Is working long hours for a company a thing of the past in Japan? The answer is, not yet, but it seems that one by one, industries have started to reform various systems and expectations in an attempt to improve employees’ work-life balance. Qnoir...
Labor shortage is growing critical in Japanese agriculture. According to a report by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the aging issue of farmers and decline of new work force are becoming more serious each year. And labor shortage is...
Deciding to buy a house is no small decision to be made. It takes significant monetary commitment, and often years of debt to clear. For many, that is one of their ultimate goals in life. But there is an emerging trend that branches away from the...
Camping outdoors is always fun. But booking the camp site, preparing the necessary items for camping, let alone setting up the tent, requires a lot of hard work. By the end of the day, what was supposed to be a fun, relaxing time in the wilderness...
Mima City, located in Tokushima Prefecture, is known for Udatsu Townscape, which is a symbol of the city’s old days. The main characteristic of the buildings is the presence of “Udatsu,” extensions of the roof that served as protection from...
Ramen restaurant TowZen is located in Kyoto, in a quaint neighborhood just 10 minutes walk from the renowned Shimogawa Shrine. At the end of the cute entrance of greenery lays the entrance to the hidden ramen restaurant with a heartwarming decor...
Sharing economies don’t always get the kindest of spotlight. And can we blame it? What used to be a promise to disrupt wasteful consumption by building a network of trust within a community, is now a leverage for capitalism to do what it does best...
What does the term “Sharing Economy” mean to you? The term “sharing economy” often conjures up the examples of Uber and Airbnb. But these companies always seem to have something missing for me. In hindsight, these companies did not fulfil its...
In 2025, the baby boom generation will become elderly and Japan will be facing an aging society more dire than before. It is estimated that Japan will lack roughly 380,000 people to care for the elderly. With the declining population, it will no...
In December 2018, Marukawa Shoji, representative director of the Nature Innovation Group, launched an umbrella sharing service called iKasa. Just six months later, his company has received a capital input of 30 yen million as users and businesses...