japanese culture– tag –
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Japanese Culture and Traditions
The Annual Corporate Baptism: Why Japan’s Entrance Ceremonies Exist (and Why I Hate Public Speaking)
Why does Japan practice synchronized recruitment and the Annual Corporate Baptism (Nyūsha-shiki)? I draw on my own embarrassing experience of attending three entrance ceremonies in three years to explain their function as a critical "attitude adjustment" event. I analyze the ritualistic genius of Toyota's CEO and his engine-revving speech. The analysis leads to my personal crisis: my existential dread over giving a compulsory lecture at the CondeHouse entrance ceremony next week. -
Japanese Culture and Traditions
Beyond the Frame: What Aliens and Silence Teach Us About Design
When we look at the stars, we see beauty. When Newton looked, he saw gravity. This article explores the "invisible walls" of our perception—from the genetic limits in Gattaca to the non-linear time in Arrival—and how shifting your cognitive frame can turn "silence" and "emptiness" into powerful design. -
Japanese Culture and Traditions
The Noble Secret: What I Learned About Japan’s Hidden Elite from a Toyota Sports Car
Japan abolished its aristocracy, but a hidden noble class persists. A naive Hokkaido boy explores this secret society, mistaking a TOYOTA heiress for a struggling salesperson. I reveal how their true mark is not conspicuous wealth but profound modesty and normality. This leads to the ultimate marketing challenge: how to sell luxury furniture to people who wear their wealth with invisible tags. -
Japan Travel in the Know
Why Do We Love Wood Rather Than Stone, Bronze, and Iron?
【We Hokkaido people reach enlightenment by clearing snow】 Nothing can stay the same. This is very famous Buddhist terminology, meaning "Life is fleeting and empty." Even on weekend, I always wake up very early and leave home before six... -
Japanese Culture and Traditions
The Kaiju Metaphor: Why Godzilla is a God, Not a Villain (And Why We Must Learn to Surrender)
The Kaiju Metaphor: Godzilla is a non-negotiable force of nature that technology cannot defeat. As an ex-military person, I’m frustrated, but we Japanese simply surrender to the inevitable. Embracing a crack in the wood is a small, daily act of submitting to nature, just as the Japanese submit to Godzilla. -
Japanese Culture and Traditions
Fun Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Japan
【What we do for Christmas in Japan】 Almost all the cities are filled with Christmas decorations in this season, though the percentage of the Christian population is only 1% in Japan. As I wrote before, we are good at cream-skimming oth... -
Marketing Tips
How to Perform the Strength Test for Chairs
The movement of tilting back chairs just like students do in a classroom is most severe structurally for chairs, and it is highly likely to give heavy damage to chairs. This is the reason why the same movement is adopted in the standard strength test of chairs as shown in the contained movie. Chairs are jerked in the backrest with the weight of 60 kg on the seat. -
Marketing Tips
How to Make Waiting Times into Fun and Enjoyable Moments
Do you know a photo-sharing app called Dispo? Humans basically dislike being kept waiting, but even such primitive human nature may be changing among the new generation people somehow. -
Japan Travel in the Know
The Art of Strategic Laziness: How to Survive a Japanese Onsen
In an onsen, everyone is equal because everyone is naked. Explore the fascinating history of how Japanese hot springs served as a sanctuary from social status and the "curse" of productivity. From Samurai "resetting" their souls to the art of the Yukata waddle, discover the ultimate way to spoil yourself. -
Japan Travel in the Know
The 22-Year Paradox: Why Kyoto’s Ancient Woodwork Still Stands After 1400 Years
Why is Kyoto so popular? It’s the ancient capital and the destination for nearly every Japanese school trip (a beautiful, chaotic spring ritual). But here’s the paradox: Japan’s legal durable life for wooden buildings is only 22 years. This is absurd, considering Hōryū-ji Temple was built 1,400 years ago! The secret lies in ancient wisdom: using nail-less flexibility to withstand earthquakes. This same principle—accommodating wood’s expansion and contraction—is incorporated into our IPPONGI table, making it a piece of history you can use daily.
