These past few years zoos and aquariums have experienced a surge in popularity which all began with the country’s new found fascination with Asahiyama Zoo located in a rural area in northern Japan. There is no secret magical formula to what the zoo did to increase visitors. The core reason behind its popularity lies in the zoo’s layout which was redeveloped so the animals were not just caged and displayed but redesigned so visitors can interact with the animals. Other changes include increase in number of animals and the addition of night time hours which was unexpectedly popular among the public. Zoos and aquariums across Japan followed suit and as a result have experienced its share of popularity.

Find high quality farm equipment at reasonable prices at Oho Trading’s
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Oho Trading’s acquisition channels include farmers, equipment stores and specialized trading companies enabling them to provide the largest variety possible of tractors and other farm equipment at reasonable prices. After a piece of equipment is obtained, Oho Trading’s qualified mechanics service it according to their propriety quality control standards. Their checklist includes some forty items for the equipment overhaul including engine functions, driving and operation and rotary/electronic performance.

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There have been some earthshaking developments in the world of automobile fuels, heretofore dominated by fossil fuels. America and Europe are being swept up in biofuel, with its current epicenter of Brazil. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s remarks about converting 10% of Japan’s gasoline usage to domestically produced biofuel have caused violent tremors in Japan. And electricity and hydrogen are both back on the scene. All these alternate fuel sources have the potential to transform the future of the automobile.

There is clear evidence of the effect that biofuel will have in decreasing CO2, which is the key advantage of using biofuel, and that is an analysis of CO2 emissions done by US General Motors. CO2 emissions by vehicles powered by woodderived biofuel are dramatically reduced compared to vehicles that use fossil fuels such as gasoline.

Control of CO2 emissions can also be achieved by sustainable energy sources other than biofuel. Electricity generated by hydro-power or solar energy as well as the hydrogen thus produced are also low in CO2 emissions. Further, use of electricity or hydrogen obviates the need for an engine, and so would revolutionize the automobile as we know it. But according to Masanori Ueda of Nissan Motor, “We don’t know yet which alternative fuel will become the mainstream.” When the automobile was first being developed in the late 19th century, steam and electricity were candidates for fuel source as well as fossil fuels. Today, there is once again the start of competition among different fuel sources, which may signify a rebirth for the automobile. Are cars driving off into a future that is markedly different from today’s incarnation?

See more of this article from Japan Close Up Magazine.

The Bird Stopper Chain Type 30 is a revolutionary bird-deterrence system
developed to prevent bird droppings, which mar the appearance of buildings and can spread the bird flu. It is based on the concept that birds use a biologically based sensitivity to sense the Earth’s magnetic fields as a guide when they fly.

The first system to use magnetism as a deterrent, the Bird Stopper Chain Type 30 is harmless to birds, using the tendency of birds to instinctively avoid places with magnetic fields stronger than their own bioelectromagnetism.

Bird Stopper is effective against pigeons, crows, ducks, seagulls, and other bird species with a strong biological sensitivity to magnetism.

Notable successes of the bird-deterrence system: Osaka Dome, Kyoto Station’s Shinkansen station building, Nagai Stadium, school buildings, city halls, Bangkok’s Grand Palace, Italian residences, and many more.

For more information on Bird Stopper Co., Ltd. please refer to the Bird Stopper website..

Fireworks in Japan are not just entertainment but also mean business. After seeing the statistics from all the major firework events you will see how much potential there is for making money. The fireworks event with the largest number of visitors reached to 1.39 million people this year. Even the second largest had 9 hundred 5 thousand people. The money involved in sponsoring such an event can cost a couple hundred thousand yen but what is more important is the rippling effect it has on the Japanese economy in general. At this time of year people are pitching money in various directions beyond the fireworks grounds such as hotels, boat rides, restaurants, transportation, and so on which reaches to nearly 5 billion.

Tradeindia.com is India’s largest B2B e-marketplace for international trade and a leading provider of online marketing services for Global Exporters, Importers, Manufacturers and Service Providers. It is the place for buyers and sellers to find trade opportunities and promote their business online. Tradeindia provides several value-added services like One Page Website, Online Catalogs, Featured Products, Trade Leads, Trade Alerts, Credit Rating, Trust Stamp and much more for the benefit of importers and exporters worldwide.

For information on Tradeindia.com please refer to the Trade India website.

By Rochelle Kopp (From PHP)

An American expatriate is transferred to Japan, and attempts to use the same motivational techniques that worked for him in the U.S. One member of his staff has done particularly good work, so in the next staff meeting he decides to single him out for praise. “Tanakasan has really made an excellent contribution to this project. Everyone, let’s give Tanaka-san a hand.”

In the U.S., the employee put in this situation would be beaming, pleased that their efforts were being recognized in a public way. However, the hapless Tanaka-san would be absolutely cringing. Being singled out is extremely uncomfortable for Japanese. This kind of attention to one individual tends to cause rifts in Japanese teams, upsettin their delicate balance. The attempt to motivate becomes demotivating, because it does not fit in well with the culture.

Even within the same culture, individuals vary as to what they find
motivating. It’s always important to understand the motivators that work for each individual. And it’s also necessary to grasp the culturally- determined aspects of motivation. This article will look at some techniques that are helpful for motivating Japanese employees.

Private recognition
While Japanese don’t like public recognition, they do like private recognition. So, find one-on-one ways to let your Japanese staff know that they are doing a good job. Be careful, however, about laying the praise on thick the way you might do in the U.S. In Japanese culture, little verbal positive feedback is given, so many Japanese feel that it sounds phony when they do hear it. What praise you do give should be sincere, and phrased in an understated way (no “fabulous!” or “fantastic!”). Taking the time to coach Japanese on areas for improvement can also be a way of showing that you take an interest in their development and want to help them. Invitations to join important meetings or work on highprofile
projects, or assignments of more interesting or challenging work, can also be ways of indicating that you are pleased with someone’s work. An invitation to share a meal together can also be a meaningful reward. The key is to show that you notice what the employee has been doing.

Being part of a team
With their strong group orientation, Japanese are highly motivated by feeling included in a group. The more that you can structure work as team projects, and reward teams for their accomplishments, the better. Things that promote group solidarity, such as group social outings, team meetings, and even touches such as group t-shirts, can be very effective in building motivation.

Being on the winning team
In addition to being part of a group, Japanese want to feel that the group they belong to is a prestigious one. Any efforts to raise the public profile of your company in Japanese
society will pay off in increased motivation. It very much matters to Japanese whether friends and family members will recognize the name of their employer–indeed many Japanese seem to choose their employers with this as a primary consideration. Advertising efforts, or special projects that will be recognized in the community, are helpful.

Inspiring corporate missions
Japanese employees also care about the perceived social value of their work. They feel more motivated if they believe that their company is doing something useful for society,
rather than just maximizing profits and shareholder value. Make sure that employees are aware of the corporate mission, and that the mission is something they view as
meaningful and relevant to their work. If the answer is no for either of these, efforts should be made to revise the mission so that it can be supported by employees, and to make sure that awareness of it within the company is high.

Stability
Japanese place a high value on stability in their work. This is in contrast to many American profes…

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Daiwa Gosei has obtained factory certification as an automotive parts maker and is capable of producing important safety parts. Various functional parts such as engine peripheral resin pulleys, ignition plug protection pipes, oil tanks and coil bobbins.

For information on Daiwa Gosei heavy electrical machine parts please refer to the Daiwa Gosei Co., Ltd. website or send an inquiry.

By Rochelle Kopp (From PHP)

When working with Japanese, there are many situations where persuasion is important. However, there are certain things that Japanese tend to respond to and other things that they tend not to respond to. Today’s column will look at both of these, with the aim of helping you prepare to better persuade Japanese.

When working with Japanese, there are many situations where persuasion is important. However, there are certain things that Japanese tend to respond to and other things that they tend not to respond to. Today’s column will look at both of these, with the aim of helping you prepare to better persuade Japanese.

Group solidarity.
When making your case to Japanese, be sure to emphasize that your view is shared by the others in your team or company. In other words, stress that your group has reached a consensus, and what you are presenting to the Japanese is that consensus. This appeals to the group orientation of Japanese and their respect for teamwork. Japanese feel that “many heads are better than one” and like to see that you have had many heads involved.
What not to do: Many Americans tend to emphasize their own personal opinion, in their role as experts. This will be less persuasive to Japanese than a group approach, and also could be a direct turn-off if the individualistic emphasis is too strong, Japanese tend to discount someone they view as being a “lone wolf.” Also, if your opinion differs from others in your work group or the company, this will eventually come out and you could lose respect for not having done nemawashi (consensus-building).

Repetition.
Repetition is a way to both create the illusion of group solidarity, and also to help build it. Japanese tend to be more persuaded by something if they sense that there is a critical mass of opinion supporting it, or that things are inevitably moving in that direction. For this reason, just hearing about something one time may not be sufficient to make them feel persuaded. Thus, you can often be more effective if you bring up the same topic or theme on more than one occasion. Also, if it’s not just you bringing up this topic, but rather
What not to do: not to do: Be careful not to overdo it. If you mention the topic in every communication and seem unable to discuss anything else, you could cause people to tune you out.

Thorough research and analysis.
Japanese love data. When making a decision, they tend to want to get as much information as possible. The more research and analysis you do, and thus the more data that you can present, the more likely that you will be successful in persuading Japanese. And be sure to present the nitty-gritty detail, not just a high-level summary.
What not to do: Spending time on extra-fancy presentations is usually not worthwhile. Put your effort on marshalling the data rather than being flashy. I have seen many instances where Japanese are turned off by an overly slick approach. Also, many Japanese are suspicious of how glib and polished many Americans are when giving presentations, and start to fear they are going to get the wool pulled over their eyes if they get caught up in a lot of hype.

Corroboration from respected sources.
Name-dropping is the name of the game here. For example, when you say that something is a commonly accepted trend in your field, can you quote a prominent expert talking about it, or a well-known trade or general publication that has mentioned it? Americans tend to look at themselves as being specialists in their area, and believe that their word should be sufficient. However, with Japanese the truth is that they often tend to discount the opinions of people on the inside, and are more easily persuaded when information comes from a recognized name. Use of a well-known name is particularly helpful when the person/people you are dealing with need to go to higher levels in the company. Those people at higher levels are likely to know of the famous names and publications in your field but may not know very much about you.
What not to do: Many Americans say things along the lines of “I’m the expert so you should take my word for it.” No matter how much your Japanese colleagues like and respect you, you’ll be more successful if you show how your views are shared by others, particularly respected people.

Talk about customer satisfaction.
In Japan, pleasing the customer is the number one priority. So talk…

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The E-more battery protection sheet helps to activate the operation of mobile phone batteries thanks to a specially blended ceramic that can make use of radiated weak energy. The sheet effectively maintains the battery’s original performance longer by controlling the battery’s performance degradation through repeated recharging and discharging, and by facilitating a recovery of recharging capacity in the case of degraded batteries.

The E-more battery protection sheet is a seal-type sheet that can be re-pasted as required. It can be easily attached simply by pasting it onto the mobile phone battery housing or onto the housing cover. It can be cut to match the required size and can be attached to virtually any mobile phone model the world over.

For information on the E-more battery protection sheet please refer to the ECOUS INC. website or send an inquiry.