TJ Expert (86)
Junko Koshino
Fashion Design by Junko Koshino
“What led you to hold a fashion show in China?” That’s what Li Zhao asked me at a party after she hosted “China’s biggest fashion show” at the Beijing Hotel in 1985 at a time when her husband, Hu Yaobang, was general secretary of the Communist Party. This was a time when most people in China were still wearing Mao suits and goods were thinly rationed in the market. The thirsty ground started longing for the blessed rain of fashion after the show.
KISS Retrospective
KISS Retrospective
On Tour with Bob Gruen
I STARTED working with KISS in 1973 when they signed with Buddah Records, a company I had worked with regularly. Working with KISS proved to be a different experience from most of the bands I had photographed. It’s not just that they wore makeup; the New York Dolls did that too. It was that their makeup created a different identity, as if they were superheroes. Right from the beginning when Buddah’s president, Neil Bogart, wore makeup and had the contract handcuffed to his wrist for the photo announcing their signing, I knew this was an unusual band.
Standing Up To Culture
Standing Up To Culture
By Daniel Yankelovich
IN a changing world, Japan and the United States face similar challenges even though our histories and cultures are very different. In both nations, the influence of tradition and culture is wearing thin while individual choice grows stronger. This places a heavy burden of responsibility on the individual, more than most people are comfortable with.
In late September, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal 1, titled “Unleashing the Power of Womenomics.” He out- lined a series of policies for which the dual purpose is to boost women in the workforce significantly and thereby also raise fertility rates.
Prime Minister Abe is well aware that combining these two goals runs counter to the long-held belief that female participation in the labor force lowers fertility rates. He cites a number of government policies that would make his twin goals compatible. These include: expanded day-care and nursing-care services, flexible work arrangements and better pay for women.
文化への抵抗
ダニエル・ヤンケロビッチ
この変化の時代にあって、日本と米国は、歴史的文 化的背景が大いに異なるとはいえ、似たような問
題 に直面している。日米のいずれでも、伝統と文 化がすたれつつある一方で、個人の選択が優先されるよ うになっている。この流れにより、多くの人が望む以上 に個人に重い責任がのしかかっている。 この秋、ウォール・ストリート・ジャーナル紙に安部 晋三首相の寄稿があった。タイトルは「安部総理、ウィ メノミクスのパワーを解き放つ」。女性の雇用を大幅に増 やし出生率上昇を促す一連の政策をまとめたものだ。
この2つの目標を掲 げることが、女性の雇用増は出生率 を下げるという長く正しいとされてきた論理に反するこ とを、安部首相は十分承知している。そのうえで彼は、 この2つの目標を両立させるための多くの政策に言及し ている。デイケアや介護サービスの拡大、柔軟な就労形態、 女性の賃金増などである。
Masakatsu Mori on Management Consulting
Masakatsu Mori on Management Consulting
Masakatsu Mori is the former Chairman and Representative Director of Accenture Japan Ltd. He was with the organization for over 30 years and helped major clients like Sony, Toshiba and Yamaha remain globally competitive. He was President of the International University of Japan from 2011 to 2012 where he currently serves as Vice-Chairman. He is currently an Executive of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), and a member of the board of directors of SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings, Stanley Electric and Yamato Holdings.
Red or Green Light
Red or Green Light
Clear signals are easy to follow. Just as with traffic lights, we know when to stop and when to go. We obey the rules. Otherwise, there is the risk of undesirable consequences. Imagine if it was as easy as this when it came to flirting and courtship. What if we had clear guidelines for what’s okay and when it’s wanted? That would clear up many bumps and complications. What a relief for all parties.
Photographer Hiroyuki Suzuki
Photographer Hiroyuki Suzuki
Scenes Beyond our Imagination
A photograph enables us to permanently own the scenery or subject we see in the viewfinder by capturing what is right in front of us with a camera. Sometimes it creates an unusual space beyond our imagination.
Of course, it is nothing more than coincidence when one encounters an exciting subject and a satisfactory shot is only possible when all the conditions are perfect. A photo shoot might be a journey to find a lucky coincidence.
Synopsis of Haitian Art
Synopsis of Art by Artists of Haitian Descent in the Diaspora –– Part I
By Marcel Duret and Fred Thomas
ON May 15, 2013, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Dustheads” sold for a record price of US$48.8 million at a Christie’s auction in New York. This made “Dustheads” one of the most expensive pieces of art on earth today. Basquiat’s impact can be seen globally. An example is an exhibition of his work from May 21 to August 10, 2013 at the Gagosian Gallery in Hong Kong. The exhibition attests to Basquiat’s acute global relevance 25 years after his untimely death. Basquiat is without a doubt the king of all artists of Haitian descent. But while he has gained international stardom, many other artists of Haitian descent living in the United States and Canada haven’t enjoyed the publicity that surrounded Basquiat’s life and death. Nevertheless, they are a group of extremely talented artists who have contributed to the vivacity of the art scene in North America.
Nelson Mandela
Mandela Reveals the World’s Most Powerful Weapon
By Dr. David Nunan
SOME of the best teachers are not professional educators. On the surface, this statement might seem a paradox. Educators are defined by their work as teachers. I’m not trying to suggest that the many people who make their livings as educators aren’t great teachers. It is that some of the most instructive lessons I have learned about living and learning haven’t come from people with formal teaching qualifications nor from people who have worked as teachers, but from people who have nevertheless changed the world. One such person is Nelson Mandela: a great teacher, a great leader and one of the most powerful people of the modern era. Mandela valued education above all else. He once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” In an interview, when asked what is the single greatest problem facing the world right now, he replied at once, “Poverty and lack of education – these two problems combined. It is important for us to ensure that education reaches everyone.” (Interview in the Reader’s Digest, July 29, 2013.)
Who owns the corporation?
Who owns the corporation?
Former Accenture Chairman Masakatsu Mori shares his 30 years of experience in advising many of Japan’s leading corporations as well as foreign corporations doing business in Japan and beyond.
Junko Koshino
Fashion Design by Junko Koshino
Timeless Style
2015 marks the 400th anniversary of the Rimpa School of Japanese painting. This world-class cultural sphere of creation established during the Edo period has a uniquely Japanese approach to aesthetics derived from a sense of beauty that arose from food, clothing and housing style. Its spirit has come down to various contemporary designs. The works of Jakuchu Ito, a prolific painter who grew up in Nishiki Market in Kyoto around 300 years ago, are especially significant. We can see the connection with nature in his works— for example, a mantis amidst a backdrop of corn and melons. The work in this photograph is a black, almost flying silk cloak based on the image of cranes, elephants, and especially roosters. The Rimpa School is truly a timeless style. tj
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