In the middle of the rice fields on the edge of Tsuruoka City in the Shonai region of Yamagata, Japan, lies Suiden Terrasse, a newly built hotel designed to blend into the surrounding rice paddies. It was designed by world-renown architect, Shigeru Ban, who also designed Christchurch's Cardboard Cathedral, and was won numerous awards for …

Local business, local knowledge Read More »

遊び心 asobigokoro. The pure desire to play. This morning I had the privilege of attending a talk where a representative of the Japan Deaf Football team, Takumi Matsumoto, and the first, at least in Japan, wheelchair-bound paraglider, Kenji Kato, were presenting. Both of the presenters were quite remarkable to say the least. Often when I'm …

The pure desire to play Read More »

We are all opportunists. If an opportunist is someone who takes advantage of the chances that are presented to them, we are all opportunists. Whenever, wherever, however you live, you are taking advantage of the situation, you are taking the opportunity, to survive. We are all opportunists.

Any conversation that starts with a 'you're going to think I'm stupid, but...' is going to be good. I had a Japanese friend recently tell me that they had been going through a rough patch, and to get over it, she would put a pile of salt at the door to ward off the evil, …

Believing in the invisible Read More »

Sharing ideas makes them better. Having an idea in your head is great and everything, but by putting them into action in the real world, you can test whether they are effective. But the real test is, is it shareable? Are you able to get the support from others to truly make it remarkable? Recently …

Tsubuyaki Ranting Read More »

"It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own." - Marcus Aurelius In Japan I noticed that there are often two reactions to what people do, either: '「以外だ」wow, that's unexpected (for someone such as yourself)', or ' 「さすが」that's exactly what we …

For someone such as yourself Read More »

On cold winter days, I would walk around with my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. Over time, I came to realise that I was the only person doing this, I hardly ever see a Japanese person with their hands in their pockets. So I did the natural thing and asked about it. …

An Aura of Busyness and… Pockets? Read More »