Japan Readies for Cultural Export

Japan has come out stronger after the March 11 earthquake. This time, Tokyo said it wants the world to know more about its culture and entertainment.

For a long time, Japan is represented mainly to the rest of the world through the lens of Hollywood, The Last Samurai, Memoirs of a Geisha, Lost in Translation are household movie titles among others.

However, few people outside Japan know about its thriving domestic movie and TV series industry which has produced such big name directors, Akira Hirosawa, Juzo Itami and emerging Kazuaki Kiriya.

Feeling the heat from both traditional entertainment stronghold of Hollywood and newcomer Bollywood, Japan is eager to promote its cultural products for the consumption of the global audience. However, a long held history of Japanese language has deterred the efforts.

According to the news from African Executive, Japan has readied to introduce many copyrighted works from both corporations and individuals to the world, the target is mainly the U.S., but emerging African countries is another potential.

The newly created All Nippon Entertainment Works Company Ltd, a brainchild of more established Innovative Network Corp of Japan (INCJ), kicked off August 15th. With 6 billion yen investment, the goal is to "introducing copyright works of Japanese companies and individuals to international audience."

The list of companies include TBS, Fuji TV as well as Mitsubishi Corps, Densu, Toho-Towa among others.

Will Africans get to accept Japan beyond Ninja, Samurai to a mixed bag of contents?

Chinese Fan Cools Japanse Summer

Hit by the worst nuclear energy crisis, Japan will now face another natural disaster, sizzling summer and soaring heat stroke patients.

Due to the shutdown of nuclear power generators, the government has imposed a limit on energy use, the directly impacted will be millions of citizens who face a summer that has kicked into a high gear since early May and has not shown mercy. Kumagaya in Saitama recorded 39.8C on June 24, and Japan authorities reported the heat wave is the highest in 50 years.

The number of patients who suffer from heat stroke and had to be delivered to hospitals are increasing by several folds, around 3,000 had been rushed to hospitals nationwide last week.

One relief is electric fans that were made in China. As Japanese makers have shifted the production to China, this May has seen 3.21 million fans cleared Tokyo Customs. Even so, residents in some areas of Japan still find no fans left in their electronic store shelves.

From rare earth ban to toxic frozen gyoza (dumplings), who could have think electronic fan become another hot item on Sino-Japan trade list. However, this time is different: Japanese are eager to embrace for made-in-china goods, either with little or no choice.

(I will soon hit the road, mostly in Ghana for the next one month and half. After that, I will transition to Dhaka, Bangladesh. The posting therefore will be sporadic, if none at all during this transition period. I wish everyone a good summer. Stay cool!)

Just Ask, Regain the Art of Asking

Special piece for proud mothers, fathers, and anyone in between…

As a parent, have you ever wondered why your kids ask so much? They seem to have endless questions. And when they don’t get what they asked, they….cry, which is another way of asking. Grownups, however, forget the art of asking. So I am asking, why do you think there is a difference between kids and adults when comes to asking?

The reason, I think, lies in a fear of rejection. Adults, me included, have egos. And egos are like shoes, come in different sizes. When you start asking, you risk the consequence of being told, NO! So, most of the time, the fear overwhelms you, and you tell self No before even asking. You may very well get a no, anyway, so, why bother.

Kids, on the other hand, have very small sized (act out) egos. And trust me; they are well aware of that. When they desire for something, they don’t self-doubt themselves, they simply ask. Quite often, you will find these questions range anywhere from reasonable, to regrettable to ridicules.

Not only do they ask, they also ask multiple times, in various forms, in order to get what they desire. “Mom, Can I have this?” “No. How about that?” “I love you, Mom, but if you give me that, I will love you more” No matter what techniques they use, the message is loud and clear-- they are not afraid to ask for what they want.

I am not a behavior scientist, I am nevertheless keen on asking why some people are more successful than others, my answer is, they succeed because they not only ask, they ask more and they keep asking.

Don’t these people be considered as needy? You might ask. Fair enough, the difference, however, according to their individual definitions, needy people either have disasters and manmade reasons to have little means to support themselves, or have low or no self-confidence, so they rely on emotional and material support of others. While persistent people know the support they need is the wings to help them take off, so they only ask what exactly they need and when they need it.

When you ask, make sure don’t ask wrong questions. When you are stopped by a policeman, and he thought you are speeding, what’s the first thing he will ask you, “How fast had you been driving?” Do you think he will ever ask, how slow had you been driving?

Similarly, we want to get certain results, like a pay raise, bonus, promotion, etc, we need to ask the right questions. Something like, I have just saved million dollars for the organization, what should I do to have a bigger role to save the company even more?

The right questions open doors, and windows, encourage discussions, deepen relationships and create a learning environment. They are necessary in any relationship, be it at work or at home.

So next time, when you hear a kid keep asking, ask yourself, do I need to start asking as well? However, no one in this world gets what he or she wants, not even a fraction of that. Professor Randy Pausch, author of the Last Lecture, once said, experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.

The next time when you ask and get rejected, think like a kid. You won’t be asking, are there anything worse than the humiliation or embarrassment than the sound of a NO? Instead, do what a kid would do. They cry, they shrug off and they move on.

5 Tips to Gain Resilience and Bounce Back From Lows

Several years ago, I felt I was the anathema of the world: struck with a job that drained my energy like a vampire, day in and day out. Getting up becomes a chore. I woke up in the middle of a night, dreadful of repetitive tasks ahead. Like a boat drifting along a river without a direction, I had a low moment in life.

As humans, who hasn’t had such lows in life? Bad economy, sluggish job market, layoffs, uncertainties, life sometimes turns unexpectedly, whether we are prepared or not. Friends, familiar locations and comfortable surroundings give way to an unknown terrain, dark deep channels with no light in sight, crossroads waiting to choose, what should you do? Here are 5 tips for you:

1. You need to eat well and sleep 8 hours a night. It helps lift you up. Don’t let yourself down just because life shuts down on you. Better, get up at 4 and do some physical activities. If you forget nutritious meals and stay up at night, you will not only finish today poorly, but start off tomorrow on a wrong foot. No matter how tough the situation, remember to keep the priority, you, front and center.
2. Create value. Just because you are down, doesn’t mean you don’t have something of value to offer. Quite the opposite, since you have free time on hand; it could be the perfect time to be creative. Start from yourself, write down 10 ideas for your dream job, if you done that, treat self for a cake and come back to write 20 more. How about establishing a Facebook page for your friends’ shop, get 50 new connections through Linkedin?
3. Open up for all opportunities. Someone once said, there is never lack of chances, only lack of guided eyes. During the good times, we become so used to staying inside a comfort zone that we don’t always look for other opportunities. However, when you are low, chances are you need whatever available to get you out of the stinky swamp. Get out and show up at social events, speak up and seek help.
4. Give out for free. Offer your time and expertise to help others, mentor a youth, take care of your sister’s kids while she works, and make a speech to your middle school about the importance of education. Give and you will receive.
5. Read a lot, write a lot. Forget the “to do” list, Create an “I did” list. From time to time, you need to remind how much you have achieved. Forget the situation; forgive someone in your life. Who doesn’t like the feeling of completion and forgiveness?

To combat the life’s low, my action plan is: treat self well, Lift self up from the bad situation, keep moving, pay attention to knocks of Mr. Opportunities, make self valuable. Create things that people will need and like, give these things out for free. Finally, remember how much you have done, and keep doing the right things.

Years later, I quit that job, start writing stories and editing articles, I also found another one I am passionate about and jumping out the bed every morning. The boat I am sitting in is steadily moving forward, I can feel breeze blows my face, picturesque sceneries swaying by.

Are you on board? Share with me your tips by leaving a comment.

China Rapidly Becomes Another Japan

The first census in a decade shows that Chinese population is rapidly aging, people over the age of 60 now account for 13.3% of the population, up nearly 3% since 2000. Nearly one in six people in China is over 60 years old.

Although in terms of percentage of aging population, China is still far behind Japan, the pace of aging in China has been alarmingly similar to that of Japan.

Merely twenty years ago, only 11.6% of the population in Japan was 65 years or older. Now, the ratio stand at 21%, the highest proportion of elderly citizens in the world.

In China, the aging trend is accelerating, according to Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics. The 3% increase in a decade could seen a significance booster from now on.

One the other hand, the proportion of mainland Chinese people aged 14 or younger was 16.6%, down by 6.29 percentage points from 2000.

The quickly aging trend could bring many issues, such as an increased demand for care facilities, care services and personnel, heavy burden on young workers, and anxiety over post-retirement care.

Another quake hits Japan, how about some Haiku?

Among many aftershocks after the March 11 earthquake that left over 10,000 deaths, another powerful earthquake, measured at M7.8 hit Japan early this morning.The earthquake has prompted tsunami warnings in the northern part of the island nation. One meter wave is expected.

The slightly positive sign is the ongoing nuclear crisis, which has been brought under control, Daijobu, described by a friend living in Japan. However, after this new quake, Fukushima has been evacuated.

How ordinary Japanese people view the series of disasters? One shared his view on the Twitter in a Haiku style:

Sleepless night
News keep streaming in
Where is my good night?

Inside TEPCO Largest Nuclear Power Plant

While on an internship during a summer of late 199os, I was among lucky few to be chosen to spend a few weeks working for Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO in its headquarters in Tokyo.

The interns were invited to tour several power plants to learn about the power generation in Japan. One of them is a nuclear plant located in Niigata Prefecture on the side of Japan Sea.

TEPCO owns 17 nuclear reactors, 10 in Fukushima Prefecture and 7 in Niigata Kashiwazaki Kariwa. In 1997 all 7 units in the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant were in commercial operation with a total capacity of 8,212 MW, nearly doubling the combined the capability of Fukushima Daiichi and Daini and becoming the largest nuclear power station in the world.

Nuclear power is considered as a base load energy and it accounts for approximately 40% of TEPCO's total electricity output, said TEPCO on itswebsite.

Inside the Kashiwazaki plant, we are guided to walk through gigantic pipes carrying the sea water to cool the reactors. Large amount of sea water is absolutely necessary for a nuclear power plant, we learned, that's why most of them situated by ocean.

As the only country that has been a victim of a nuclear atom bomb, Japan has a strong feeling towards nuclear power. The construction of the plants have encountered fierce domestic protests. To persuade communities, TEPCO enlisted its safety measures, such as anti-quake structure, five barriers enclosing radioactive substances, etc.

The company, however, hadn't obviously foreseen a quake with the magnitude of 8.9. A Feed and Bleed measure to solve the current crisis is not working, and it will take three to five years to solve, said expert.

The point is, no matter how secure the design and how detailed a protection plan, there is always unthinkable. TEPCO failure is not in its design, but in its lack of crisis management and rapid response, which may take more than five years to heal and establish.

From Tennis to Everything You Do in Life

With over 20 years playing tennis, I thought I could never be as good as the ones I had dreamed of. I am not even talking of stars such as Federer and Nadal, but more realistic ones such as the player who was nearly 20 years older than me but beat me in straight sets.

However, recent things have changed my perception. And now, more than ever, I believe I can beat the top guns inside my playing circle, and even some good players in the city. What have changed? It all started from a new coach and new perspective.

This new coach, let’s call him Eric, is not even a good coach by popular judgment. A tennis buddy even warned me that Eric is a good player, but doesn’t have a clue about coaching. Terrible, I was warned.

But hey, there is no deny about Eric being the No.1 player inside the Tennis Club, I believe that there must be something that Eric has that I can learn from. So I signed up. And I have seen changes kept coming ever since.

Eric has no mercy; he doesn’t treat trainees like trainees, but professional players in training. Eric believe that everyone can be equally qualified to be playing tennis just as well as him, if they put the right amount of practice, right attitude and never give up and give in.

I immediately felt the difference of the perspective change in my tennis. I was thrilled by the feeling of hitting the balls like a pro, the desire to improve, the determination to keep going even I was ready to collapse, and in return, the tangible improvement pushes me to move forward further and further.

Eric is not only bad at pleasing you so you will feel good about yourself, at the expenses of releasing your full potential and achieving the maximum goals, he is also bad at saving people’s face. “Where is your stamina?” “Your forms mess up”, he would say, to your face, so you will correct right away.

Coaches like Eric are not for everyone; you do have to stomach constructive suggestions, to-you-face comments and everything in between.

It has been going on for two months; I still have a long way to go towards my goal of beating the local stars with flying colors.

Do you have such a coach in your life that can motivate you to constantly improve?

Let me leave one quote with you, “You stop playing not because you become old, you become old because you stop playing.”

Japan Nuclear Mess, What does it mean to China?

Japanese Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear plant is going through what Chernobyl has down, which is to seal off the whole unit and officially called it quit. The seemingly unavoidable fate and chilling fact to other aspiring nuclear energy developing giants such as China will be closely watched.

According to a New Yorker blog entry by Evan Osnos, who made a point linking a life sentence to Kang Rixin, the head of China’s nuclear-power program and a senior Party apparatchik convicted of taking bribes and abusing his position to enrich others. China is experiencing the most aggressive nuclear-power expansion in the world.

One important thing pointed by Osnos' interviewee is, that Japanese nuclear facility is old and aging, while Chinese ones are all newly imported from nuclear energy leaders such as France. Besides, the Chinese designers and plant management are also receptive to other input such as Americans.

Would it so-called nuclear binge could be happening? It is up to anyone's guess. Who could have thought Japan, a leading nation in energy technology, will have to seal off its nuclear plant, just like what Ukraine did.

Monster Quake, Tsunami

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake shattered Japan and the 13 meter Tsunami had impacted many lives in this nation country.

One twitter I followed, said there is no way to get home, so he might as well working at the office. Some coworkers celebrated the fact that the building is still standing, by starting drinking beer. (a bit cold for that)

Another twitter said the Shinkansen he was taking to Osaka from Tokyo stopped, due to the loss of power. The train got stuck inside a tunnel and he is thinking to take a nap. (what else to do in the dark car and tunnel?)

However, considering the initial reports, I have to give credits to Japanese government, and Japanese people for their disaster response plans. Not only the country is in order and people started sorting out the aftermath, but the fact that size of monster could have easily destroyed people's spirit.

While living in Japan's most earthquake prone area, in Niigata and surrendering Kanetsu area, I was amazed by the buildings that were built to keep property damage to the minimum in terms of a earthquake. And Hinan Kunren (disaster drills) were held on a regular basis.

Probably with that mindset, Japanese people will be able to stand up again with so many natural disasters affected the country. This time should be no exception.

The Real Secrete is Stay Flexible

The world is certainly not short of uncertainties, oil price surge, a series of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, and these budget fights in Washington. However, for each of us, the real secrete to achieve goals is to stay flexible.

There is few sure things in life, most of time, we deal only with probabilities; all you do is to do the right things to increase the odds, so the balance tilts towards your side.

When on a losing track, the plan is to firmly hold on the ground, and not giving in. Explore every possibility to turn the game around.

Risk is unavoidable, but there is a plan in place to mitigate it.

So is tennis. The point is not to hit home runs, but singles and doubles. The goal is to put the ball in the court, in play, and follow the rules, and be consistent.

It is the plan of the game, the strategy of the day.

How to act on each situation, make a judgment and still follow your rules?

1. Mentality wise, there are no sure thing and nothing new under the sun. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. Think all options, have several plans in place and keep an OPEN MIND, and when something unthinkable happens, ready to act upon PLAN B, or even PLAN C. There is never a perfect solution, you have to make a decision right there.

2. Ask. How experts stay flexible when things go unexpected? Tennis pro will be able to tell his game plan, and then adjust to the opponent’s levels.

3. Proactive. Don’t wait for the ball to drop, attack it while it is still in the mid air. Don’t wait when things have started going the other way when the best time has passed. When the things start changing, you change as well.

4. Calm down and focus, don’t get emotionally high and low. Trust own power to handle the situations. Keep the ultimate goal straight. The goal is to improve every aspect of games; it is not to feel good about self, not to get others’ complimentary.

5. Slow down if necessary, so you will have time to think through and come up some options to address a changing situation. Most of mistakes are made while rushing through things, especially when things start changing fast and you want to keep the pace. The situation could be worse when your originally planned strategy has been challenged and a new plan is not in place. The best solution is to take a break, change the pace and assess the emerging factors.

6. Lastly, Forget about being prefect. The desire to be the best one possibly can has sometimes paralyzed us to act when facing quickly changing environment. The perfectionist’s mantra, which is if there is no perfect solution, the best solution is doing nothing, would leave situation to eventually become uncontrollable. Do something, come up with something that is best address the issue, will be much better than doing nothing.