* * * * * * * * * T E R R I E 'S T A K E * * * * * * *<br>A weekly roundup of news & information from Terrie Lloyd.<br>(<a href="http://www.terrie.com">http://www.terrie.com</a>)<br><br>General Edition Sunday, April 24 2011, Issue No. 611<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New -- Gillard Sends Right Message by Visiting Minami Sanriku<br>- News -- Cheap Hotel Rooms in Tokyo<br>- Candidate Roundup/Vacancies<br>- Upcoming Events<br>- Corrections/Feedback -- Small Temporary Dwellings for Tohoku<br>
- News Credits<br><br>SUBSCRIBE to, UNSUBSCRIBE from Terrie's Take at:<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie</a><br><br>BACK ISSUES<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take">http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take</a>, or,<br>
<a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/">http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/</a><br><br><br>------------ PBXL IP TELEPHONY AND CLOUD BCP --------------<br><br>Since PBXL started in 2006, we have consistently focused on<br>
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<br>------------ PBXL is BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS --------------<br><br><br>+++ WHAT'S NEW<br><br>This last week the Prime Minister of Australia, Julia <br>Gillard, paid a visit to Japan and to the tsunami <br>devastated town of Minami Sanriku. In paying the visit, <br>
Gillard became the first foreign leader to venture to the <br>disaster area, a point that won't be missed by the Japanese<br>in terms of their relationship with Australia.<br><br>In fact, the entire visit of Gillard to Japan was both <br>
thoughtful and inspired. Thoughtful in that the purpose of <br>the trip was primarily to show goodwill and support for <br>Japan in these difficult times, rather than to push trade <br>or a special agenda. Such an action by a world leader will <br>
not be forgotten quickly by the Japanese, where what you do<br>and how you do it make all the difference. <br><br>We were at a charity dinner held in Tokyo on Friday night, <br>and Gillard was the guest of honor. She took the dais to <br>
give a heartfelt speech about the tragedy and how Australia<br>was ready to do whatever was necessary to help. Her <br>presentation was heard by diet members and other Japanese <br>dignitaries, in both English and Japanese, and her message <br>
would not have been missed.<br><br>The visit was inspired, because despite lingering fears <br>about radiation and aftershocks, the team at the Australian <br>Embassy was able to convey the importance of such a <br>trip at this particular time -- while it is still fresh in the mind<br>
of the public. It is to Gillard's credit that she decided <br>to take the risk, however small we might think it is living<br>here in Tokyo, to make the trip. Fortunately her four days <br>here passed without event.<br>
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------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>[...Article continues]<br><br>Gillard was transported by bus to the ruins of Minami <br>Sanriku. We're sure that whatever she was briefed on at the<br>
embassy in Tokyo, where everything is still oh-so-normal, <br>would not have prepared her for the overwhelming devastation <br>confronting her when she stepped off the bus. Some of the <br>press photos of her standing amidst the wreckage show the <br>
shock on her face, and the realization of just how bad the <br>tsunami was. As a reminder, here is a video we've not seen <br>before, showing the 10 minutes that changed forever the <br>lives of the residents of this small rustic fishing town. <br>
Scroll about half way down the page, past the photos and <br>Japanese text, and you'll see the video.<br><br><a href="http://pop-rin.seesaa.net/article/194917311.html">http://pop-rin.seesaa.net/article/194917311.html</a><br>
<br>Accompanied by Japan's foreign minister Takeaki Matsumoto, <br>Gillard met Jin Sato, the Mayor of Minami Sanriku, who has <br>an amazing tale of survival to tell himself. He was in the <br>town's disaster management center when it was engulfed by <br>
the tsunami. He and about 30 others made it to the roof <br>of the building, and as the flood waters rose they washed <br>away 20 or so colleagues, but Sato and 10 others somehow <br>managed to hang on to rooftop antennas and other fittings. <br>
Just a day later, despite his terrifying ordeal, Sato was <br>back at work coordinating the relief effort to what was <br>left of his town. Apparently Gillard embraced him after <br>hearing what he'd been through, trying to offer some <br>
comfort.<br><br>While it is easy to dismiss Gillard's visit as being <br>opportunistic, in fact, the act of her visiting Minami Sanriku<br>and paying her respects fills a strong need by Japanese <br>for ceremony and personal commitment. Her visit tells all <br>
of Japan that Australia is an ally it can depend on right up <br>to the very top. As a result, her visit was widely <br>documented and praised in Japanese newspapers<br>around the country.<br><br>Of course, other nations have also shown their friendship <br>
and commitment, by sending rescue teams, aid, donations, <br>and in the case of the USA, much needed logistical support <br>for relief operations and technical support to deal with <br>the nuclear crisis at Fukushima. The Japanese foreign <br>
ministry is no doubt keeping tabs of such demonstrations <br>of support. But while the bureaucrats may know just how <br>much cash and kind has come from whom and when, it takes <br>the visit by a national figure to really cement the message<br>
of friendship and support to the citizens of a nation <br>still in shock. And Australia's Julia Gillard was able to <br>achieve this with her well-timed trip.<br><br>***************<br><br>For those of you living outside Japan, we can tell you that<br>
Tokyo is getting back normal. People are starting to return<br>to bars and restaurants, trains are starting to run <br>normally again, and even the foreign families are <br>returning. We heard that international schools are back to <br>
around 80% of pre-earthquake enrollment. Bottled water is <br>available again, as is toilet paper and natto. Yoghurt, <br>non-standard breads, and other specialty perishable <br>products are slowing reappearing as well. There is still an<br>
air of consumer restraint, especially in terms of <br>big-ticket spending such as travel, hotel stays, and <br>department store shopping. But our take is that with daily <br>life returning to normal, other spending will not be far <br>
behind.<br><br>The irony is that with the return of normality, there is a <br>danger of people forgetting that there is an ocean of need <br>still continuing in Tohoku and the eastern sea coast. So <br>far the bulk of attention has been on the Red Cross, <br>
however, smaller aid organizations are also busy providing <br>supplies and assistance as well. One of these is JHELP, <br>run by Ken Joseph. Ken and his team have emailed us asking <br>that we let readers know that they still need volunteers to<br>
help with the clean up in Sendai, Ishinomaki, Fukushima, <br>Kesenuma and other areas of Tohoku. Even 1-2 days would be <br>sufficient to be useful.<br><br>Ken's team also needs: used laptop computers, small <br>Japanese Kei cars, new mens and womens underwear, towels, <br>
canned and instant food, and internet access devices. <br>Donations can be made at <a href="http://www.jhelp.com">www.jhelp.com</a> or by Postal Furikae<br>00160 7 162438, Nihon Kinkyu Enjotai. Those able to assist <br>are asked to contact <a href="mailto:team@jhelp.com">team@jhelp.com</a>.<br>
<br>Oh, and speaking of volunteers, don't forget the RDTN.org <br>folks who are looking for drivers to start their radiation <br>monitoring service in Fukushima. Contact them at: <br>Info@RDTN.org.<br><br><br>...The information janitors/<br>
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<br>+++ NEWS<br><br>- Hotel rooms going cheap<br>- Demand for rice bread growing<br>- Cross-border fund for Japan/USA<br>- Gree goes all out to secure gaming platform<br>- iPhone game donates Tohoku relief funds<br><br><br>
-> Hotel rooms going cheap<br><br>No thanks to the huge drop off of tourists and domestic <br>travelers since the Tohoku earthquake, major hotels in <br>Tokyo are offering amazingly cheap rooms to drum up <br>business. Prince Hotels is offering a two-person room at <br>
the Takanawa Prince for just JPY6,500/night, about 80% <br>off the rack rate. Fujita Kanko, the owner of the <br>Washington hotel chain, is offering 7 nights at the <br>Shinjuku Washington Hotel for just JPY4,500/night. The <br>
Nikkei reckons that average hotel occupancy rates in <br>Tokyo were under 50% for March, the lowest in the last 20 <br>years. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Apr 22, <br>2011)<br>
<br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110421D21JFA18.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110421D21JFA18.htm</a><br><br>-> Demand for rice bread growing<br><br>A subsidiary of Nippon Ham, Tohoku Nippon Meat Packers, has<br>
said that it is stepping up the production of frozen rice <br>bread, after the product range has proved a hit around the <br>country. The company says it will double production, still <br>at modest levels with just 6 tons of rice harvested for <br>
bread flour in 2010, but that it expects demand to rise <br>quickly as more parents start to realize their kids have <br>gluten intolerance. ***Ed: Indeed, one of our kids suffers <br>from gluten intolerance and rice bread has been a great <br>
replacement. Just wish they'd stop putting sweetener in the<br>product, though.** (Source: TT commentary from <br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Apr 22, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110421D21JSN04.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110421D21JSN04.htm</a><br>
<br>-> Cross-border fund for Japan/USA<br><br>Venture Capital investment is seldom conducted cross <br>border, because VC firms like to know their investees and <br>to have a feeling of control of their activities -- hard <br>
to do when you're 5,000 miles away and speaking a different<br>language. However, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and JAIC America<br>have put the finishing touches on a $25m fund (eventually <br>to become a US$50m fund) that will do cross-border <br>
investment in both countries. The fund will invest in <br>consumer technology, enterprise software, mobile technology <br>and advanced materials. (Source: TT commentary from <br><a href="http://wsj.com">wsj.com</a>, Apr 21, 2011)<br>
<br><a href="http://on.wsj.com/gwUEWM">http://on.wsj.com/gwUEWM</a><br><br>-> Gree goes all out to secure gaming platform<br><br>US$104m in just 3 years, that's the earn-out that investors<br>in OpenFeint and its CEO made this week, when mobile games <br>
company Gree agreed to buy out OpenFeint. Gree was of <br>course after the rest of the highly successful gaming <br>platform that it doesn't already own. OpenFeint is <br>apparently the base for 19,000 game developers serving <br>
around 75m users globally with over 5,000 separate games, <br>making it the biggest gaming platform of its type. (Source:<br>TT commentary from Gree PR, Apr 21, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://bit.ly/dLfSI1">http://bit.ly/dLfSI1</a><br>
<br>-> iPhone game donates Tohoku relief funds<br><br>US-based Cats from Japan, founded by the founder of <br>Metropolis magazine, Mark Devlin, has released an iphone <br>game, named Sweepr, and will donate some of its subscribers' <br>
revenues to the Tohoku relief efforts. Sweepr is a simple <br>but highly addictive arcade-style game that sells for<br>99 cents. You can get it at the iPhone App Store. (Source:<br>TT commentary from email from CfJ, Apr 24, 2011)<br>
<br><br>NOTE: Broken links<br>Many online news sources remove their articles after just a<br>few days of posting them, thus breaking our links -- we<br>apologize for the inconvenience.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
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<br><a href="http://www.cch-japan.jp">www.cch-japan.jp</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>+++ CANDIDATE ROUND UP/VACANCIES<br><br>=> BiOS, a Division of the LINC Media group, is actively<br>
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<br>- IMAC Engineer, global ibank, JPY3m – JPY4m<br>- Technical Data Center Manager, BiOS, JPY5m - JPY6.5m<br>- Senior Network Engineer, global IT co, JPY8m – JPY11m<br>- Account Manager (IT Outsourcing), BiOS, JPY3.5m - JPY4m<br>
- SCCM Specialist, global IT co, JPY9m - JPY13m<br><br>Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:<br><a href="mailto:kenji.sakota@biosjp.com">kenji.sakota@biosjp.com</a><br><br>** BiOS Job Mail<br><br>Every 2 weeks BiOS sends out a regular communication to its<br>
job seeking candidates, called BiOS Job Mail. Every edition<br>carries a list of BiOS's current and most up-to-date<br>vacancies, with each entry featuring a short job<br>description and a direct link to the main entry on the BiOS<br>
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convenient way for you to stay informed. If you would like<br>to register for the BiOS Job Mail, or to find out more,<br>please email <a href="mailto:kenji.sakota@biosjp.com">kenji.sakota@biosjp.com</a>.<br><br>Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:<br>
<a href="mailto:kenji.sakota@biosjp.com">kenji.sakota@biosjp.com</a>.<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS<br>
<br>No events for this coming week.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ CORRECTIONS/FEEDBACK<br><br>In this section we run comments and corrections submitted<br>by readers. We encourage you to spot our mistakes and<br>
amplify our points, by email, to <a href="mailto:editors@terrie.com">editors@terrie.com</a>.<br><br>*** In TT610 we commented that as part of the relief effort<br>for Tohoku, Japan will pay around JPY4.4m for companies <br>
able to supply a 30sq m home expected to house two <br>families. That seemed a pretty small space to us.<br><br>=> Reader:<br>It is indeed small for a long-term living space for two <br>families, but not unbearably so by Japanese urban <br>
standards. I've been living in "Japanese style" for a <br>decade or so now in a 25 sq. m one-room apartment, and it's<br>far from uncomfortable; it hardly even qualifies as "cozy."<br>This is large for a one-room; many of my friends live <br>
long-term in a room hardly more than half the size (15 sq. <br>m or so).<br><br>This does require some adjustments in living style that <br>Westerners might find uncomfortable. I sleep on a futon <br>which can be folded up and put out of the way during the <br>
day; my main table is a low one that moves from a corner to<br>the center of the room; I mostly sit on the floor (on <br>zabuton cushions) instead of on chairs; when I work at home<br>I use my laptop on a small folding desk and chair; and <br>
perhaps the worst hardship to some, I own a lot less stuff <br>than I ever did in North America.<br><br>There are corresponding advantages, too. I have the comfort<br>of knowing that my environmental impact (especially in <br>
terms of power usage for heating and cooling, and less so, <br>lighting) is quite low; I'm a lot more eco-friendly than <br>most of even the more fanatic environmentalists I know back <br>in Canada. (With the shortage of electrical power these <br>
days, this is even more important than just stewardship of <br>the Earth.) And the money I save by having a small <br>apartment and no car is available to be spent on <br>entertainment outside of my house, which is not only <br>
convenient but helps to keep others employed.<br><br>So while 30 sq. m for a couple of married couples and a <br>couple of kids is somewhat cramped even by Japanese <br>standards, it's still an amount of space that would be <br>
quite normal for two single people, and it's not as much of<br>a hardship as many Westerners might think, even if they are<br>likely to live there for several years.<br><br>Speaking of environmental impact and power usage, thanks <br>
for the reminder about LED light bulbs. That reminded me <br>that my most-used light source, a 100 W bulb in the corner <br>of my room, wants replacing with a low-power LED model.<br><br>***********************************************************<br>
END<br><br>SUBSCRIBERS: 8,820 members as of April 24, 2011<br>(We purge our list regularly.)<br><br>+++ ABOUT US<br><br>STAFF<br>Written by: Terrie Lloyd (<a href="mailto:terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com">terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com</a>)<br>
<br>HELP: E-mail <a href="mailto:Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com">Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com</a><br>with the word 'help' in the subject or body (don't include<br>the quotes), and you will get back a message with<br>
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or, <a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/">http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/</a><br><br>Copyright 2011 Japan Inc. Communications Inc.<br><br>----------------- Japan Inc opens up Japan ----------------<br>
<br>J@pan Inc is Japan's only independently published English-<br>language business website. Authoritatively chronicling<br>online the business trends in Japan, each posting brings<br>you in-depth analysis of business, people and technology in<br>
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