Living and Working in Japan

VOL. 107 march 2017

Living and Working in Japan 6 12 His Aim Is True Promoting Diversity Jérôme Chouchan’s approach to business is The case of a global ICT company based partly informed by his expertise in kyudo, in Minato, Tokyo. or Japanese archery.

8 Points Well Taken Introducing the benefits of Japan’s points- based system for preferential immigration treatment.

14 Finding Work in Japan

Features A staffing agency with a difference is helping foreign students to find stable employment in Japan.

10 Where Venture Companies Meet Communication is the key for foreign companies seeking to enter the Japanese market.

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PRIME MINISTER’S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY HOME AWAY FROM HOME DIARY Hopes Are High for New The Bathhouse Ambassador

Also Technology for Hydrogen Storage and Transportation

COPYRIGHT © 2016 CABINET OFFICE OF JAPAN WHERE TO FIND US The views expressed in this magazine by the interviewees Tokyo Narita Airport terminals 1 & 2 ● JR East Travel Service Center (Tokyo Narita Airport) ● JR Tokyo and contributors do not necessarily represent the views of Station Tourist Information Center ● Tokyo Tourist Information Center (Haneda Airport, Tokyo Metropolitan the Cabinet Office or the Government of Japan. No article Government Building, Keisei Ueno Station) ● Niigata Airport ● Chubu Centrair International Airport Tourist or any part thereof may be reproduced without the express Information & Service ● Kansai Tourist Information Center (Kansai Int'l Airport) ● Fukuoka Airport Tourist permission of the Cabinet Office. Copyright inquiries Information ● Foreign Press Center/Japan ● Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan ● Delegation of the should be made through a form available at: European Union to Japan ● Tokyo University ● Waseda University ● Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University● Ritsumeikan University ● Kokushikan University ● University of Tsukuba ● Keio University ● Meiji University www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/mailform/inquiry.html ● Osaka University ● Kyushu University ● Kyoto University ● Tohoku University ● Nagoya University ● Sophia University ● Doshisha University ● Akita International University ● International University of Japan

2 | highlighting japan ISSUE 107, MARCH 2017

Theme for february: Living and Working in Japan

16 he number of foreign Settling In people working in Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture has Japan has been rising established a city-wide support system steadily in recent years, for schoolchildren who need Japanese T topping 1 million in 2016, a language training. 19% increase on the previous year. In this month’s issue 20 we look at how Japan has Learning on the Job Language is no barrier to these two foreign responded to the challenges of workers in Japan. internationalization and meet some of the foreign residents who have benefited from the various support mechanisms in 18 place. Equal Treatment Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital offers peace-of-mind treatment to international patients.

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INNOVATIVE ARTISTS TRADITIONAL CRAFTS JAPAN HERITAGE Haute Couture for All Doll Royalty The Murakami Kaizoku of the Seto Inland Sea

PRODUCTION The Japan Journal ON THE COVER MANAGING EDITOR Osamu Sawaji Living and Working in Japan EDITOR Alex Hendy Photo: Masatoshi Sakamoto EDITORIAL SUPPORT Jun Ashida, Hitoshi Chiba, Eriko Kiura CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gilhooly, Toshio Matsubara, Kyoko Motoyoshi, Takashi Sasaki, Kumiko Sato DESIGN Hirofumi Okadome PHOTOS Tadashi Aizawa, Rob Gilhooly, Yoshifusa Hashizume, Yuichi Itabashi, Takemi Kato, Masatoshi Sakamoto, Satoshi Tanaka VIDEOGRAPHY Satoshi Tanaka

MARCH 2017 | 3 Prime Minister's Diary

JAPAN-U.S. SUMMIT MEETING

rom February 9 to 13, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the United States of America. On February F10, he held a summit meeting with Donald Trump, president of the United States of America. In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Abe wel- comed President Trump’s vision of a great and strong United States. He said that the two leaders had agreed to further strengthen the bonds of the Japan-US Alliance, and had affirmed that Japan and the United States would continue to play a leading role in ensuring the peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. In their meeting, the two leaders discussed the increasingly severe security environment in the Asia-

Pacific region, including the issues of North Korea’s Prime Minister Abe and President Trump shake hands, 10 February 2017 nuclear and missile development, which constitutes a new level of threat, and unilateral attempts to change the regard, they decided to establish an economic dialogue status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of and shared their concerns. Furthermore, the two leaders Japan Taro Aso and US Vice President Michael Pence. shared the recognition that the presence of the US Forces After the meeting, Prime Minister Abe and President in Japan based on the Japan-US Security Treaty and the Trump issued a joint statement affirming their strong US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement is important, and determination to further strengthen the Japan-US Alli- that it is necessary to continually strengthen the Japan- ance and their economic relationship. In political and US Alliance. Moreover, both leaders recognized the security areas, the two leaders affirmed the strong importance of strengthening multi-layered cooperation determination of Japan and the United States, under an with allies and like-minded countries, and of building a increasingly severe security environment in the Asia- network with allies, centered on the Japan-US Alliance. Pacific region, to further strengthen their efforts in the Prime Minister Abe explained Japan’s roles and efforts Japan-US Alliance, which is the cornerstone of peace, regarding security matters, and the two leaders shared prosperity and freedom in the region. In particular, the the recognition expressed in the joint statement. joint statement made specific reference to a commit- The two leaders held “candid” and “constructive” dis- ment to extended deterrence, affirmed that Article 5 of cussions on how to foster mutually beneficial relations the Japan-US Security Treaty covers the Senkaku Islands, by further elevating Japan-US economic relations in a and that the relocation of MCAS Futenma to Henoko is wide range of fields and working together. Prime Min- the “only solution” [to resolving issues involving the ister Abe explained Japanese companies’ track record Futenma base]. in terms of investment and job creation in the United Regarding the economy, in addition to affirming their States, as well as his own views regarding current Japan- commitment that both Japan and the United States US economic relations. The leaders shared their recogni- will strengthen their bilateral and regional economic tion of the importance of Japan-US economic relations. relations based on the rules of free and fair trade, the Prime Minister Abe and President Trump agreed to fur- two leaders agreed to proactively cooperate in specific ther deepen dialogue and cooperation in order to dra- areas that would be beneficial to both sides. In order to matically enhance Japan-US economic relations, and in address these issues, the leaders decided to establish an order for Japan and the United States to lead the robust economic dialogue led by Deputy Prime Minister Aso growth of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. In this and Vice President Pence.

Photographs and text courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Government of Japan. 4 | highlighting japan Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN

Living and Working in Japan

Consulting services for foreign companies looking to set up shop in Japan, schools that provide special language instruction to students from international families, hospitals that make life easy for foreign patients… Internationalization is gathering pace in Japan, and measures to foster and support it are steadily being put in place. In this month’s issue, we look at how Japanese society and business, as well as foreign workers and international families, are benefitting from the range of initiatives being implemented in Japan in the age of globalization.

Photo: Tadashi Aizawa march 2017 | 5 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN

érôme Chouchan’s approach to business is partly informed by his expertise in kyudo, or Japanese His Aim Jarchery. Your work in Japanese retailing now spans four decades. I came to Japan first in 1983 while I was still a stu- Is True dent at [prestigious French business school] HEC. I was interested at that time in Zen. I started to work in Japan in 1986, initially for [French jewelry house] Mel- lerio dits Meller. After that I set up the Japan operation of the French government mint for the sale of anni- versary coins before taking charge of Lacoste’s operations in North Asia. From 2001 I worked in France for Hennessy [cognac house] before returning to Japan in 2005 as president of [Spanish figurine manufacturer] Llandro. I joined Godiva in June 2010. The common thread in my career is premium and authentic brands that have a real history and a focus on retail.

What is Godiva’s history in Japan? Godiva started in Japan in 1972 as the country’s first premium chocolate company. This first-mover advantage is one reason for the success of Godiva in Japan. Today Godiva has the leading market share in the premium chocolate category with roughly 300 boutiques. Other foreign premium chocolate brands in Japan have only ten or fifteen boutiques.

What has been your strategy to develop the brand? We have doubled the size of the business in Japan over the past five years. That means 15% growth per year on average while the chocolate market was growing at around 2% and the economy at 1% to 2%. We implemented various measures under a clear vision, which is, “Aspirational and Accessible.” “Aspirational” refers Jérôme Chouchan, to the high quality in terms of the product, brand managing director of image and service in the store. “Accessibility” means Godiva for Japan, South Godiva’s products exist in accessible places, near Korea and Australia your home and near your office. We also expanded This interview was conducted on 3 our product range to encourage self-treating, not just February 2017. “gifting.” In Japan, Godiva has shown that you can

Photo: Yuichi Itabashi

6 | highlighting japan be in multiple channels and still stay true to your introduce you. Now, it’s all about the quality of brand. your product or service proposition. The consumer now drives the market much more whereas You have written a book, Target, explaining how before it was the trade. So there is a chance for for- your training in kyudo (Japanese archery) has eign companies. A second change would be that informed your business thinking. the country, especially Tokyo, has become more In kyudo there is the concept of seisha hitchu (true international. There are more foreigners work- shooting, certain hitting). In Western archery, the ing here now; there is more foreign talent in the archer cares first and foremost about his accuracy; design and advertising industries, for example. A in Japanese archery, the archer is concerned with third aspect of change would be that the Japanese “true shooting” — [continually working on] the consumer is now the most sophisticated in the proper form and proper mindset. If the shooting is world. Japanese consumers have gone through “true,” the arrow will fly to the target. I found this all the periods: in the 80s people would buy for concept can be applied to business too, because the brand name status; after the “bubble” burst, if you can do the same thing — focus your best people became more discerning and interested in efforts on good products, good consumer strategy, quality; and today Japanese people understand good advertising, good store training, and always the price and quality of a product, and they are try to improve just as the archer does with his always looking for something new. In Japanese form — as a result you will hit your target. archery, they say, the target is your mirror; or the target never lies. It means if your shooting is not It’s Valentine’s Day soon. You must be busy. good, it reflects a fault in your form or mindset. In Valentine’s Day is the biggest business oppor- business, the market is your mirror: the consumer tunity for chocolate in Japan. In the past, it was is always right. The question or difficulty is how mainly an occasion for gifting from a woman to a you correct the organization quickly to respond man, but now we also see women using the occa- to the consumer changing. At Godiva we know we sion to enjoy chocolate for themselves or to give have to continue to innovate. tomo-choko to their friends or colleagues (“tomo” means friend in Japanese). So it has become a real Your team is in charge of South Korea and Austra- festival of chocolate. However, chocolate con- lia in addition to Japan. sumption in Japan remains relatively low at 2 kilos The team is enjoying it and doing well and our per capita annually whereas in the UK or Switzer- partners like to learn from the Japanese experi- land, for example, it is around 10 kilos, or in the ence too. I think there is an opportunity for Japan United States, 6 kilos. We see a lot of potential for to become more of a regional platform than it cur- chocolate to reach further into the Japanese con- rently is. For example, [Godiva’s premium] soft ice sumer’s daily life in the future. cream was created in Japan and has been a game changer in China. In Japan soft ice cream is a good What has changed, in a business sense, in par- business for Godiva, but when it was introduced ticular for foreign companies, over your time in to China, it generated a real buzz. So Japan can Japan? be a center of innovation and of new consumer The market has become more consumer-focused trends, not only for Japan but also for Asia. and transparent. Twenty-five ago it was about who you know; who your partner is; who will Interview by ALEX HENDY

march 2017 | 7 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN

innovation and economic growth of Japan,” says Junji Ito of the Immigration Bureau of the Min- POINTS istry of Justice. “It allows them to receive preferential immigration treatment.” WELL The activities undertaken by highly skilled foreign professionals can be categorized into TAKEN three areas; Advanced academic research activities, Advanced spe- Highly skilled foreign professionals and their employers are reaping cialized/technical activities, and the advantages of Japan’s points-based system for preferential immi- Advanced business and manage- gration treatment. ment activities. Those involved in Advanced academic research OSAMU SAWAJI activities are chiefly university professors and researchers. Those he number of foreign stances, the Points-based System involved in Advanced specialized/ people who work in for Highly Skilled Foreign Profes- technical activities are chiefly Japan is increasing each sionals was introduced in Japan employees who work for a pri- Tyear. According to the in 2012 in a bid to attract highly vate company using specialized Ministry of Health, Labour and skilled professionals. knowledge (such as engineers), Welfare, the number has reached “The system was implemented and those involved in advanced approximately 1,080,000 (as of to promote the acceptance of business management activi- October 2016), about a 19 percent highly skilled foreign profession- ties are chiefly company direc- increase compared to the previ- als who possess capabilities that tors and executives. Under the ous year. Under such circum- are expected to contribute to the points-based system, applicants are given points for items includ- Examples of points awarded ing academic background, pro- Advanced specialized/technical activities fessional career and annual sal- Academic background Holder of a doctor’s degree 30 ary. For example, those involved Holder of a master’s degree 20 in advanced academic research Professional career 10 years or more 20 activities receive 30 points if they (Business experience) 7 years or more 15 have a PhD, and those involved Age Up to 29 years of age 15 in advanced business manage- Between 30 and 34 years of age 10 ment activities receive 25 points Bonus point Holder of a Japanese work-related qualification 10 if they have a professional career Person who has earned a degree at a higher education 10 that spans at least ten years. Those institution in Japan who have passed the N1 level of Person who has passed Level N1 of the Japanese Language 15 Proficiency Test or has been approved through another test the Japanese Language Proficiency as having equivalent or higher language proficiency, or the Test, the highest level, receive 15 person who majored in Japanese language at a foreign points. Those who have acquired a university and graduated from the university. total point value of at least 70 are Note: Points are also awarded according to the applicant’s salary level. See more detail: http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/newimmiact_3/en/index.html recognized as highly skilled for-

8 | highlighting japan eign professionals and given pref- professionals, including the Japan, and they lead and con- erential immigration treatment to points-based system, is being tribute to our global businesses,” allow them to enter the country implemented not only in Japan, says Masahide Hoshino of the and become residents. but also in many other countries Human Resources Department of Examples of specific preferen- such as the U.K., France, Canada, Nomura. “With Tokyo becoming tial immigration treatment include Germany and South Korea. a truly global financial center, the permission for multiple activities “In order to promote the fur- expansion of this system provides during their residency. During their ther acceptance of highly skilled us with advantages. We benefit residency, foreign people are typi- foreign professionals, the govern- from it greatly.” cally only allowed to be involved ment is currently discussing mea- John Gorman, who arrived in the type of activity stipulated sures including the introduction of from Singapore in 2014 to work for in their status of residence. How- a new, easier to use points-based Nomura Securities Macro Trading ever, if recognized as highly skilled system and further relaxation of Department in Japan, is one of the foreign professionals, they can the requirements for highly skilled also take up other types of activi- professionals who wish to apply ties. For example, it is possible to for permanent residence,” says Ito. pursue research activities at a university, while managing a related business. In addition, highly skilled foreign professionals are uniformly given the longest period of stay legally permitted, which is five years. Under certain condi- tions, their parent is allowed to accompany them as well as their domestic worker. Their spouse may also be employed. Courtesy of Ministry of Justice As of October 2016, approxi- Utilization of Highly Skilled people who used the system. mately 6,300 people have been Professionals “The points system was very recognized as highly skilled pro- Nomura, a Japan-based global useful for us,” says Gorman. fessionals, and the government’s investment bank, is one of the “There wasn’t a lot of paperwork intention is to increase that num- companies which has adopted involved or a lot of questions. We ber to 10,000 by 2020. this system. Seventy four employ- [just] worked through the list and “Immigration and residency ees who acquired their status of figured out how many points we procedures normally take approxi- residence as highly skilled foreign had and whether or not we could mately one month. This can be professionals currently work for use the visa.” reduced to within ten days if the company. “Another thing about the sys- the individual is recognized as a “Nowadays, money travels tem that helped us was that while highly skilled foreign professional; across world markets instanta- we had a baby [in Singapore] we therefore, the system also offers neously. We are in a completely hired a domestic worker. One of a great advantage to companies,” new era. As part of the solu- the benefits of the ‘highly skilled says Ito. tion to this situation, we recruit professional’ visa was that it Preferential immigration treat- highly skilled foreign profession- meant we could bring the domes- ment for highly skilled foreign als from overseas, bring them to tic worker to Tokyo with us.”

march 2017 | 9 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN

Where Venture Companies Meet Support for foreign companies looking to make inroads in Japan is on services mainly for foreign ven- the rise. Founded in 2015, Anchorstar is one such supportive presence. ture companies in market entry strategy and human resources TAKASHI SASAKI exchanges for their growth in the Japanese market. ccording to a survey Amid this situation, both the Taro Kodama, the founder and conducted by the Min- private and public sectors provide CEO of Anchorstar, was brought istry of Economy, Trade a wide range of support for foreign up in Los Angeles and returned Aand Industry, 3,322 companies seeking to enter the to Japan after graduating from foreign-affiliated companies had Japanese market. Anchorstar Inc., high school. In 1999, Kodama made Japanese market inroads as which is based in Minato Ward, joined Yahoo! JAPAN, which was of March 2015, which represented Tokyo, is one such company pro- a venture company with about strong growth of 5.7% over the viding support. Anchorstar pro- 100 employees at the time, and previous year. vides a wide range of consulting worked energetically as the head

10 | highlighting japan Kodama founded Anchorstar in November 2015 with his strategy based on building partnerships between foreign-affiliated venture companies and Japa- nese companies.

Anchorstar’s lounge and office space “In any country, large corpora- Photos: Tomooki Kengaku/Nacasa & Partners addition, Kodama also partnered tions tend to become inflexible as with major Japanese advertising organizations. But they become of the social network division. agencies, clothing manufacturers animated and energized by ven- Subsequently, he was appointed and convenience stores, and ran ture companies’ cutting-edge as the Country Growth Manager a wide range of campaigns. As a technologies and ideas and their to found a Japanese branch office result of these efforts, the number wide-ranging innovations,” says as the first employee of Facebook of domestic users increased dra- Kodama. “I felt strongly about Japan in 2010. matically to 21 million just four and this when I worked for Yahoo! “Now both Yahoo! and Face- a half years after the establishment and Facebook. In other words, the book are major corporations that of the Japanese branch office. partnerships between large cor- almost everybody has heard of. “At that point in time, I thought porations and venture companies But when I joined those compa- that I had finished playing my role lead not to one-way support, but to nies, they were both still small in to a certain extent, so I started mutually beneficial relationships.” scale and were venture compa- thinking about what to do next,” The lounge space at Anchorstar nies that we were not sure would says Kodama. “Instead of working can be used not only as offices grow,” says Kodama. “In particu- as a country manager of another until foreign companies fully lar, Facebook was a social net- overseas company, I wanted to launch their businesses in Japan, working company that required support more venture companies but also acts as a venue where peo- users to participate in the network looking to take a chance in the Jap- ple from many countries can enjoy using their real names. Most peo- anese market and grow strongly.” exchanging information. Kodama ple thought that such social net- imagines his company as being working service would be viewed like the bar where the aliens in unfavorably by Japanese society, the movie Star Wars gather. When which was not active in disclosing you drop anchor in an unknown real names.” country, you first go to a port-side To increase the number of bar, get to know the local features, Facebook users, Kodama worked gather information and meet new actively on building partnerships friends. This concept forms part of with large Japanese corporations. the name Anchorstar. To highlight the advantages of SNS “From now on, I will make using real names, Kodama first efforts not only to support more asked a leading domestic recruit- foreign companies in participating ing information company to adopt in the Japanese market, but also Facebook as a support tool for to find venture companies that recruiting activities, and he suc- large Japanese corporations need ceeded in attracting numerous as their partners from all over the Taro Kodama, CEO of Anchorstar university students as users. In Photo: Masatoshi Sakamoto world,” says Kodama.

march 2017 | 11 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN PROMOTING DIVERSITY Recruitment of foreign nationals in Japan is on the rise. We look at the example of a global ICT company based in Minato, Tokyo.

TOSHIO MATSUBARA

ith economic global- of diverse genders, ages and racial ization continually backgrounds as a management accelerating, many strategy to strengthen international WJapanese companies competitiveness. More and more have focused on diversity manage- Japanese companies have been ment to utilize human resources recruiting foreign nationals as part Fujitsu’s main office building in Kawasaki, of the strategy. Kanagawa Prefecture For example, Lawson, a major convenience store chain, has ates in 2006. Fujitsu aims to have established the post of an execu- foreign nationals comprise 10% tive for diversity promotion and of the company’s new hires. Cur- has strategically employed foreign rently, within Fujitsu as a whole, nationals since 2008. These for- excluding its consolidated compa- eign nationals are playing leading nies, there are about 250 foreign roles in a range of areas, including nationals, or around 10% of all product development and finance. employees, who mainly engage Rakuten, a leading Japanese in hardware development, SE and e-commerce company, changed sales operations. its official in-house language from “With ongoing digitalization, Japanese to English in July 2012 the ICT business is changing, to promote the global develop- and diverse human resources are ment of group businesses, and essential for taking on new chal- had employees from seventy-two lenges,” says Mana Mikawa, who countries as of December 2016. is in charge of employing non- Fujitsu, which provides a Japanese university graduates in wide range of products, ser- the Global Human Resources Unit, vices and solutions in the area Recruiting Center. “We started to of ICT, is another company that employ foreign nationals in order actively employs foreign nation- to change the company itself by als. Fujitsu began employing increasing their numbers. For the Mana Mikawa non-Japanese university gradu- last three years, we have officially

12 | highlighting japan employed foreign nationals after “We provide foreign nation- they have completed an internship als with the opportunity to have program lasting about five weeks, in-depth discussions with the which enables us to grasp the apti- chiefs of the sections they belong tudes of individual employees and to twice a year. We make it a rule assign them to the best positions.” to treat them with great care and Fujitsu employs not only for- attention and ask them about any eign students studying at Japa- problems they are having, including their future careers,” says Akiko Kambayashi of the Global Human Resources Unit, Recruiting Center. “On the other hand, more Japanese employees are becoming active in terms of acquiring Eng- lish and are doing their jobs with a global perspective. I believe that the diversity strategy is having a steady impact.” Marco Scifoni from Italy is a foreign national engaged in hardware development at Fujitsu. He Marco Scifoni joined the company in August 2013 and is working on the cool- “Fujitsu has a very good corpo- ing design of optical transmis- rate culture of just giving some- sion devices for constructing ICT thing a try if there is any possibility, networks, which are important even if you do not know whether social infrastructures. you will make it or not,” says Sci- “When I attended university in foni. “Today, the volume of data Italy, I participated in an intern- communications has increased ship program at a Japanese com- all over the world. There is even pany for a year through a study research that shows that the program implemented through amount of energy consumption

Akiko Kambayashi cooperation between the Euro- related to data communications pean Union (EU) and the Japanese has reached 1% to 2% of global nese universities but also overseas Ministry of Economy, Trade and energy consumption. Our mis- university students, regardless Industry. This experience encour- sion is how to control that energy of their Japanese language abil- aged me to work for a Japanese consumption. Our job has a major ity. Fujitsu provides Japanese lan- company after graduating from impact on the entire world, and I guage training for foreign nation- university. I sought a career in work actively on development.” als before they officially start to Japan, and Fujitsu employed me,” The employment of global work to help them undertake close says Scifoni. Scifoni says that he human resources involves the pos- communication with people both enjoys his work and feels a sense sibility of making a significant con- inside and outside the company of great satisfaction as a result of tribution to solving global chal- after joining. working at Fujitsu. lenges as well. All photos: Yoshifusa Hashizume

march 2017 | 13 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN Finding Work in Japan

A staffing agency with a difference is helping foreign students — and their potential employers — to find stable employment in Japan.

OSAMU SAWAJI

n 2011 in Japan, there were ing agency founded in 2007, paid about 160,000 foreign stu- quick attention to these needs and dents, a figure which had provides services to support their Iincreased to about 200,000 search for employment. by 2016. Along with this trend, “Many global companies oper- there has been an increase in the ate in Japan. Japan also enjoys number of foreign students joining high standards for public safety

Japanese companies after gradu- and is an economic power,” says Yohei Shibasaki, CEO of Fourth Valley ation. According to the Japanese Yohei Shibasaki, CEO of Fourth Concierge Photo: Courtesy of Fourth Valley Concierge Corporation Ministry of Justice, the number of Valley. “There are many foreign foreign students granted residence students who hope to work in such Japanese companies employ this status for joining Japanese com- an environment.” recruiting model because they panies is at an all-time high, ris- Many major Japanese compa- have a system of nurturing employing from around 11,600 in 2013 to nies recruit people mid-career ees through in-service training and 12,900 in 2014 and 15,600 in 2015. based on their career history and on-the-job training programs for Amid this situation, there has skills, but their recruitment is longtime employment. also been an increase in the need mainly focused on new under “You could say that Japan is for services for foreign students graduate and graduate students the only country in the world seeking jobs in Japan. Fourth Val- without job experience beyond that adopts such an employ- ley Concierge Corporation, a staff- internships and part-time jobs. ment method and system,” says Shibasaki. “The Japanese corporate culture of recruiting new graduates for long-term employment is also appealing to foreigners who seek stable employment.” Fourth Valley provides free services to students who are regis- tered on its website, such as seminars through which job-seekers can gather detailed information about finding jobs in Japan, including the schedules for job- seeking activities and corporate interviews, and individual coun- A joint job fair for foreign students held by Fourth Valley Concierge in Tokyo Photo: Courtesy of Fourth Valley Concierge Corporation seling as well as mock examina-

14 | highlighting japan tions and interviews. In addition, Fourth Valley also holds joint job fairs exclusively for foreign students in Japan. Twelve companies participated in the first joint fair held by Fourth Valley in 2009, and the number of companies has increased year by year. Last year about one hundred companies participated with about two thousand foreign students in attendance.

Meet the Students Many foreign students have joined major Japanese companies through Fourth Valley’s services. Ariunaa Munkhbat, a second-year Ariunaa Munkhbat (right) and Kang Wooyong student at the Graduate School of Hitotsubashi University from Kang Wooyong, a senior stu- housing allowances. Mongolia, is one of those students. dent at Keio University from “Recently I have spoken about “I hoped to get a global job South Korea, will be employed my job searching experience in where I can make use of my eco- by a major Japanese automo- Japan with Korean juniors,” says nomic knowledge,” says Ariunaa. bile manufacturer. Kang. “For my corporate career, I “I thought it was a good idea to be “I wanted to join an automobile want to work on promoting envi- employed in Japan to achieve this.” manufacturer in the future before ronmentally friendly vehicles.” Ariunaa came to Japan in 2010 I entered a Japanese university,” Fourth Valley holds many and organized and participated says Kang. “When recruiting peo- events, such as employment semi- in many international exchange ple, Japanese companies place an nars and joint job fairs, at univer- activities, majoring in economics emphasis on students’ passions sities and hotels in about thirty at her undergraduate and gradu- during their school days and what countries, including China, Singa- ate schools. She highlighted such they learned from such experi- pore, Vietnam, the United King- experience during her recruiting ences. I greatly empathized with dom and the United States. Fourth activities and got a job in a major Japanese companies’ screening of Valley gathered about 200,000 reg- Japanese insurance company. job applicants with a focus on the istered students from almost seven “I gained a lot of information personalities of students.” hundred universities in Japan and about how to prepare for recruiting Kang also felt that Japanese abroad. These registrants represent activities and what I should say in a companies’ focus on developing around 100 different countries. job interview through the recruit- human resources with a long-term “In the future, I want to create ing seminar held by Fourth Valley,” perspective is suitable for him. He a platform where young people says Ariunaa. “I also found it very also found it attractive that Japa- from all over the world can learn helpful to listen directly to former nese companies have substantial about the stages where they can foreign students who now work in welfare benefit services for their demonstrate their talents in Japan Japanese companies at the job fair employees, such as the payments or elsewhere,” says Shibasaki of for foreign students in Japan.” of transportation expenses and Fourth Valley.

march 2017 | 15 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN

A sign written in four languages in the school A classroom at Ushioda Elementary School

uring the Edo period (1603–1867) when junior high and compulsory education schools as of the Tokugawa shogunate reined over the May 2016. country, Japan had little contact with for- Ushioda Elementary School in Tsurumi Ward, Deign countries. However, with the Treaty located in the Keihin Industrial Area adjacent to of Peace and Amity between the United States and Yokohama Port, educates a large number of children Japan in 1854, trade with foreign countries started to from international families. Currently some 130 chil- gain momentum. One of the ports that opened at that dren, or about 20% of all of the pupils at the school, time was Yokohama Port. Yokohama, where a settle- are from international families, with parents hailing ment for foreigners was established, has grown as an from fifteen countries including North and South overseas gateway since the Meiji period (1868–1912). Korea, China, Myanmar, the Philippines, Paraguay, The population of foreigners who live in the City of Brazil and Peru. One catalyst for the student body in Yokohama has almost doubled in the last twenty Ushioda Elementary School to have become multina- years, reaching 80,000 people. The number of chil- tional was the widening of the range of methods for dren of foreign nationality or dual citizenship is also non-Japanese of Japanese descent living overseas to naturally increasing. More than 8,400 such children work in Japan enabled by the revision of the Immi- were enrolled in Yokohama municipal elementary, gration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in 1990. “Children of foreign nationality increased in the blink of an eye at that time and we had a lot of trouble coping with them SETTLING IN at first,” recalls Principal The City of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture has instituted a range of mea- Hiroto Kondo. “For the sures to ensure that children of international families enjoy a sound education students who were unable irrespective of their language ability on entering school. to speak Japanese fluently to receive an education KYOKO MOTOYOSHI with peace of mind, the prefecture and the city

16 | highlighting japan Ushioda Elementary School Principal Hiroto Kondo Ushioda Elementary School in Yokohama worked together to establish a support system, and Sometimes a student who speaks no Japanese at our school has been building know-how through trial all enters the school. In this case, Ushioda Elemen- and error.” tary School provides educational support in his or As part of the system in Kanagawa Prefecture, her native language until he or she learns more Japa- public elementary and junior high schools where nese. The school asks a facility called Tsurumi Inter- there are five or more students who need Japanese- national Lounge to dispatch the necessary language language training are allowed to open an interna- staff from an NPO group, with support from the City tional class with full-time teachers assigned to the of Yokohama. With just one or two exceptions in the class. In addition, the City of Yokohama dispatches past, the school has been able to provide native-lan- a maximum of three part-time teachers according to guage teaching for all pupils needing it in this way. the number of students who need Japanese language Although the linguistic and cultural gaps between training regardless of their nationalities. Under this Japanese and international students can be large in system, six teachers lead the international class at some cases, children soon begin to play together Ushioda Elementary School, and one teacher takes even if they don’t understand each other’s lan- care of the students in each grade, from first to sixth guage. If there is a child who is in trouble and doesn’t grade. This grade-based teacher assignment system understand Japanese, other children try to help him is one of the characteristics of Ushioda Elementary or her by finding a student who speaks the same lan- School and has become a factor in building a good guage, among other ways. Kondo believes that such relationship between the teachers and the students. human relationships lead to a multicultural symbio- “Because the international class is a small group sis in education. consisting of ten or fewer students, unlike a general “The number of children with international back- class where about thirty students have lessons at the grounds will continue to increase in Japan. It is nec- same time, we are able to teach according to each essary therefore to increase the number of public ele- student’s level of understanding,” says Kondo. “Les- mentary and junior high schools that are able to cope sons like math and Japanese are the same as those in with them,” says Kondo. “We will work to enhance regular classes in the grade, but the teachers explain guidance and support for international children by the content in simple Japanese, using many pictures widely sharing our information and know-how in the and charts.” future.” All photos: Takemi Kato

march 2017 | 17 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN

Left, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital in Shibuya Ward; right, A hospital floor map written in both Japanese and English Equal Treatment

At Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, systems are in place to ensure in Chinese and Korean as well. The that international patients have access to the institution’s advanced hospital was listed as a Medical medical services in much the same way as Japanese patients do. Institution Capable of Accepting Foreign Tourists 1 on the website of TOSHIO MATSUBARA the Japan National Tourism Orga- nization in March 2016 and as a fforts are currently for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Regional Base Hospital Accepting underway in Tokyo Paralympics. It serves as a flagship International Patients by the Min- to accredit the medi- hospital, providing emergency istry of Health, Labour and Wel- Ecal institutions that will medical care, disaster medicine fare in July 2016. provide athletes and others with and island community medical “We are making every possible medical services during the 2020 services. Located in Shibuya Ward effort to upgrade our capability to Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics where large numbers of foreign- deal with foreign patients,” says as Olympic Partner Hospitals in ers choose to live, Hiroo Hospital Yasuko Nishiyama, the manager response to a request from the has treated many international of the hospital’s Planning Depart- International Olympics Committee patients. More than 350 patients ment. “We launched foreign- (IOC). Around ten general hospitals from more than fifty countries vis- language training programs for all equipped with cutting-edge health ited the hospital during the four our employees three years ago and care facilities near the Olympic Vil- months from October 2016. offer related training opportunities lage or the Olympic Stadium will Hiroo Hospital has taken a including workshops, seminars, be selected as partner hospitals. range of steps to facilitate com- and learning through DVDs. We Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hos- munications with international pital is one of the hospitals that are patients. Most signs and floor 1 As of March 2016, about 320 hospitals are expected to play a significant role maps are written in both Japanese listed. http://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/ as partner medical institutions and English, and some are written mi_guide.html#search.

18 | highlighting japan remain firmly committed to offer- patients and made it compatible of the human body diagram on the ing medical services seamlessly to for use with tablet PCs. screen. While the system is cur- international patients visiting our “The system is designed to rently limited to use by English- hospital, and that is the strength of eliminate misunderstandings speaking patients only, it will be our hospital.” when a doctor provides medi- further developed as a multilin- In April 2016, the hospi- cal treatment to a non-Japanese gual system in the future. The lat- tal hired four interpreters for speaking patient. The Tokyo Met- est upgrade of the system, which patients who speak English or ropolitan Government is currently includes systematic linkage with Chinese, as well as a nurse spe- looking to establish a cutting-edge electronic medical charts, is cur- cializing in medical coordination platform that will facilitate the rently undergoing testing. for international patients. extensive use of tablet PCs in med- “Every one of us working in the “International patients visiting ical services. In this regard as well, hospital shares a desire to ensure us for the first time usually feel the development of the medical that international patients have uneasy because of the language questionnaire system is impor- access to the medical services pro- problems they anticipate,” says tant,” says Dr. Yamamoto. vided by our hospital in much the Mayumi Okauchi, the nurse spe- To begin the process, the same way as Japanese patients cializing in medical coordination patient is asked to tick the relevant do. It appears that we have fin- for international patients. “My job symptoms listed on the screen ished establishing a basic platform is to help international patients of the tablet PC in response to for this. Going forward, we will who are in need of language assis- the question, “What brought you remain focused on activities for tance by explaining the diagnosis here?” As the patient continues making further improvements to and treatment to them. It is more identifying his or her symptoms the system,” says Okauchi. “We important than anything else for on the screen, related questions will remain committed to working us to ensure that a non-Japanese appear automatically, including together with the aim of becoming speaking patient understands a request to indicate the affected a hospital selected by all patients, his or her condition while being area by touching the relevant part regardless of nationality. treated at the hospital. Our Patient Support Center, a cross-functional organization of the hospital that seeks to support international patients regardless of their nationalities, is one of the key features of our hospital.” Twelve years ago the Depart- ment of Pediatrics at Hiroo Hos- pital launched an online medical questionnaire system in English for international patients. At the request of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Dr. Yasuhito Yama- moto, the Department’s General Manager and Director of Manage- ment Planning, has further devel- Dr. Yasuhito Yamamoto, who developed the medical questionnaire system for oped the system for international international patients using tablet PCs “Place your finger on the affected area.” All photos: Yoshifusa Hashizume

march 2017 | 19 Feature LIVING AND WORKING IN JAPAN Learning on the Job Introducing two foreign residents of Japan who, like many, spoke no Japanese at all on their arrival but who are picking up the language while succeeding in their jobs.

speak Japanese.” OSAMU SAWAJI When Chawla started working as a software engineer in Tokyo, he had few colleagues who could he Government of Japan has adopted a pref- speak English in his office. He received Japanese les- erential immigration policy for foreigners sons in the office every morning but felt that he was who speak Japanese, including a system not making any progress during the first two months. Tthat provides bonus points commensu- He even began to think about going back to India. rate with the level of their language proficiency as One day, Chawla’s boss was kind enough to host a defined by the point-based system for highly skilled birthday dinner for him. The thoughtful advice of his foreign professionals 1. A number of Japanese compa- boss encouraged Chawla to become even more seri- nies require a certain level of proficiency in Japanese ous about the language training. when it comes to hiring foreign nationals. Mean- “I seized every possible opportunity to speak Jap- while, there are many foreign residents successfully anese, not only in the office but also at various social living in Japan with proficiency in Japanese acquired gatherings at the company. This really helped me to after they arrived here. Kashish Chawla, from Delhi, achieve a significant improvement in my language India, and Alex Silverman, from South Carolina in skills,” says Chawla. “I found it easy to make friends the United States, are two examples.

Kashish Chawla Kashish Chawla was hired in India by Hikari Tsushin, one of the leading distributors in the telecommuni- cations industry with approximately 10,000 employees engaged in a wide range of business activities including sales of mobile phones and office automa- tion equipment, and insurance services. After graduating from college there, Chawla came to Japan in September 2014 at the age of 21. “I had never been abroad before I came to Japan. On top of that, it was the biggest challenge for me to live in Japan, which is so different from India in terms of its living culture,” says Chawla. “At the time, I felt that it would not be possible for me to learn to

1 The Points-based System for Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals is a system that provides highly skilled foreign professionals with preferential immigration treatment. Foreign nationals with strong proficiency in the Japanese language as proven by test results are eligible for additional Kashish Chawla points (see pages 8–9). Photo: Tadashi Aizawa

20 | highlighting japan with people everywhere, because Japanese people are so friendly in general.” Meanwhile Chawla made every effort to improve operations in his line of work. Unlike the stereotypi- cal image that he previously had of Japanese companies in general, Hikari Tsushin was quick to make business decisions, with a receptive organizational culture on attitudes toward different opinions. About a year later, he was promoted to a manager’s position with thirteen Japanese subordinates reporting to him. Since last year, Chawla has been involved with activities related to business operation improvements, corporate research and M&A opportunities both in Japan and abroad in cooperation with seven subordinates from India and top executives. “I did not expect that I would be offered such an opportunity to work on a significant assignment like Alex Silverman the current one after spending two and a half years Photo: Masatoshi Sakamoto with the company,” says Chawla. “I would like to have a family in Japan in the future. It is my dream to tries teaching foreign languages there. Their home establish a local subsidiary of the company in India.” countries include the United States, the United King- dom, Australia, Tunisia, Germany, Spain and China. Alex Silverman Silverman teaches eighteen hours a week. In the Alex Silverman is from South Carolina in the United early days of his teaching career, he imitated his States. When Silverman was in college, he took a senior ALTs’ teaching style. Later, he gradually estab- course on the history of Japanese art, and that led lished his own teaching style through trial and error. him to develop an interest in Japan. Later, he chose “Teaching is challenging, but it is definitely a lot to apply for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) of fun as well. Whenever I feel a connection with Programme, a Japanese government initiative that the students, I have a great sense of accomplish- invites native speakers of English to Japan as Assis- ment,” says Silverman. “I was truly pleased when I tant Language Teachers (ALTs) and foreigners as received a heartfelt letter from my students saying, Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs). ‘We enjoyed your class.’” “I love traveling. I wanted to leave America and Silverman did not speak a word of Japanese before experience the world,” says Silverman, “I had a keen he came to Japan. He finds it somewhat frustrating interest in Japanese art. And I was intrigued by pho- that he does not have much spare time to learn Japa- tographs of beautiful scenery in Japan that can be nese because he is quite busy with teaching, but his found on the web.” Japanese is good enough to manage his everyday life After graduating from college, he came to Japan comfortably here. in August 2014 and began working as an ALT teach- “The Japanese language is difficult, but that’s not ing English at Wako Kokusai High School in Wako, a problem. I have been able to overcome it. I also feel Saitama Prefecture on the outskirts of Tokyo. This there are enough English-language services,” says Sil- high school is known for its educational programs verman. “Coming to Japan was the best decision of related to foreign languages, with Silverman and the my life. I would like to stay in Japan at least until the other ALTs (eight in total) from seven different coun- Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.”

march 2017 | 21 Series SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Hopes Are High for New Technology for Hydrogen Storage and Transportation Testing is under way of a new technology to safely store and transport large volumes of hydrogen in a secure liquid state.

Therefore, hydrogen is expected to play a major TAKASHI SASAKI role in the future as a secondary energy source along with electricity, natural gas and fuel oil. ydrogen is currently attracting global Hydrogen has already begun to be used in fuel cells attention as an alternative energy source for households and in fuel-cell vehicles (FCV). Hydro- to fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and gen can also be used as fuel for large-scale power natural gas. When hydrogen is used as a generation, but its gaseous state at ambient tempera- Hfuel cell, it has very high energy efficiency. As the tures and pressures makes it difficult to handle. The fuel cell is actually used, it does not emit CO2, which challenges of storing hydrogen for a long period of is a cause of global warming. time and transporting it over long distances are a bot- tleneck for practical use. To safely store and transport a large amount of hydrogen, Chiyoda Corporation, an integrated engineering company, has developed the SPERA Hydrogen® system (SPERA means “to hope” in Latin). “In general, for storing and transporting hydrogen, the volume of hydrogen is compressed using high pressure or the hydrogen is liquefied at -253°C,” says an engineer at the Hydro-

Reaction section in the SPERA Hydrogen® demonstration plant at Chiyoda’s R&D Center in Yokohama gen Supply Chain Devel- Courtesy of Chiyoda Corporation opment Unit at Chiyoda

22 | highlighting japan Corporation. “However, in either method, because a special container and facilities are necessary, new infrastructure is required. On the other hand, the SPERA Hydrogen® system is maintained in a liquid state at ambient temperatures and pressures, and therefore can be both stored in existing tanks for a long period of time and transported by existing tank- ers and tank trucks.” SPERA Hydrogen® is a liquid called methyl- cyclohexane (MCH) and is produced using the organic chemical hydride (OCH) method in which toluene, found in gasoline and gas oil, and hydro- Storage section in the SPERA Hydrogen® demonstration plant at Chiyoda’s R&D Center in Yokohama gen are catalytically reacted. The volume of MCH is Courtesy of Chiyoda Corporation about one to the 500th as low as that of hydrogen in a gaseous state. source for hydrogen power generation and hydrogen The idea of the OCH method using MCH has been stations for FCVs. In addition, by producing hydrogen known since the 1980s and MCH is often used as a sol- using surplus electricity from power generated by vent for pen-type correction fluid. However, no com- renewable energy sources such as wind power, solar mercial catalyst had been developed for producing power and hydroelectric power, and by transporting hydrogen from MCH in the dehydrogenation process. it as SPERA Hydrogen®, alternative clean energy not Chiyoda Corporation started development of the derived from fossil fuels can be supplied. catalyst in 2002 and successfully developed a pro- The New Energy and Industrial Technology Devel- prietary dehydrogenation catalyst that continuously opment Organization (NEDO) is currently promot- delivers a stable high performance for more than ing a business demonstration project for a hydrogen 10,000 hours on a laboratory scale. supply chain scheme using the SPERA Hydrogen® A variety of verification tests for commercial use system. In addition, in the seaside industrial zone has been conducted utilizing the demonstration and the port facilities in Kawasaki City, the Kawa- plant at Chiyoda’s R&D Center in Yokohama. The sat- saki City government and Chiyoda Corporation are isfactory performance of the dehydrogenation cata- jointly promoting a construction scheme for a hydro- lyst has been assured in the demonstration opera- gen supply network system using SPERA Hydrogen® tion, verifying its applicability to practical use. as a field demonstration and verification project. In the future, if the mass transport of hydrogen Under the project, SPERA Hydrogen® generated as energy is achieved by the SPERA Hydrogen® sys- byproduct hydrogen is transported from overseas tem, the environment surrounding energy would (southeast Asia) and dehydrogenated in Kawasaki. change drastically, not only in Japan, but all over The project is scheduled to be put into practical use the world. Hydrogen can be produced by reforming in 2020. In the stadiums and athletes’ village for the natural gas. If the hydrogen produced at oil and gas Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo fields in resource-rich countries is transformed into in 2020, hydrogen might be produced from SPERA SPERA Hydrogen® at a local hydrogenation plant, it Hydrogen® which is also planned to supply electric- can be exported to hydrogen-consuming countries ity and to power a fuel cell (FC) bus for transport- including Japan in a large tanker, the same way we ing athletes and spectators. The Tokyo Olympic and currently export crude oil. If countries that import Paralympic Games will be an opportunity for people hydrogen construct dehydrogenation plants as neces- around the world to see the arrival of a society with sary, hydrogen can be efficiently utilized as an energy full-scale use of hydrogen.

march 2017 | 23 Series HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Stephanie Crohin The Bathhouse Ambassador

Stephanie Crohin

Stephanie Crohin from France shares the beauty of sento bathhouse were constructed across the coun- culture from her home in Tokyo with readers around the world. try. To this day, sento are cheap to enter, the Tokyo Sento Association KUMIKO SATO for example having fixed the fee in the capital at just 460 yen (about 4 ento public bathhouses US dollars) for those age 12 or older. have their origin in the Stephanie Crohin from France sixth-century bathing is a well-known sento journal- halls of Buddhist temples. ist living in Tokyo. So enchanted TheS bathhouses were primarily a is she by sento culture that she facility for monks to purify them- has now visited almost 600 bath- selves, but the temples also pro- houses across Japan. vided hot water to the sick and “I was first invited to a sento by poor in accordance with the teach- my classmate in 2008 when I was ing that ablution prevents dis- studying in Japan. At that time, I eases. These temple baths became couldn’t speak Japanese well, but the prototype for the modern-day it was fun to chat with the regu- sento, a public bathhouse accessi- lars while soaking in the hot bath. ble on payment of a fee. In the Edo I was moved by the gentle world of period (1603–1867), many sento the sento.” After further studies in France, Stephanie Crohin peeks through a noren Crohin returned to Japan in 2012 curtain marking the entry to a sento’s women’s with a job in the beauty industry. bathing area. Stephanie Crohin Remembering the pleasures of the

24 | highlighting japan Tsuruno-yu in the Edogawa Ward of Tokyo is typical of the The beautiful mural of the Arima-yu bathhouse in Tokyo’s Taito Ward miyazukuri style of sento resembling a shrine or temple. Stephanie Crohin Stephanie Crohin sento she had visited as a student, she relieved her paintings depicting Mount Fuji and its foothills; oth- work fatigue by going to the sento every week. ers may be tile mosaics of abstract design. Crohin soon created a website, Dokodemo Sento “When I went to one sento in Kyoto which is well (“Dokodemo” means everywhere in Japanese), and known for its use of Majolica tiles, I gasped out loud other social media platforms to share the charms of despite myself,” says Crohin. “In addition to the won- sento with readers around the world. Crohin posts derful interior murals, in Tokyo there remain a few beautiful pictures of sento on Instagram on a regular old sento built in the miyazukuri (shrine-shaped) basis and has attracted hundreds of followers. Crohin style resembling a shrine or temple. I pray that these receives emails almost every day, she says, from peo- buildings will be preserved in the future.” ple around the world who plan to travel to Japan and The third charm of the public bathhouse is the visit a sento as part of their sightseeing itinerary. community aspect, says Crohin. “Because a sento is The Japan Sento Cultural Association, which works often located in the center of a neighborhood, it’s a to disseminate Japanese sento culture, appointed great place to gather local information. When I travel Crohin as its first Sento Ambassador in 2015 in recog- to the countryside, for example, I make sure to go to nition of her publicity work. Since then, Crohin has a sento first and get tips about the good restaurants in been promoting sento culture in earnest — research- the town from the regulars.” ing, taking photographs, writing articles, giving lec- In an effort to raise awareness of the pleasures and tures and appearing in the media as a sento expert. benefits of the sento, the bathhouses now sometimes Crohin identifies three main charms to the sento. serve as temporary exhibition or concert venues. The first is the baths’ positive impact on health and Towel stamp rallies have also been promoted. beauty. “Because sento use groundwater, the quality Crohin regards such collaborative projects with of the hot water is high and seems to warm your body other businesses or artists as being an important way from the inside,” she explains. “The water is good for forward for sento today. your skin. It is also good for your mental health. You “I saw a wonderful case recently of a sento using feel refreshed after a visit to a sento even if you have lemons in the bathtub that had been cultivated by a been experiencing difficulties or stress.” local farmer who uses organic methods,” says Cro- The second charm of the sento is the beautiful and hin. “Taking advantage of my position as the Sento unique artwork on display therein, typically large- Ambassador, I hope to help boost sento fast by con- scale murals on the bathhouse walls. Many murals are necting people.”

march 2017 | 25 Series INNOVATIVE ARTISTS

COUTURE [IGNIS AER AQUA TERRA] SPRING/ SUMMER 2017 Photo: SHOJI FUJII

Haute Couture for All Fashion designer Yuima Nakazato makes use of advanced production and textile technologies with a view to one day achieving the concept of “mass customization.”

TOSHIO MATSUBARA

orn in 1985 in Tokyo, surrounded by various forms of says Nakazato. “I realized intui- Yuima Nakazato is an artistic expression, including clas- tively from that time that these up-and-coming Japa- sical performing arts and contem- Japanese materials would become nese designer who is porary art. When he was in senior my tools.” Battracting attention in the global high school, he says he used to In 2008, he received the Inno- fashion industry. When still a buy secondhand clothing and vation Award from international mere 30 years old, he was cho- rework it to express his individu- designer Ann Demeulemeester sen as the official guest designer ality. He first learnt of the Royal for his graduation piece that for the Paris Haute Couture Fall- Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in introduced the idea of origami, in Winter Collection held in July Belgium when he happened to see which a dress changes into a three- 2016, only the second Japanese it in a newspaper and felt irresist- dimensional sculptural piece designer in history to present at ibly drawn to it. In 2004, the same when opened out. Shoes that he the event since Hanae Mori twelve year he graduated from senior designed when he was a student years ago. Nakazato also partici- high school, he entered the fash- are preserved in perpetuity in the pated in the Spring-Summer Col- ion department of the Academy MoMu Fashion Museum Antwerp. lection the following year in 2017, without hesitation. When he approached Demeule- where he wowed the fashion “When I took cutting-edge meester to sound out the pos- world with creations that utilized materials that I had obtained in sibility of working under her, cutting-edge technology. Japan to the lessons, such as film she replied, “I gave you the prize Born to a sculptor father and and materials that change color because I was struck by the origi- engraver mother, Nakazato with temperature, everyone was nality of your work, but surely was raised from a young age amazed, including the teacher,” your life itself is innovative?”

26 | highlighting japan Yuima Nakazato

relatively low cost. I think this is EARTH). The surface of each part is the ideal for mankind’s clothing.” slightly uneven, akin to male and When producing his designs, female screws. These fit together Nakazato adopts state-of-the-art to anchor the parts in place, and machines such as 3D printers and allow the parts to be attached and cutting plotters. Rather than going removed. A total of twelve differ- from fabric to pattern production, ent iridescent costumes assembled he has come up with a completely by combining a variety of parts new process for creating the fin- created a huge sensation. ished garment. A major feature is “This time was an experimen- the frequent use of holographic tal attempt to produce ‘unit con- film material that changes color structed textiles’ that overturn Emboldened by these words, with the light. the concept of clothes with a view Nakazato launched his own fash- The Haute Couture Fall-Winter to achieving mass customization. ion label, YUIMA NAKAZATO, 2016 Collection was a represen- The system reflects a new idea of in 2009 and started down an tation of the change of colors of making clothes that fit any body unknown path. natural phenomena such as sky, shape as desired,” says Nakazato. Results were immediate. sea and auroras, on the theme “Utilizing this system, I would Firstly, an order came in from of UNKNOWN. Rather than sew- like to release as soon as possible the stylist of The Black Eyed Peas ing together the cut parts, these ready-to-wear clothes that can female vocalist, Fergie, who had were fixed in place using metal fit- be ordered from anywhere in the seen his graduation piece on tings, creating a variety of forms. world. And in order to showcase the Internet and wanted him to The theme of this year’s Spring- the process of updating the sys- design a costume for the band’s Summer Collection, which will be tem, I would like to continue to World Tour. A succession of his second, is the Latin IGNIS AER participate in haute couture for orders followed, including a cos- AQUA TERRA (FIRE WIND WATER the next few years.” tume for Lady Gaga’s performance in Japan, as well as costumes for a popular Japanese dance group and for movies and theater, even- tually leading to his decision to challenge himself in the realm of haute couture. “Haute couture is the epitome of made-to-order garments, but only a very few people are able to wear them,” says Nakazato. “However, if we introduce various state-of-the-art technologies, there is the potential for anyone to enjoy made-to-order clothing at

COUTURE [IGNIS AER AQUA TERRA] SPRING/SUMMER 2017 Photos: SHOJI FUJII

march 2017 | 27 Series TRADITIONAL CRAFTS

1 Doll Royalty The dolls crafted in the Iwatsuki district of Saitama are held to be the most refined in all Japan. 4 ROB GILHOOLY

1 Iwatsuki ningyo dolls on display at specialty doll store Tougyoku in Iwatsuki, Saitama Prefecture. Such dolls are purchased to protect the child to whom they are presented and bring them good fortune throughout their lives. 2 Painstaking attention to detail 3 The dolls’ hair is made from ultra-fine strands of silk. 4 The eyebrows are the most difficult detail to paint. 5 Iwatsuki ningyo craftsman Hiroshi Omamiuda holds two completed dolls’ heads. 5

All photos: Rob Gilhooly 28 | highlighting japan Series

hite felt glove on his left hand, felt fin- bark mixed with paste from wheat starch, though in ger cot covering the ring finger of his Omamiuda’s time most are made using a silicon mold right, Hiroshi Omamiuda gently grips filled with sekko – a kind of plaster. the head between thumb and forefin- This is where the artisan earns his crust, applying ger,W and with controlled flicks of the brush fashions a layer after layer of an opaque white pigment called hairstyle fit for an empress. gofun, which is normally made from pulverized clam As he continues his work, the facial features and oyster shells and mixed with nikawa glue. become almost eerily life-like, which is apt consider- Around six layers of a coarser gofun is applied ing the Chinese characters for his subject, “ningyo,” before a much finer pigment, with a pearl-like lus- the word for “doll” in Japanese, literally mean ter, is applied, according to Omamiuda. “This is like “human form.” applying a woman’s foundation,” he says. “By apply- “The most difficult feature to create is the eye- ing the layers of pigment we are able to perform relief brows,” says Omamiuda, 50, who has been creat- work to create the shape of the nose and mouth. We ing Iwatsuki ningyo dolls for the best part of three finish off by painting the eyebrows, lips, blusher on decades. “Get it slightly wrong and you can end up the cheeks, and so on. It’s just like applying a wom- with something that looks like a bit of a blockhead.” an’s makeup.” Such features would be unfitting of Iwatsuki ningyo, Other artisans at Taisei are charged with applying which first came into being during the Edo period the hair – made from ultra-fine strands of silk – and (1603–1867) and are regarded in Japan as doll royalty. tiara-like ornamental headwear. This is particularly evident during celebrations Altogether there are ten craftsmen operating at such as the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival, also known his workshop – just a fraction of the total who are as Girls Day) on March 3, when numerous dolls can involved in doll production in Iwatsuki. be seen arranged on multi-tiered platforms, with the “There are around 500 craftsmen in Iwatsuki and “Dairi-bina” (emperor and empress) dolls at the top more than 3,000 employees involved in the produc- and their servants, musicians, bodyguards and so on tion of dolls,” says Omamiuda. When his father started on the lower tiers. out in the 1950s, many more people were employed Their peerless quality is evident at Omamiuda’s in the industry. “Apparently there were 300 member workshop, Taisei Ningyo, which was started by his companies of the Iwatsuki Doll Association solely father in the Iwatsuki district of Saitama seventy dedicated to making the head part,” says Omamiuda. years ago. Omamiuda’s own interest in becoming a doll crafts- The attention to detail here among the team of arti- man began at a young age, when he would playfully sans is astounding, each charged with different parts color in the faces of dolls that had not been placed on of the production process of what is considered to be the market. As a junior high school student he had the most important part of the doll’s form. made up his mind to follow in his father’s footsteps, Inside the workshop, straw baskets are stacked but following the sudden passing of his father when with the heads of the dolls, the part of the traditional Omamiuda was still only 17, he learned the trade from dolls that are said to reveal most clearly the skill level other Iwatsuki craftsmen during the day, and set about of the artisans who created it. perfecting his craft upon returning home at night. Other parts of the dolls, from the ornate kimono to Even today, however, he does not feel he has the wide range of accessories, are the product of other gained the status of a fully fledged craftsman. “To specialist artisans, but those such as Omamiuda who be able to create all of the required components, and make the heads face a painstakingly crucial process. to make them with the requisite skills to make top- Traditionally, the head of the doll was molded from notch dolls takes decades,” he says. “I don’t feel I am a putty-like paste made from powdered paulownia there yet.”

march 2017 | 29 Series JAPAN HERITAGE The Murakami Kaizoku of the Seto Inland Sea

The Geiyo Islands viewed from Kirosan Observatory Park on Oshima Island, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. In recent years, Setouchi Shimanami Kaido, which connects various islands in the Geiyo Islands and links Onomichi in Honshu with Imabari in Shikoku, has acquired popularity as a scenic cycling road, and cyclists visit from various parts of the world. Benevolent seafarers the Murakami Kaizoku have left their mark on the Geiyo Islands. he Seto Inland Sea separates three of the Japanese archipelago’s four main islands, OSAMU SAWAJI Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and is itself dotted with some 700 islands large and Tsmall. Extending from North to South near the center of the Seto Inland Sea are the Geiyo Islands. The dis- Onomichi City tance between each of these islands is very short, and because the waters of the Seto Inland Sea are shallow, Mukaishima the currents here run perilously fast. “The Geiyo Islands were a well known meeting Innoshima place in this dangerous sea even in ancient times,” Ikuchijima says Ken Tanaka of the Murakami Suigun Museum (“suigun” means “feudal navies” [such as the Omishima Murakami Kaizoku]), which is located on the “big Hakatajima island” of Oshima off Imabari in Ehime Prefecture. Oshima “Exploiting its knowledge of the characteristics of the Seto Inland Sea, the Murakami Kaizoku controlled Setouchi Shimanami Kaido the east-west sea route during the sixteenth century.” From around the middle of the fourteenth century to the fifteenth century, the Murakami Kaizoku protected the ships including those of the Muromachi Imabari City feudal government (the shogunate of 1336 to 1573) passing through the Seto Inland Sea. Over time, the

Imabari City, Ehime Pref. Murakami Clan took control of the major sea routes and ports using their knowledge and expertise

30 | highlighting japan Series

1 Stone statues of Buddha on Mt. Shirataki on Innoshima Island, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture 2 Oyamazumi-jinja shrine on Omishima Island, Imabari 3 A model of a ship on display at the Murakami Suigun Museum

navigating the rapid currents and narrow straits, and adopted the Geiyo Islands as their base. 1 The Murakami Clan typically piloted ships through the Seto Inland Sea by issuing them a flag as a “passport” or by boarding the vessels in return for a fee. In this way the Murakami Clan also protected the sea traffic from pirates and from the perils of the strong currents. “Although the word kaizoku means ‘pirate,’ the Murakami Kaizoku were different from the traditional image of western pirates or from present-day 2 pirates who unlawfully board ships and forcefully collect money or seize goods. The Murakami Kaizoku helped to maintain order in the sea by assuring the security of ships,” says Tanaka. “In addition, whereas pirates have a cut-throat image, the kaizoku of the Murakami Clan were religious and enjoyed cultural activities such as the tea ceremony and renga collaborative poetry.” The activities of the Murakami Kaizoku ceased at 3 the end of the sixteenth century with the piracy ban- ning order issued by Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1537–1598), Inland Sea. Giant camphor trees stand guard on the who reigned over Japan at that time, but the cultural grounds, and the shrine’s magnificent treasure hall heritage of the Murakami Kaizoku is still very much exhibits weapons and armor reportedly offered by in evidence on the Geiyo Islands. famous lords and military commanders. On Oshima, the Murakami Suigun Museum exhib- On Mt. Shirataki on Innoshima Island, a part of its a range of items associated with the Murakami Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture, the head of the Clan such as weapons, armor and ancient writings, as Murakami Clan reportedly constructed a temple in well as scale models of boats from the period. A sight- the sixteenth century. In the nineteenth century, a seeing boat departs from a dock near the museum new religion leader and his followers on the island taking passengers across the strait and past numerous carved approximately 700 stone statues of Buddha islands, including Noshima, location of the Murakami and placed them along the path at the top of the Clan castle. The boat navigates the same violently mountain. The expression on each statue’s face is swirling current that the Murakami Kaizoku mastered unique. From the top of Mt. Shirataki, visitors can centuries ago. Every July, immediately in front of the enjoy spectacular views of the Seto Inland Sea. museum, crews of twelve race reconstructed rowing “On the Geiyo Islands, you can experience scen- boats from the period, which are maneuvered from a ery and history through each of your five senses,” standing position, in the Murakami Suigun Boat Race. says Tanaka. “We will discover more about the Oyamazumi-jinja shrine on the island of Omishima Murakami Kaizoku as archaeological investigations is where the military commanders of the Murakami continue. I would like to spread the word “kaizoku” Clan prayed to the gods for good fortune in war and to the world so that it becomes as familiar as “ninja” for the safety of the vessels passing through the and “samurai.” All photos: Satoshi Tanaka

march 2017 | 31 SPOT-CHECK A Plum Spot

rom a hillside on the fringes of Nogyo Park in Inabe, Mie Prefecture, the view is a blur of pinks, whites and reds, and the occasional splash of yellow. It’s early March, and the plum trees are in Ffull bloom. Nogyo Park is home to some 4,500 ume plum trees — as many as there are poems in the ancient Man’yoshu poetry anthology — in a planting of more than 100 different varieties which delivers one of Japan’s most famous annual displays. Around the country, the flowering of the plums signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring. As the physician poet Sakiko puts it in the Man’yoshu: When the plum blossoms are gone / Are not the cherry flowers / Ready to bloom in their place?

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