J@pan Inc Newsletter
<div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c"><p>The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 449 Wednesday January 23, 2007, Tokyo
</p>
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<p>--------- PBXL Hosted Business Communications -------------</p>Cracks in the skyline<br><br>Eight years ago, despite much angst and heartfelt protest, the <br>last of Tokyo's 16 Fuji mizaka (slopes where it was possible to
<br>command a good view of Mt. Fuji) had its view obscured by a <br>condominium built in Bunkyo-ku. Beyond the residential level, <br>the Tokyo skyline has also witnessed massive growth and change <br>in the last 10 years. Office and leisure complexes such as the
<br>Izumi Garden Palace, Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown have shot <br>up marking economic recovery and a renewal of confidence. In <br>2003, 33 buildings of over 99 meters were completed, compared <br>with only eight a decade before.
<br><br>From an architectural point of view, while in the 1980s and <br>'90s there were some flamboyant original designs such as <br>Phillippe Starck's Asahi Super Dry Hall <br>(<a href="http://tinyurl.com/3bwvqc" target="_blank">
http://tinyurl.com/3bwvqc
</a>) in Asakusa and Kenzo Tange's Fuji <br>TV building in Odaiba (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/2ssf82" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/2ssf82</a>), the more <br>recent complexes are much more sober and corporate. As Martin
<br>van der Linden, Architect Prinicipal of Van Der Architects Japan
<br>observes, places such as Roppongi Hills and Midtown are styled <br>to fit other buildings made by the real estate firms that <br>constructed them, Mori and Mitsui Sumitomo respectively. The <br>architects and designers tend to come from firms associated with
<br>the realtor as well, such as Nikken Sekkei for Mitsui. These <br>impressive, phallic and more standard towers symbolized the <br>return of the Japanese economy and confidence but since the <br>opening of Midtown in spring last year, Tokyo's skyline appears
<br>to be on hold.<br><br></div></div>There are not, reportedly, any new skyscraping landmarks on the<div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c"><br>horizon and construction in the capital more generally is slowing<br>down. One reason behind this is the tightening of the
<br>building-permit application process implemented by the Land
<br>Ministry in June 2007, in part brought about by the Aneha<br>scandal of 2005—the construction company was found to have<br>falsified documents relating to earthquake-resistance<br>( <a href="http://www.bigempire.com/sake/index.html" target="_blank">
www.bigempire.com/sake/index.html</a>). Compounding this is the<br>credit crunch which has been not only affecting real estate sales<br>but also resulted in a dearth of funding for major projects as<br>investors lean towards caution. Moreover, Gordon Hatton,
<br>Executive Officer of Bovis Lend Lease, argues that major<br>construction work 'is always cyclical. Buildings like Roppongi<br>Hills take years to plan and complete and span across cycles,<br>sometimes making it difficult for the developer to see far enough
<br>ahead to time the release of such significant amounts of space<br>on the market effectively. People tend to over-build, there is<br>saturation, and then there is a lag before demand spurs more<br>projects again.' Certain categories have also reached saturation
<br>as Hatton goes on to explain, 'many of the major hotels are here<br>now so new construction in that sector has perhaps run its <br>course, although several of the incumbents are renovating or <br>rebuilding in the face of new competition. With occupancy rates
<br>high, there may still be room for growth in this sector, but <br>perhaps the focus will shift from high-end Tokyo to other class <br>and regional opportunities.' <br><br>And, even in Tokyo some categories are seeing sustained activity.
<br>There is still an insatiable demand for grade A office buildings <br>and Mitsubishi are trying to meet some of this with their new <br>developments in Marunouchi. Concurrently, while are no huge
<br>monsters on the way, there are interesting slightly smaller scale<br>projects under construction (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/36u67v" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/36u67v</a>).<br>
<p>[Continued below...]</p>
<p>------Metropolis Magazine Valentine`s Glitterball-------</p>
<p>Glitterball is back!<br>Tokyo's favorite party makes its triumphant return on<br>February 14, 2008-Valentine's Day. <br>An institution for nearly a decade, the Metropolis-hosted<br>Glitterball was on hiatus this year due to the closing of
<br>Velfarre nightclub, but 2008's version promises to be better<br>than ever.</p>
<div>Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 1,000 V-Day revelers <br>for a night of eating, drinking, dancing, making friends-and<br>who knows what else.<br>Prize drawings, swag bags, and Tokyo's funnest crowd will make
<br>the reborn Glitterball the highlight of the Tokyo social </div>
<div>calendar. </div>
<p>CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME<br><a href="http://www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball" target="_blank">www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>[...Article continues] <br></p>In terms of architecture, Tokyo is still a Mecca for architects <br>and smaller buildings here are often groundbreaking and unique. <br>One trainee architect at a major global architecture firm's Tokyo
<br>office told us that Toyko, and Japan more generally, is <br>fascinating in design terms: 'there are not the same restrictions<br>and regulations that you find in European cities making it <br>difficult to do something out of character with the area.' For
<br>her, only in Tokyo could firms like Atelier Bow Wow <br>(<a href="http://www.bow-wow.jp" target="_blank">www.bow-wow.jp</a>) exist—known for their forward thinking, unusual<br>designs. On the other hand, Gordon Hatton points out that there
<br>is also a growing trend for building designers to show an <br>appreciation of context, even if they are not compelled to do <br>so. For example, "inside Roppongi Hills it is quite complicated <br>and easy to get lost echoing the feel of the blend of busy
<br>crossroads and intimately scaled backstreets found in Shibuya, <br>Harajuku and some other older sections of Tokyo. At the same <br>time, such buildings are functional and cater to the demands of <br>their corporate tenants."
<br><br>Tokyo architecture on the smaller, more residential scale is <br>also highly influenced by the issue of limited space. This has <br>inspired some highly creative thinking when it comes to design <br>particularly notable in the 'kyosho jutaku' trend that uses all
<br>available space in strikingly innovative ways <br>(<a href="http://www.bigempire.com/sake/kyosho_jutaku.html" target="_blank">www.bigempire.com/sake/kyosho_jutaku.html</a>). In terms of the <br>space for foreign architects, they are nowadays considered less
<br>of a novelty and so they compete on a more even playing field <br>with Japanese firms—a trade off between losing their niche and <br>widening their scope. Hatton notes that we are almost in an<br>inverse environment to the 1980s with increasing cases of local
<br>firms 'who are building their name with foreign clients.' <br><br>For Martin van der Linden, while uninspired by the recent <br>skyscraper developments, he agrees that, through the cracks in <br>the skyline, Tokyo is a hotbed of fantastic design. Among the
<br>reasons he lists for this are the fact that Japan has more <br>per-capita qualified architects in the world than any other <br>country (300,000 out of the world's 1.2 million) and the high <br>amounts of funding that can be raised to finance
ambitious,<br>interesting projects. So, while the skyline maybe paused for the<br>time being, and despite the blandness induced by the <br>globalization of architecture, there is still some exciting <br>design and construction going on in Tokyo—you just have to
<br>search for it. <br><br>Peter Harris<br>Editor-in-Chief<br><br>
<p>------------------- Financial Times------------------------</p>
<p>Established in 1888 and published in 23 major cities, the<br>Financial Times is essential reading for the global business <br>community, providing news in print and online around the<br>clock to more than 1.3 million readers worldwide.
</p>
<p>In both its print and online versions, the FT has a reputation<br>for authority, balance and depth of coverage. <br>With 400 specialist journalists in 70 offices around the<br>world, and unrivalled access to global business and government
<br>leaders, the FT 's global business intelligence and insight<br>will help you start the day fully briefed on significant <br>events in business, politics and finance.</p>
<p>FT newspaper and FT.com (one year subscription - 310 issues)</p>
<p>Normal retail price:<br>JPY219,647<br>You pay:<br>JPY90,720 ( Saving you 54%.)</p>
<p>If you would like to subscribe please call our dedicated <br>customer service team on 0120-341-468 or<br>visit <a href="http://www.ftasia.net/japaninc" target="_blank">www.ftasia.net/japaninc</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------
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<p><br>++FEEDBACK</p>
<p>Want to comment? It is now even easier to voice your opinion<br>than ever before! Simply visit <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin448" target="_blank">www.japaninc.com/jin449</a> and<br>post a comment below the article. Alternatively, you can email
<br>it directly to the author at <a href="mailto:peter.harris@japaninc.com" target="_blank">peter.harris@japaninc.com</a> </p>
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<p><br>++EVENTS</p><p>---Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo - Tuesday, February 5th--</p>
<p>Title:<br>
'Presentation Zen: How to design and deliver<br>
great presentations in today's world' </p>
<p>Speaker: Garr Reynolds</p>
<p>Start off the year learning an essential skill for any<br>
entrepreneur or business person with presentation designer<br>
and internationally acclaimed communications consultant<br>
Garr Reynolds. He will be sharing his experience in a<br>
provocative mix of illumination, education, and guidance<br>
that may change the way you think about making presentations<br>
with PowerPoint.</p>
<p>Date/Time: Tuesday, February 5, 7:00 pm<br>
Location: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br>
Language: English<br>
Website: <a href="http://www.ea-tokyo.com/" title="http://www.ea-tokyo.com" target="_blank">http://www.ea-tokyo.com</a></p>
<font face="Tahoma">********** Tokyo Marathon -- Seeking Runners ************** <br><br>Were you crazy or brave enough to sign up for the Tokyo <br>marathon which is being run on February 17th? Help is at
<br>hand with a last minute training session from two Olympic <br>athletes offering some last minute tips. <br><br>In return all we want is for you to run for Tyler. <br>Shine on! <a href="http://www.tylershineon.org/" target="_blank">
www.tylershineon.org</a> <br><br>********************************************************<br></font><p>--------------------- MIDEMNET FORUM ----------------------</p>
<p>MUSIC BUSINESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE</p>
<p>26/27 January 2008, Cannes, France, at MIDEM, the world's<br>music market. MidemNet Forum brings you an invaluable <br>update on how digital is driving the music business<br>forward, changing it rapidly and radically. Over 2 days of
<br>intense conference sessions and serious networking<br>opportunities. You will debate and engage with more than <br>1,300 key international executives and play an active role<br>in shaping the future of the industry.</p>
<p>Speakers: Janus Friis, Co-Founder, Joost, Kazaa and Skype;<br>Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO, Vivendi; Tero Ojanpera, EVP & CTO, <br>Nokia; Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi.<br>The earlier you register, the less you pay. Hurry, seats
<br>are limited! <a href="http://www.midem.com/" target="_blank">www.midem.com</a></p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
Marcus Evans Events - Supported by J@pan Inc </p>
<p>-Customer Relationship Excellence<br>
15th - 16th April 2008, Hilton Tokyo<br>
<a href="http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548" title="http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548" target="_blank">http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548</a>
<br>
This event features leading speakers from Daihatsu Motor,<br>
Daimler Japan, General Motors, Honda Motor, Nissan Motor,<br>
Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota Motor and Johnson Controls<br>
Automotive Systems Corporation. Don't miss this out!</p>
<p>-Compensation and Benefits<br>
27th - 28th May, Tokyo<br>
This event provides Japanese firms the understanding and<br>
'how-to' of investing in their employees for the purpose<br>
of sustaining their businesses Corporations nowadays need<br>
to formulate a business-driven compensation policy that<br>
leverages human capital to drive corporate growth.</p><p>'J@pan Inc readers are entitled to a 10% discount upon<br>
registration with Ms. Esther Wong.'</p>
<p>For further details and brochures, please contact:<br>
Ms. Esther Wong<br>
Tel No: +603 2723 6736<br>
Fax No: +603 2723 6699<br>
Email add: <a href="mailto:estherw@marcusevanskl.com" target="_blank">estherw@marcusevanskl.com</a><br>
-----------------------------------------------------------</p>
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<br>performance internationally. Our services include:</p>
<p>- Professional translation <br>- Catchy copy writing<br>- Strategic design<br>- Effective PR<br>- Direct marketing</p>
<p>Our achievement includes:<br>- Corporate report translation and desktop publishing<br>- In-house magazine translation and desktop publishing <br>- Annual report translation<br>- Company legal document translation<br>- Government PR brochure copy writing and design
<br>- DM service targeting senior executives</p>
<p>Please contact at <a href="mailto:sachie.kuroda@japaninc.com" target="_blank">sachie.kuroda@japaninc.com</a> for more details.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>++END</p>
</div></div></div><br></div>