Welcome to the Japan Young Professionals Group (JYPG), a member organization of the Japan America Society of the State of Washington. Be sure to keep an eye on this space for more news and information on JYPG as we work to create opportunities for young professionals in the Puget Sound to connect with their like-minded interest in Japan and doing business in Japan.
We are pleased to announce that our next networking event will be held on Sept 21st at Kushi Bar. Please join us for an exciting night of delicious appetizers and interesting people.This is an excellent opportunity to meet and network with other young professionals who have an interest in Japan. Bring your meishi (business cards) and mix it up!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Kushibar"Japanese Street Food in Seattle" 2319 2nd Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Map
JAS Members $15/person
Non-members $20/person
Includes appetizers~Cash bar~
*REGISTRATION* Click here to Register
Registration Deadline: September 19, 2010
All registrations after Sept 19 are $20/person. Check or cash only at the door.
Our next social event is coming up! It's going to be the week of September 13th and we are going to pick a restaurant somewhere in downtown Seattle.
For those who have never been to our social event: Imagine a casual party of anywhere between 50 to 100 people, who share interests in business among Japan and US, who have passion in developing unique edge in the Seattle business scene, young and old, novice and veterans, gather and share fun night.
More details will be announced here once confirmed. Stay tuned.
“I like Americans, but they tend to be simple-minded,” he said during a speech in the capital, using a Japanese idiom that literally means ‘monocellular’. He also offered some back-handed praise for U.S. democracy: ”I don’t think (Americans) are very wise,” he said, “but I highly rate their ability to put their choices into practice.”
Well, one can argue what Ozawa really meant by the original Japanese word "Tan Sai Bo" which literally means mono-cellular. Nonetheless it is a tactless choice of word for a man who is challenging the prime minister of Japan. Such crude generalization can easily back fire.
Doesn't he look like a fish? Does that mean all Japanese look like fish? And of course, I like fish.
JYPG would like to thank all of those who attended our business event last Thursday, and we hope that everyone enjoyed talking with Lori Matsukawa, who shared wisdom in keeping the local community connected and exciting. What a great person she is - smart, amiable, down-to-earth, and energetic. Her positive energy was radiant that night.
We had an amazing turn out. Among the participants of nearly 50, some were visiting from Vancouver, or Japan even! The largest room of the former Japanese Language School (which in its heyday used to hold 1200 students, according to Lori) felt quite packed. There were other new faces and old faces, some I recognized from the last SAAM event. We hope everyone enjoyed the time.
Generous amount of wine and large obento from Kaname seemed to energize everyone pretty well.
JYPG is currently cooking ideas for next business event. If anyone has any request or an idea, please feel free to send us an e-mail or just simply write on this blog wall.
Hi all, Lori Matsukawa with King 5 News will speak about community outreach, service and mentorship tonight at one of the historic buildings in Seatttle, Japanese Cultural and Community Center, which Lori servers as the board president.
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2010 tonight!
Time: 6:30 Registration, dinner is served
7:00 Presentation
7:30 Q&A
8:00 Networking
8:30 Program concludes
Location: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW)
1414 South Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98144
Parking: Free street parking
Cost: $25 for JAS members and $35 for non-members
includes obento dinner, wine and various beverages. We accept cash payment at the entrance.
JYPG Business Event with Lori Matsukawa of KING 5 News
The Japan Young Professionals Group (JYPG) is excited to announce our second business event of the year. Ms. Lori Matsukawa will speak about community outreach, service and mentorship.
Please join us for an engaging night with a local celebrity. This is also an excellent opportunity to meet and network with other young professionals who have an interest in Japan.
Lori Matsukawa currently co-anchors KING 5 News weeknights on KONG TV 6 and KING 5. She started at KING 5 in 1983 as a reporter and co-anchor for "Top Story". Her previous work includes reporting, producing and/or anchoring at The Honolulu Advertiser, KRCR TV in California., KPTV in Oregon, and KOMO TV here in Seattle. Ms. Matsukawa has received a variety of professional and cultural awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian-American Journalists Association, being chosen as an Asian-American Living Pioneer by the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation, and induction into the UW Communication Department's Alumni Hall of Fame.
The city of Yokohama in Japan is planning to hold the annual APEC meeting in November this year, and for the key note speech,Hilary Clinton is on the list, plus Norika Fujiwara, the famous actress in Japan.
The key note speech is reportedly to feature an advance of Japanese women role in the Japanese society, and their target audience is female Japanese college student.
APEC eying on Japanese women? THAT is very interesting.
The Huffington Post published an interesting interview with Bryan Baird, who established Baird Beer in Numazu, Japan.
In the article, Bryan talks about his time in Seattle with Redhook Brewing company as an intern.
At JYPG, we often talk about taking Japanese concepts and adapting them to the American market to be successful. Bryan has done the opposite. He has taken the concept of microbrew and adapted that to the Japanese taste.
There was one point that really resonated with me in this article: Is it easier for a foreigner to introduce a revolutionary product like microbrewery beer to Japan?
Bryan thinks so. He thinks that in order to succeed, you really need "cultural, social and linguistic understanding, and who genuinely likes and respects Japan" on top of "passion, persistence, perseverance, integrity, and guts."
The Japan Times just recently published a great article on John and Taeko down at Sake Nomi in Pioneer Square. This is great coverage for all Japan-o-philes and a good example of Japan-related business in the US being successful.
Sake Nomi hosted our first JYPG business event. Check them out at http://www.sakenomi.us
Rakuten and Uniqlo have recently announced that they will make English their official in-house language by the end of 2012 as part of their effort to go global. All exec meetings will be conducted in English and eventually all internal documents will be written in English. (Nissan has been a lone pioneer in this area. Sony took a different approach but failed miserably.)
When the news broke in May, the Japanese general public freaked out. Execs who can’t write or speak English will be fired within two years! So cruel! Madness! Even though the initial shock has now passed, there are still many overwhelmingly negative voices on the internet about this bold move toward globalization.
I can’t help but feeling that those opposed to the idea view speaking English as an art form or something, and that such a mentality must be fueled by perfectionism and insularity, which are the national traits of Japanese. In many other Asian countries, like India and Singapore, English is either the official national or primary language. They have their own, local versions of English, and their thick accents or unique diction may get mocked from time to time, but so what? Communication power is what seals the deal in international trade. It’s only sane that Rakuten and Uniqlo take drastic measures to empower their corporate execs with world-standard communication skills.
It's about time that the stellar Japanese internet shopping service gets noticed worldwide, and hopefully, raises the bar of the global service industry – especially in Asia. No more delayed or erroneous deliveries to consumers. More bucks for visionary organizations. More jobs for English teachers in Japan. Cheers!
MES, Inc.
DWS Recruiting
Dorothy Earp
Mayumi Nakamura
We are pleased to announce that our next networking event will be held on Sept 21st at Kushi Bar. Please join us for an exciting night of delicious appetizers and interesting people.This is an excellent opportunity to meet and network with other young professionals who have an interest in Japan. Bring your meishi (business cards) and mix it up!
The city of Yokohama in Japan is planning to hold the annual APEC meeting in November this year, and for the key note speech,Hilary Clinton is on the list, plus Norika Fujiwara, the famous actress in Japan. 
