Walking through giant gates at major shrines and temples is like walking through art museum. Look up and check this: Blue Dragon protecting East. Red Phoenix protecting South. Black Gamera Turtle & Snake protecting North. White Tiger protecting West. They are the four guardians…
続きを読む≫
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” (Revelation 22:13) Amazing we have the same saying in Japanese (Buddhism)! They say the first word in Japanese alphabet あ and the last ん can describe ALL words, sentences,…
続きを読む≫
Formerly, carpenters of Japanese architecture can 1. do sales 2. Design architecture 3. Manage construction process 4. Craft wood 5. Educate apprentice Today, however, carpenters lost all the status, because they 1. are just a subcontractor, and Architect does all the design 2. no longer craft woods 3. are…
続きを読む≫
In “Lean In”, Sheryl Sandberg – Facebook COO and one of “Fortune” magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Business – looks at what women can do to help themselves, and make the small changes in their life that can effect change on a more universal scale. Learning to ‘lean in’…
続きを読む≫
Obviously, Japanese food like Sushi and Tofu goes well with Sake, but not with wines. Why ? Because it is said that soy sauce (Shoyu) taste, which is essential to Japanese food, has conflict with fruity taste of wines. So we conducted an experiment to see if…
続きを読む≫
When the company was founded in 1989, Akimoto envisioned that the carpenters in Japan would be extinct in 30 years. Why? The reasons: 1. Traditional Japanese style wooden houses were becoming less popular 2. Prefabricated homes were increasingly becoming efficient and convenient 3. Carpenters were losing direct contact…
続きを読む≫
Our Tokyo Office has an Art Gallery featuring different artists every month. Why does a construction company have such a Gallery? Because art is part of life, and part of architecture. Or, architecture is part of art. Wondering through prized statues of Mr. Kawasaki, bold but detailed sculptures facilitates…
続きを読む≫
On a clear holiday, I set the flag in my garden. This holiday is a day when all 20 years old people gather back home and meet friends. Many of them wear Kimonos. My wife left home 3 O’clock in the morning to help 10 girls wear Kimonos. …
続きを読む≫
Reading the article on International New York Times, I was surprised. Why? http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/realestate/commercial/in-a-renewed-hotel-okura-japanese-historians-still-see-a-loss.html There is hardly any attention to this major renovation project in Japan. Why? From business perspective, it is natural for Okura to scrap the 50 years old building which was built in 1962, two years…
続きを読む≫
I am congratulating myself for the upcoming completion of four zodiac cycles this year. The Chinese figure for Monkey: 申 stands for a monkey climbing up and down the tree. Sign of growth and change. So how do we grow and change? “Set target and act. Without…
続きを読む≫