this will have on the world is so potentially profound and broad that over a period of a few generations it will surely change the nature of human cultures.

     This revolutionary change in the ability of human beings to communicate with each other across language barriers will inevitably increase the volume of conversations in formal business and diplomatic encounters, since every word that is pregnant with cultural nuances and uses will have to be explained in detail to make the communication complete.

      To fully explain the cultural content and role of the Spanish term macho (mah-choh), for example, requires several hundred words.  To fully explain the Japanese term kaizen (kigh-zen), or “continuous improvement,” requires as many as a thousand words or more (there is a whole book on the subject).

     But, as helpful as universal translators will be their appearance is not going to eliminate the need for people who know both the languages and the cultures of their foreign partners and competitors.

     There is simply too much subtlety, too much individual variation in human feelings and needs, for a technical device to deal effectively with all of the situations human beings get involved in.

 

 ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

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Boyé Lafayette De Mente is a graduate of Jōchi University in Tokyo and Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. He is the author of more than 50 books on the business practices, cultures and languages of China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including ETIQUETTE GUIDE TO JAPAN—Know the Rules that Make the Difference. Learn more at www.boyedemente.com.

The Pitfalls of Logic in Dealing with Foreign Cultures!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Americans endeavoring to negotiate business and political deals abroad often face a barrier that is so subtle, so unexpected, that they do not know how to deal with it.

     They typically spend an inordinate amount of time and energy in an effort to explain their goals and methods and get their foreign counterparts to understand and accept them, with little or no success.

    On these occasions the automatic response of most Americans is to assume that their counterparts don’t really understand the points they are making, and begin repeating themselves.  In these repeated efforts some talk a little louder; others assume it is a language problem and attempt to break their presentations down into simpler terms. Many end up watering down their original objectives in order to get a deal.

     While the degree of the impasse and the level of frustration that develops in typical Americans various with how internationalized or Americanized their foreign counterparts have become there is almost always resistance on some level that the American side cannot fathom or readily accept.

     This situation arises from the fact that American businesspeople and diplomats pride themselves on being fact-oriented and logical in their thinking, and their presentations and negotiations are reflections of this deeply embedded mindset.

     In Asian, Hispanic and some other societies it is generally not hard facts and unadulterated logic that carry the day. It is human relations and feelings—which in the American mindset can be both irrational and shortsighted.

     For the most part, Asians, Hispanics and others are motivated by a variety of cultural obligations that must be met before they can whole heartedly accept and pursue projects presented to them.

     In fact, it is not too much of a stretch to say that Asians and Hispanics are allergic to pure American style logic. Those who do accept propositions and responsibilities that they do not like do so by rationalizing that it is better to have a bad bargain [from their viewpoint] than no bargain.

    And generally, especially in Asia, there is the unspoken intent to take advantage of foreign relationships and technology by gradually subverting them to conform to their own views and needs.

     It is therefore imperative that Americans and others who are driven by their own facts and logic to make a serious effort to discover how and why their potential partners think and behave the way they do.

    In other words, liuoji (luu-oh-jee) is Chinese logic; ronri (rone-ree) is Japanese logic; nolli (nohl-lee) is Korean logic, and so on, and they are defined by the cultures in which they developed—not the American definition of the term.

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

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Boyé Lafayette De Mente is a graduate of Jōchi University in Tokyo and Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. He is the author of more than 50 books on the business practices, cultures and languages of China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including ETIQUETTE GUIDE TO CHINA—Know the Rules that Make the Difference. Learn more at www.boyedemente.com.

Cultural Ways of Pleasuring in the Brevity of Life!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

TOKYO—One of the most memorable afternoons I have spent in Japan was in a traditional ryokan (rio-kahn), or inn, situated on the slope of a gorge on picturesque Izu Peninsula southwest of Tokyo.

 

     It was a Sunday afternoon. I was alone, and it was raining—not a heavy rain but a light, steady rain that was close to being a mist. I was sitting on the balcony of my room, looking out over the gorge, waiting for a friend to arrive.

 

     As I sat there I began to experience what the Japanese call mono no aware (moe-no no ah-wah-ray)—a Buddhist concept that includes being very conscious of the ephemeral nature of man, his struggle in the face of great odds and the inevitability of his downfall and disappearance.

 

     This aspect of Japan’s culture, developed between 700 and 1200 A.D. was based on the acute recognition of the impermanence of all things—an element that later was enhanced by the code of the samurai which required them to be ready to give up their lives at a moment’s notice—resulting in their lives being compared to cherry blossoms…beautiful but fragile to the extreme and subject to being wafted away by the slightest breeze.

 

     This culture of impermanence was especially reflected in the haiku and tanka poetry of the era, as well as in the such great literary works as Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), a novel about the intrigues and loves of an imperial prince (usually regarded as the world’s first novel) written in the early 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady in the Imperial Court in Kyoto; and Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike), compiled by a blind monk named Kakuichi in 1371.

 

     The opening lines of Heike Monogatari, which depicts an epic struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for the control of Japan in the 12th century, say more about the human condition than many philosophical tomes:

 

     “The sound of the Gion Shôja [temple] bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sâla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last; they are as dust before the wind.”

 

     The culture of Japan reflected this theme in many ways, resulting in the Japanese developing an extensive vocabulary that expressed this inherent sadness of life.

 

While mono no aware means something like “indulging one’s self in grief,” neither this phrase nor any of the other key words were actually used in sad situations. Instead they referred to a gentle melancholy view of the fragility and preciousness of life that included an element of subdued pleasure.

 

     The annual custom of celebrating the short life of cherry blossoms is the largest of Japan’s the mono no aware rituals. It reminds them to take the time and find ways enjoy life while you can because it will soon be gone.

 

     My spending a quiet afternoon entranced by the natural beauty of the setting as it was being cleansed and renewed by rain was another of the mono no aware practices that are dear to the hearts of the Japanese. Still another way is to engage in “forest bathing”—spending time in an isolated forest, letting the sights, sounds and vibrations of the trees wash over you.

 

     There is also an element of mono no aware in most of Japan’s classic art and craft designs, from kitchen utensils to the kimono wore by older men and women. The famous Tea Ceremony is a pure mono no aware ritual.

 

     Knowledge of this cultural element makes it possible for one to appreciate more fully the distinctive essence of things Japanese—the elements that make them Japanese.

 

     And this factor is one of the unspoken and generally un-described things that makes the traditional aspects of life in Japan so sensually, intellectually, and spiritually attractive to everyone, including foreigners who are sensitive to the realities of life, including its brevity.

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

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Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 50 pioneer business, cultural and languages books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including WHY MEXICANS THINK AND BEHAVE THE WAY THEY DO – The Cultural Programming that Created the Character and Personality of Mexicans [available from Amazon.com]  To see a list and synopses of his books go to:

 www.boyedemente.com.

 

High-Tech Advances Turn Toilets into Suites Fit for Kings & Queens!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

TOKYO—An aspect of Japan that continues to impress and amaze visitors is the high-tech evolution of the toilet—or “restroom” in more genteel terms—from a hole or slit in the floor to stylish high-tech suites that, to use an old phrase, are fit for a king or queen.

     Beginning around 2006 new office buildings, department stores and even roadside rest-stop facilities and private schools began to feature upscale toilets that are the epitome of both high-tech and high-design, so much so that many of them actually attract visitors who don’t have “to go”….who just want to see and marvel at them.

     Among the most conspicuous example of these new restroom suites are those on the different floors of the rebuilt Daimaru Department Store, adjoining Tokyo Central Station on the east side.

     Each of the basement floors as well as all of the 12 stories above ground of the famous landmark department store have restroom suites that are designed to “fit” or “suit” the products and services sold on that floor—ranging from foodstuffs on the first basement level to “Restaurant Row” on the 12th floor.

     Men using urinals in the restroom suite on this floor have spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding area. The women’s restroom could be compared to a presidential suite.

    These new lavatories are not just “smart” in their use of high-tech, they are also designed to be “green” in their use of energy and the overall impact they have on the environment. This includes using natural lighting with electric lights that go on, automatically, only after the natural light begins to fade in the evenings.

    A highway rest-stop facility for women maintained by Metropolitan Express Company in Kawaguchi north of Tokyo looks like something you would find in a ritziest hotel, and is outfitted with a deodorization system as well as a system that emits aromatherapy oil.

     Said a spokesperson for Metropolitan Express Company:  “Restrooms that help tired drivers relax and renew themselves just make good sense”—a rationale that is, of course, perfectly rational, but is something that one generally finds only in Japan.

      The movement in Japan to rethink and redesign restrooms is rapidly becoming a standard among Japan’s managers who see it as yet another way to raise the corporate image of their companies while contributing to the greening of the country.

     Not surprisingly, this movement has given birth to a growing number of firms that specialize in designing toilets. One of the most prominent of these firms is Gondola Architects, which designed the restrooms of Daimaru Department Store. Another prominent toilet designer is Yasui Architects & Engineers Inc.

     This phenomenon, which is apparently unique to Japan, is a clear manifestation of Japanese culture—not just a commercial ploy to burnish the image of companies.

    The Japanese are culturally imbued with both the desire and the need to design and create things that incorporate the concepts of elegance and beauty as well as function—elements that are characteristic of all of their traditional arts and crafts.

     This national trait is, of course, one of the primary reasons why the Japanese have been so successful in designing and manufacturing such a large variety of consumer products that have become worldwide bestsellers—a design influence that has had a fundamental impact on product designers around the world.

     There are, in fact, over 50 key principles of traditional Japanese designs that I have identified and explained in my book, ELEMENTS OF JAPANESE DESIGN—Key Terms for Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts.

     These design elements constitute the whole framework of Japan’s traditional culture, from the principle of wa (wah), or harmony, to the philosophy of Zen—which teaches one to recognize the difference between illusion and reality.

     So the next time you are in Tokyo and have occasion to visit a high-end (no pun intended!) toilet in Daimaru, the NEC Tamagawa Renaissance City or NEC’ss new headquarters building in Tokyo’s Minato War, the Kinrankai Girl’s School in Osaka, or any of dozens of other new buildings throughout the country be aware that they are not just gimmicks. They are reflections of Japanese culture.

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

_____________________________________

Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 50 pioneer business, cultural and languages books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including WHY MEXICANS THINK AND BEHAVE THE WAY THEY DO – The Cultural Programming that Created the Character and Personality of Mexicans [available from Amazon.com]  To see a list and synopses of his books go to:

 www.boyedemente.com.

 

Japan Example Pushing Globalization of World Economy!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

TOKYO—The changes that have occurred in Japan since the end of the long samurai/feudal era in the early 1870s is one of the most remarkable sagas in modern history – changes that are, in fact, incredible, particularly to someone who has been directly involved in them since shortly after the end of the Pacific War in 1945 when the industrial areas of the country and vast stretches of housing were mostly rubble.

 

     In fact, contemplating Japan’s rise to economic superpower status between 1948 and 1968 is now like a dream…and then to take into account the additional changes in the physical infrastructure and the culture of the country since then evokes even more incredulity.

 

     Why and how the Japanese were able to transform themselves into leaders in virtually every scientific and technical field of human endeavor and their country into the world’s second largest economy in less than 30 years is a story that has not yet been fully told.

 

     Much of both the “why” and “how” portions of this question can be found in the heritage of the samurai that became embedded in Japan’s culture over a period of a thousand years—a heritage made up of the ability to focus with incredible precision, to work with equally incredible energy and perseverance, to strive for perfection in everything, and to satisfy an unquenchable thirst for achievement and success.

 

     And now Japan is on the cusp of economic globalization, putting itself in a unique position to take advantage of all of the positive and beneficial principles and practices that this includes.

 

       Japanese companies are continuing to dramatically increase their holdings in foreign assets, from buying into leading companies to long-term contracts for raw materials. As witnessed by the business news media, the number and value of these investments is multiplying at an amazing pace.

 

     A single issue of The Nikkei Weekly (The Japan Economic Weekly) reveals new tie-ups and manufacturing operations in Australia, China, Denmark, England, Germany, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, the United States, and Vietnam—not to mention several South American nations as well as other African countries.

 

     And this list of overseas investments made by Japanese companies in recent weeks and months is by no means complete. The overall scale and potential of these and other globalizing efforts is simply staggering.

 

     Both foreign countries and foreign corporations are also playing key roles in the rapid globalization of Japan’s economy by continuing to expand their investments in Japan, becoming significant shareholders in a growing number of companies. There is now hardly any Japanese company of note that does not have foreign stockholders.

 

     Of course, the level and pace of globalization in other countries, especially the United States, China and India, is also rising rapidly but Japan seems to be leading the pack, and while its ranking as the second largest economy in the world will soon fade, the transformation to a global economy will surely help ensure the future welfare of the country.

 

     While there are unique factors that often make it easier for Japan to globalize than other countries, I believe the Japanese example is a good one for other nations to follow.

 

Obviously, politicians and diplomats are incapable of bringing about world peace and prosperity. With Japan helping to lead the way, the globalization of the world’s economy could achieve both of these long-sought goals.

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

_____________________________________

Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 50 pioneer business, cultural and languages books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including WHY MEXICANS THINK AND BEHAVE THE WAY THEY DO – The Cultural Programming that Created the Character and Personality of Mexicans [available from Amazon.com]  To see a list and synopses of his books go to:

 www.boyedemente.com.

 

Spread of Liquid Solar Cells May Revolutionize Way We Live!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

TOKYO—One of the most extraordinary areas of research in Japan—among many that are having and will have fundamental affects on the way we live—is one that involves technology that makes it possible to create molecules in liquid forms that duplicate the solar cell and organic electroluminescence processes that create electricity.

 

     In other words, these liquid molecules can be spread on textiles and other things in a thin organic layer, just as paint is applied to a surface, and when the molecules dry they form a permanent covering. When light strikes these objects—whatever they are—it creates electricity!

 

     This technology exists and it works, and as it spreads into the building, apparel, appliance and other industries the overall affects in virtually every field of human endeavor are going to be revolutionary.

 

    The clothing industry is expected to be one of the leaders in making use of this new technology. The possible applications are mind-boggling. For one thing, clothing could be designed for winter that would keep the wearer warm. Apparel could be designed so that the power is focused in one place, a pocket for example, where you could keep some kind of electronic device that needs recharging.

 

     In fact, any electronic device that can be exposed to sunlight and is coated with the “spreadable solar cells” would become self-charging. Another of the more interesting uses will be to make the walls of homes and buildings glow with their own light. Still another use will be television sets that can be rolled up like paper, and unrolled when you want to watch them.

 

     At this time, the energy conversion rate of the technology ranges from 3.8 percent to 5.7 percent. As soon as the researchers ramp this up to 7-10 percent—and they will—it is going to have an impact that will surely be mind-boggling. When the technology reaches this level, many of the devices that now must be plugged in to operate, or have internal batteries, will be independent of outside electrical sources.

 

     Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Sumitomo Chemical Company are leaders in the field. Tokitaro Hoshijima, director of the spreadable solar cell project at Mitsubishi Chemical, says the goal is to create a world that does not use power sockets. That is not likely to happen within the next decade or so, but just think of what fundamental changes will occur if only half of the world’s electrical sockets become obsolete.

 

     Hoshijima is working with the University of Tokyo to enhance the power output of the spreadable molecules. He says the technology creates a kind of “soup” that is a mixture of fullerene molecules and the organic semiconductor material tetrabenzoporphyrin, which resembles chlorophyll in its ability to convert light into electricity.

 

     When the “soup” is spread on an object it evaporates, leaving a thin organic film that works like a solar cell.

 

     A spokesperson for Sumitomo Chemical says they have already achieved an electrical conversion rate of 5.7 percent and expect to reach 10 percent by the spring of 2009.

 

     Among the industries that will probably be among the first to be transformed by this new technology are sportswear and camping tents for use in temperate and cold climates. Spread on tents, the “molecular soup” would provide power for outdoor heaters as well as cooking. Winter coats and jackets of all kinds are also natural recipients of this technology.

 

     Sony Corporation, which is already producing a variety of OEL (organic electro-luminescent) displays, is moving in the direction of making use of the new technology, including using printing rather than silicon technology to produce solar cells.

 

     Sony researchers are working on televisions that have an OEL panel on one side and a layer of spreadable solar cell molecules on the other side.  In addition to being the ultimate lightweight TV, they will not have to be plugged into an outside power source.

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

_____________________________________

Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 50 pioneer business, cultural and languages books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including SPEAK JAPANESE TODAY – A Little Language Goes a Long Way! [available from Amazon.com]  To see a list and synopses of his books go to:

 www.boyedemente.com.

Rooftops Sprouting Rice and Vegetables!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

TOKYO—By all accounts, Tokyo is one of the world’s most extraordinary cities in terms of facilities and amenities that include more restaurants, more bars, more clubs, more department stores, more business centers, more subways and more commuter trains than any other city on the planet—to name just a few of the things that are more conspicuous.

 

     Now, the city has undertaken a massive program to turn the huge urban area into an oasis of rooftop and open-field gardens, and it is well underway.

 

     The urban gardens of Tokyo are not just for show. Altogether they include virtually all of the popular table vegetables as well as rice—still a major staple of the diet of most Japanese.

 

     Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government has taken the lead in promoting this greening campaign by constructing a 770-square meter garden on the rooftop of its high-rise headquarters building in Shinjuku on the west side of town.

 

     The city has launched a major program to increase the amount of green space in its 23 wards from the present 29 percent to 32 percent over the next seven years.  This green space includes forests, rivers, rice paddies and gardens on office buildings.

 

     A city ordinance requires that all new, expanded, or improved buildings in the city that have 3,000 square meters of space or more must cover at least 20 percent of their land and rooftops with plants, trees, turf or other foliage.

 

     In 2006 the famed Isetan Department Store replaced the amusement rides it had on its rooftop with a garden—which not only attracts more visitors than the amusement center did, it also brought summertime rooftop temperatures down by 18 degrees.

 

     In May of 2007 school children and young women planted a rice paddy on top of one of the signature Mori Building towers in Roppongi—known around the world as one of the city’s entertainment districts.

 

    Another feature of this phenomenon has been the opening of membership gardens in open areas of the outlying wards. These gardens that include clubhouses where members can change into their work clothes, shower, eat, drink, exchange information and socialize.

 

     One of the largest of these new communal gardens is located in Seijo, an upscale residential area in Setagaya Ward just 15 minutes from the core of Tokyo. The 500 square meter walled-in area, called Agris Seijo, is divided into 300 plots to accommodate members who pay annual fees of $1,120.

 

     For an additional fee, staff members of the club take care of the individual gardens of members when go on vacation, or are away on business trips, and cannot tend their gardens themselves.

 

     Suburban cities like Musashino have gotten into the act with garden centers on city property that also feature a variety of seasonal agricultural events that residents may attend free of charge.

 

     Pasona, Inc., the well-known temporary staffing company, has inaugurated a training program for people who want to get an Agri-MBA. Classes are given three times a week at the company’s headquarters building in Otemachi, one of Tokyo’s premiere business centers. The course includes a 7-day training session on a working farm.

 

     Some of the students say they are taking the course to get out of the business rat-race and make their living farming.

 

     This new phenomenon, known as “hobby farming,” is itself becoming a big business in Japan, and it augurs well for the growing millions of people who feel—and are!—trapped by the prevailing economic system and are yearning for a saner, simpler life.

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

____________________________________________

Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 50 pioneer business, cultural and languages books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including SPEAK JAPANESE TODAY – A Little Language Goes a Long Way! [available from Amazon.com]  To see a list and synopses of his books go to:

 www.boyedemente.com.

Digital Shopping Revolutionizing Retail Business!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Some time in the near future the world’s great department stores could become little more than drop-ship warehouses and boutiques and other stores could get few if any live shoppers…and all because of tiny all-purpose mobile phones.

This phenomenon has already begun in Japan, where shopping by mobile phone is already large and is growing at the rate of 40 percent a year.

According to government data, mobile phone shopping in 2006 reached the trillion yen mark, while the sales at department stores and shops declined. Just one online company, Rakuten Ichiba, did 460 billion yen in mobile phone sales that year.

 

More and more Japanese are now doing their basic shopping—for apparel, cosmetics, food, furniture, etc.—on their mobile phones while they are on their way to work, at work, in restaurants and pubs and other places, and the whole process takes only a few minutes at most.

 

Young women, who are always the trend leaders in virtually everything new that occurs in Japan’s huge consumer market, are in the forefront of this movement, which means it is real, it is solid, and it will grow—and manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers who ignore it will be left behind.

 

All signs indicate that 2006 was the tipping point for mobile phone shopping in Japan, and this movement will inevitably spread around the world as the cost of gas goes up, highways and streets become more clogged with traffic and there is growing pressure for people to drive less in order to reduce pollution.

 

The next country to undergo this mobile phone shopping revolution will no doubt be South Korea, the most digitally connected country in the world—and I can see it happening in China and in India as entrepreneurs in those countries seek to skip the slow and inefficient retailing process that has been characteristic of market economies since the 1880s.

 

One of the facets of shopping by mobile phone is that it can make a huge success of a product that hasn’t been moving in a matter of days just by making it available online.

 

In Japan big-name international companies like Procter & Gamble are taking advantage of this new phenomenon by promoting their cosmetic lines on mobile phones, targeting women in their 20s.

 

What this phenomenon may mean to the retailing industry in the world at large can be mind-boggling—not to mention frightening if it fails to keep up with the times. Instead of maintaining brick-and-mortar places, stores will have to transform themselves into warehouses that ship their goods to individual consumers—or manufacturers could replace the retailing and wholesaling businesses altogether by taking on the role of shippers as well as manufacturers.

 

     Dell, the computer giant, Amazon.com and many other companies have already proven conclusively that people will shop online if it is made easy and secure.

 

This transition of the way of shopping is not going to go away.  The only questions are how rapidly is it going to continue to grow, and at what point will it no longer be feasible for present-day retailers to keep their doors open.

 

One of the greatest benefits of digital shopping is that hundreds of millions of people would not have to get into their cars and go shopping every day or every week. This in itself would have a profound affect that would encompass the automobile industry and the oil and gas industries—which combined, make up a huge percentage of the world’s economic activity.

 

Talk about computers changing the world!  Just wait until even more enhanced mobile phones are in the hands of just half of the world’s population!

 

Copyright © 2008 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

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Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 50 pioneer business, cultural and languages books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including SPEAK JAPANESE TODAY – A Little Language Goes a Long Way! [available from Amazon.com]  To see a list and synopses of his books go to:

 www.boyedemente.com.