direction arrows Akiya, Inbound Foreigners, and the Recovery of the Yen As has been well publicized, there are over 8.49MM akiya in Japan, so with the rate of renovations made so far, amounting to just over 1% of the vacant housing stock, this could be a HUGE opportunity. Terrie's Take Iya-Otoyo: One of the 3 Most Famous, Least Visited Places in Japan ... to add some miles to the week of riding, we'd take a left turn at Miyoshi and go down into a valley called Iya, in Tokushima. As it turns out, this was an amazing ride to an amazing part of the country. Terrie's Take
Bitcoin Trader How Japan’s Government is Embracing The Age of The Bitcoin When the mysterious figure of Satoshi Nakamoto first devised the Bitcoin and introduced the concept of the cryptocurrency to the world it’s unlikely that he (or she, or they) could have foreseen that in just eight years its value could be over US$11,000 per coin. Bitcoin coins photo Why Is Bitcoin Now So Popular in Japan? There is no doubt that Japan is one of the leading bitcoin nations right now. Indeed, on some days up to 60% of all the trades carried out on the planet originate here. So, what is it that has led to the virtual currency being so accepted here when other countries have been far slower in taking it up? Transferring Talent Transferring Talent Japan’s shrinking population is nothing new, and with one in three people set to be over 65 by 2025, it can’t be ignored. Simply put, the difficulty is in keeping the economy moving as the work force shrinks and the number of domestic consumers drops.

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Gambling Drives Macau’s Economy – But is it Time for Change?

If there is one phrase which describes the financial performance of the autonomous region of Macau, it is punching above its own weight. Thought to be home to just 600,000 people, the area remains in rude health with its economy expanding by 6.1 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2017 and growth across the first three-quarters of the year being recorded at 9.3 percent year-on-year in real terms.

Top 5 Green/Techie Trends for 2017

Started two years ago, I have been writing about future trends for the upcoming years. Last year, I wrote about the top 5 green trends for 2016 so I thought I would repeat the idea this year but I would throw a twist by mixing green with techie as it is what Fullcircle Innovations's newest site: Grendz.com is all about it.

The green revolution 2.0

As the world continues to dump down oil barrels prices, searching for new political collaborations and resources alternatives, shutting down nuclear plants (well, Japan still needs to learn from this one) and reinventing itself towards a greener path. We can finally sing along (paraphrasing Phill Collins): "I can feel it coming : green is in the air tonight, oh Lord And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, Oh Lord "

JMEC - Awakening the Genie, and e-Biz News from Japan

Fundamentally JMEC teaches volunteer participants how to take the first step in creating new businesses or fixing old ones - by doing deep-dive research and thereafter building credible business plans.

Three Ways to Control the Flood of Tourists in Kyoto

The media is thick with reports on problems caused by too many tourists in destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto, and also increasingly by the swarming of regional festivals.

Psychological Challenges of Being a New Mother in Japan, e-biz News from Japan

Although the government has a Minister in Charge of Support for Women's Empowerment and Child-Rearing, the reality is that having a baby is just as difficult now as it always was for aspiring career-minded mothers.

An Ugly Move by the FTC in the OTA Sector

It was rather shocking to read in the news last week that the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has raided the offices of Booking.com, Expedia, and Rakuten.

The Unlikely Survival of Print - Just Not for Media, e-biz News from Japan

As technology automates and sweeps over our lives, one sector in particular that has been hard hit and many have predicted will disappear all together is the printing industry - a sector worth about JPY1.36trn in Japan.