A Week in Tokyo 46
Been another packed month which means that I've been late with the A Week in Tokyo updates. Better write up before I have a huge chunk missing in my life ^^;
First up was Good Designs Salons where I was asked to speak on the panel together with:-
Marc Alt – Green Visionary, Founder at Marc Alt + Partners
Mark Dytham – Creative Catalyst, Partner at Klein Dytham architecture, and Founder of Pecha Kucha
Peter Rojas – Technology Guru, Founder at gdgt, Engadget, and Gizmodo
Rie Azuma – Lifestyle Architect, Azuma Architecture
Hiromi Matsubara – Green Media Activist, Co-founder, Greenz.jp
Danny Choo - Japan Sub-Culture Authority, CEO at Mirai Inc., dannychoo.com
Some blurb about the event plucked from the official site.
Good Ideas Salons are where forward-thinkers come together to share ideas to make things better, whether that’s better work, better play or a better world. Drawing from a range of industries, Good Ideas Salons bring together people with a focus on lateral thinking, the desire to showcase their knowledge, and the wish to renew existing relationships with likeminded peers as well as forge new ones.
On October 20, PSFK and Nissan will host a Good Ideas Salon in Tokyo. For the event, Piers Fawkes (PSFK) will moderate a conversation on “Pure Living” with two panels of distinguished guests.
We’ll explore perspectives on pure living and how it is currently manifesting itself in design, technology, urban living, and transportation.
T'was a great event where I also got to meet a load of folks including Nissan who was sponsoring the event. I asked for a Nissan GTR or a Fairlady Z sample ^^; Which would you prefer?
These photos by Ken Lee and you can see more at the following resources:-
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=God%20Ideas%20Salon&w=53353424%40N00
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenleewrites/4029057369/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenzjp/sets/72157622635294026/
http://www.zuco.org/tokyo-good-ideas-salon-2009/
Rewinding back a few hours. The folks at CScout Japan and PSFK are setting up the hall with lighting and camera equipment.
Was interviewed before the panel discussion where I gave examples of how folks in my industry were proactively practicing Pure Living.
One of my examples of Pure Living is "sharing."
Instead of buying stuff that you need and throwing away stuff that you dont need, sharing makes complete sense.
I have a power drill that I don't need and you have a Lumix GF1 digital view finder that you don't need - we can swap or loan each other the item instead and reuse resources instead of buying more.
There are already a few online communities in Japan which practice this form of sharing and is a field which interests me a lot.
Are there sharing type programs in your neck of the woods? I hear there is a successful one in New York.
Another thing I urge folks to do is refuse to own a fax machine which is a complete waste of time and resources. A person prints something out and then faxes it - only to be received at the other end and have somebody retype what the sender printed out!
Despite Japan still being very much fax oriented, we've managed to do business for 3 years without using a fax machine - get the other party to send by email or accept documents as a PDF.
Does your daily routing involve you using a fax machine?
Sunny day in Shibuya on the way to a meeting. In Japan its illegal to post ads around the town so instead they get people to stand around holding them up.
This weeks office - the morning after a day full O meetings.
Looks like quite a few figures have appeared in the desk including Aya Nikaido, Suzuhime, Hoi Hoi-san and Asuka ^^;
Still need more time to get used to the Lumix GF1. A few food test shots with the Four Thirds 14-45mm lens.
A bit like spring rolls which are wrapped in Yuba which is the skin of tofu.
Mmmm. Salmon sushi.
Too oily - fried onions.
Pasta for lunch.
A couple in traditional Edo jidai gear walking about town.
A new brand of hair styling spray called Fog Bar is being heavily promoted on the TV.
I generally don't use hair products although I used to do a lot before I was married ^^;
Many friends say that they stop fussing over the way they look after getting married as they are not looking for a partner anymore ^^;
How about you? Do you spend ages grooming up to look good for potential partners? if you are married, do you still tame time out to keep up appearances?
A few Transformers from HLJ - Sideswipe and Sideways.
Aoi-chan munches on some Unagi Pai for tea.
Big Boss Aki came over for a meeting to discuss our next project.
Kotobukiya also came round to go over a few things including Otacool2?!
Out for lunch with Reimu. Lumix GF1.
This is what Reimu and I shared - at a newly discovered pizza place.
Otacool featured in another newspaper - Tokyo Sports.
Wifeys English name is Jay and shes a boar. Me is mouse. Which is you being?
If you are not sure then Check here.
Prezzie from the team at Good Smile Company. Mmmm. Godiva eh?
Shared this with all the girls in the office.
Wifey makes gorgeous Tiramisu.
The current films on show. Wanted to see Ballad but its been constantly packed.
Subway 123 on the to-watch list.
At Lalaport in Toyosu where a billion kids are waiting to get into KidZania - a theme park where kids get to do jobs of adults like pilot a plane, be a dentist, mercenary, tenga tester and what have you. Some kids below dressing up in fire fighting gear.
We have "Famous" Lau Pa Sat in Tokyo too.
Lalaport shopping complex on a Sunday.
Mmmmm! The Singapore Laksa here tastes soo good!
The Hainan Chicken Lice tastes good too.
At the offices of the Japan Times with my man Ejovi Nuwere. I first met Ejovi back in 2005 when I consulted for him at Columbia Japan and we have been good comrades ever since.
A bit about Ejovi below:-
Ejovi Nuwere grew up impoverished in the Bed-Sty section of Brooklyn. After watching a close friend gunned down as a teenager and his mother succumb to drugs, Nuwere began searching for an escape and found it in technology.
Ejovi was one Businessweeks top 25 young entrepreneurs in 2005 and Businessweeks 10 most talented young entrepreneurs.
By the age of 15 Nuwere had become a computer security professional working for an Internet Service Provider in Manhattan, at 21 he was already an accomplished security expert working for one of the world's major investment bank.
Nuwere has appeared as a commentator CNN and NPR and has been featured or quoted in Wired, Boston Globe and MSNBC.
Ejovi was the founding CEO of FON and General Manager for Columbia Music in Japan too.
He now runs Land Rush Group heading the online strategy at the Japan Times.
I'm helping Ejovi replace their Windows machines with Macs ^^;
The Japan Times is an English language newspaper that has been in publication in Japan since 1897.
Ejovi and I are working on our biggest project to date and will launch it by the end of this year. Its a biggie!
Folks waiting for a bus at Shibuya station.
One of the first things we are going to sell on the Mirai Gaia ecommerce platform are Dollfie clothes - looks like I will be like dad reading ladies fashion mags soon.
Love this small bicycle - would like to give it a whirl. Not sure how practical it would be though.
Stopping by the Apple store in Shibuya.
Lunch on a rooftop.
Posters in Shibuya.
Blue skies in Shibuya.
Filling up on liquids.
Taiga Sushi.
Which mag would you go for?
Afternoon tea with Mr Donuts.
I've spent 0 yen so far on Halloween. How about you?
Shopping for groceries.
Some of the "fresh" juices over here confuse me. It says "100%" on the front and then "5% juice" in small print. I guess they really mean "100% drinkable"?
Dead sliced pigs.
Go to a supermarket 20 mins before they close and they will start to put discount stickers on some of the perishable food.
Unfortunately they throw out anything they cant sell as there isn't a system in place so that homeless folks can get some of it.
In most cases, the sell by date is marked earlier than it actually should be. So for example, if yogurt says 10th, you can probably eat it 5 days later without dying.
The manufacturers do this to save their bacon.
Manga stacked up at a Ramen place.
Leaving some air tags around with Sekai Camera. If you find any left by me, stick em in your pocket and send me a screenshot of it - I will give you a Nendoroid Puchi ^o^
Cheese Ramen for dindins.
At the Obachans place for lunch. Veggies stuffed with minced meat.
The Ikea jug that I used to drink tea out of went boom after pouring hot water in it. Been doing the same for over half a year though. It was good at keeping my drink warm for over an hour and could hold a few cups worth. It cost something like 100 yen.
At one of my fave meat places - Negishi in Shibuya.
The chap here cooks the meat in front of the customers.
Folks from La Chaîne Info came over to do an interview.
A new branch of Yoshinoya opens nearby. Now we got 3 gyudon (beef bowl) places near us!
Simple bowl of ramen - 500 yen.
Wifey made this Mii for me ^^;
Been playing a load of Wii Fit Plus lately. Fave games are the obstacle course...
And the flying one where you flap your arms.
Discovered that we can get authentic tasting British muffins which I often have for brekkie.
Its not a good week for Ikea - another bulb bites the dust. Do you have Ikea stuff that breaks? Hows those Detolf cases?
My day time beverages are a mix of cappuccino, PG Tips, Chinese tea, Milo, yuzu tea and Japanese tea.
Tai yaki for an after dinner dessert.
Thai lunch at Hatanodai.
And this was the week where I met Twitter founder Biz Stone.
