My Something Best of the Year 2008

TIME chose Obama as Person of the Year 2008 . I also choose my something of the year.

My Best Book of the Year 2008
Leadership on the Line: this book will help me on many situations.

My Best Food of the Year 2008
Saezuri: sushi of a slice of a tongue of whale. I ate it at Hyotan Sushi in Hakata .

My Event of the Year 2008
Best: My daughter entered into the primary school.
Worst: My wife was admitted to a hospital for two weeks.

My Best Travel of the Year 2008
1st: Hakata & Yoshinogari w/ my family
2nd: Okayama w/ my son by the sleeping car
3rd: Summer Camp w/ my Family

My Best Music of the Year 2008
Yu Aku: wrote many songs. 68 copies of his songs were sold for 40 years. He passed away last year. I listened his song a lot this year.

My Best Shopping of the Year 2008
Walking Bag: this bag has been very comfortable to commute on foot from Shirakanedai to Hamamatsu-cho every morning.

My Most Impressed News of the Year 2008
Financial Crisis
Obama was elected.
Four Japanese scientists won the Nobel Prize in Physics  & Chemistry.
There are many sad news, but I believe this year 2008 is the starting point for the new era.

CPA vs Special Investigation

A certified public accountant was arrested by the Tokyo Special Investigation Department as conspirators of the manipuration of the stock price of the CATS Incorporated.

This book was written by the CPA in the supreme court. The CPA is still pending in court. He was convicted at the first and second instance.

This author said how the judgement had been given if the jury system would have been started.

Japan Cool and Information Revolution

If you've worked for IT, you could want to read this book when you see this title. However, this book would not be worth to read as the Amazon rating. However, I agree with his main theme that Japan must extend the culture to do writing. Actually, many people have their own blog, and the Japanese animations are very popular in the world.

Sometimes an intellectual person gives up the Japanese hope to develop the popular software in the world. The Japanese doesn't fit to develop the foundation software, but the Japanese pop culture has extend to the world. We still focus on our goodness more.

Cherry Blossom in December?

I went to the Todoroki-Ryokuchi park with my daughter on foot today.
When we were back to home, my daugthher said it seemed cherry blossoms at the path. I doubted her, but I had to believe her on watching the blossoms closely. Do you think whether they are cherry blossoms or not? It's still on December!

LEADING PEOPLE

What is different from "managing" to "leading"? Many people say there are many managers but less leaders.
The real readers can communicate with convictive talking and writing. The real leaders can listen what people want to tell and read the essences. The real leaders can resolve conflicts and tensions. The real leaders can unite with different organizations. The real leaders can inspire for the common goal.

Leadership Skills
- Deciding the direction
- Inspiring to people
- Giving motivations

Management Skills
- Making plans and budgets
- Organizing and assigning
- Troubleshooting

MANAGING WITH POWER

What does the managing with power come from?
Jeffrey Pfeffer researched the sources from many kinds points of view. However, this book seems too many topics and details for me. This books is great as a a research paper but it is not good as a business book. However, if I faced on a hard time, I might take a book from a bookshelf as a reference.

The Halo Effect

This author addressed the reasons why business books made mistakes.

• Halo Effects: The successful companies seemed everything well when the books were being written.
  
• The reasons and their successes would be connected later. Nobodies had focused on the reasons.
  

It's true. I also think so. However, the business books are necessary. Almost all situations to their successes could not be matched with the current issues. However, If I understand the reasons, my options could contain the reasons.

I have to consider the reasons of their successes and adjust them to my issues. 

To Scale Everest at 75

Miura Yuichiro scaled Everest at 75. He is not oldest, but it's incredible. This book doesn't tell the scaling but also his adventures in his life.
I'm proud of going to the same university he went. I suppose the alumni would share the sense to challenge nobody haven't in the world. I want to challenge something until my death.

News


The Man Who Skied Down Everest, won the Academy award (Foreign Documentary film division) in 1976

Human Resources in Japanese Company for Beginners

There are many important tasks in Human Resources in companies, but there are large differences from HR in Japan and USA. HR in Japan has large rights to hire employees, but HR in USA is an administration section. Managers in USA has the right to hire employees. However, changing job has been more ordinary in Japan, too. Managers in Japan has had a part of the hiring rights.

It means HR becomes more difficult because HR has to adjust payments, promotions, training, welfare and so on for all kinds of employees.

Fujitsu Xmas Event

The Fujitsu Kawasaki Factory holds the Xmas Event every year. My family went to the event for the first time. There are many illuminated trees and lights at the factory's garden. My family enjoy the concert and free drinks & popcorns.
There was a very large screen on the wall of the factory building. On the slid show, there are many pictures by local kids. My daughter's friend was selected. It's so great picture!

IntelliSync: Success Story of a Japanese in Silicon Valley

Do you know the Puma Technology? It's not the famous shoes manufacture "PUMA". The Puma Technology developed the Intellisync of IrDA. Many handy digital equipments have the IrDA.

Masanari Arai was the Vice President in the Puma Technology. He had belonged to IBM Japan, he quited and go to Silicon Valley. That's great.

There are useful comparisons between Japanese minds and Silicon Valley's minds at the end of the book.

Silicon Valley prefers quickness, big pictures, dynamic movements and high risks, as you might know though you couldn't understand.

How Could Japan Softball Team Win in Beijing 2008?

You can understand how you can become No.1 soon after reading this book. It's only to work hard. In addition, you can also get how you should select team members, especially a competition for a short term.

When I watched the documentary to win in the Beijing 2008. I was impressed with the strong passions for winning. Their passions found out a weak point of the USA ace before the final. The Japan sent hits before the Japan could not at all. I was glad at the gold medal, but I remind it again that the team couldn't win in the world if the team would have a weak point.

"413 Throws for the Gold Medal"

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Shiodome Caretta Ocean Xmas 2008

The Shiodome Caretta is the most popular place of the year end event in Tokyo. The title is "Ocean Xmas". It's so beautiful!

Self-talk Management

When people use their self-talk, they usually become negative. You should rein the negative thoughts, and you have to change your mind to the positive thoughts.

This method might bring keeping cool and natural like Obama to me.

1. Reining my self-talk: controlling myself.
   
2. Understanding the reasons why I have to use self-talk: Leverage my and my counterpart's self-talk
   
3. Reducing to use my self-talk: Sharpening concentration
   
4. Throwing away my self-talk: Spiritual state of nothingness
   

The Master Yoda could only reach the stage of No.4. 

Public Bath

My kids got two free tickets for the public bath. My family tried to take a public bath. The fare is so expensive. it costs $5 for an adult, but the bath looks good. The public bath has four kinds of bathes. They are the medicated bath, the jacuzzi, the sauna and water bath, but the additional $2 is necessary to take the sauna...

Imai-Yu

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I remind to take a bath in Sapporo when I went to college. In Winter, my hair and towel were frozen after taking a bath, because the air temperature was only 15°F.
PIA: I preferred this public bath.

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My Son Won the Duck Race

My son won the 1st prize on the Duck Race of the local town year-end festival. My son has tried the race for 10 years! My son got the PSP game "Crank&Ratchet". My son also tried the competitive eating a cup noodle. My son lost it.

Start


Goal



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Improvimg Your English to Communicate Fluently

Many Japanese people tries to improve their scores on the TOEIC becasue their companies or schools recommend to take the TOEIC in order to measure their abilities to use their English. As you might know, the standard TOEIC doesn't have any checks to communicate in English. They've learnt English in order to improve their TOEIC scores. It looks to waste their many times.

This book tells to improve your speech abilities in your brain without the Japanese language. This author doesn't say that your English could be improved as far as you use Japanese in your brain. I agree with his opinion. He couldn't understand the CNN or movies though he could get the high score on TOEIC. He broke down the reasons. He reached an answer that he doesn't use Japanese in his speech area of his brain, and he uses English in his life as much as possible. I also agree, and I uses English as much as possible. I take English newspapers, news, dramas, documentaries and writing blog in English. My daughter learns English. I'm looking forward to talking with her in English at home.

TGV vs. Shinkansen

The bullet trains in Japan and France were built with the excellent high-technologies. I've got both trains TGV and Shinkansen. TGV was so fast. France built both fastest airplane "Concorde" and the train "TGV". France also has the great technologies, but I'm proud of the Japan technologies because Japan launched the Shinkansen about 40 years ago.

The Complete Guide to Option Pricing Formulas

If you're working for financial derivatives, you must buy this book. It's so convenient. In addition, the Excel VBA in the CD is also very convenient, you can get how the Greeks of some derivatives performs until the maturity with the 3-D graph easily.
However, this book is not for beginners. You have to learn the Black-Sholes Fomula before.

The Black-Scholes Model for Beginners

If you want to know how to solve the Black-Scholes Model, if you don't understand the model perfectly, you should read this book. If you can't still understand the model after reading, you might not have the ability of the math of the average high-school level.

However, you don't have to be afraid to read this book. it's so easy.

Top Managements of the Non-Japan Companies vol.2

I read the volume.1 two years ago. I recommend this vol.2 is better than vol.1 because I could understand what the top managements wanted to tell to other Japanese businessman. They told　"Working Hard", "Thinking Logically", "Learning and Studying Everywhere and Every time" and "Never Give Up!!".

Their words really impressed and inspired.

Railway Museum Guidebook

I've wanted to go to the new Railway Museum with my kids, but there would be so many people. If I went to the museum, I could play less equipments than I hoped. Especially, the train simulator and driving small trains are so crowded. I'll go there when my kid's school will be an extra-holiday.

Geisha Office

There is a old house in Shibaura. I read an article on this area. This old house was the Geisha Office (Kenban). I wanted to see the old house, and I went.

This house was built in 1928. Actually, the house exists on the air photo in 1947. This house has been survived during WWII and Japan Bubble Economy.

You can also see on Google Street View.

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IT Services in Japan

I didn't expect this book before reading. This author has worked for the IT Services companies in Japan. She really knows and research the IT Services Industory in Japan. If you want to know the indutorial situations and structures of IT Services in Japan, you should read this book or her reports. Enven if you're working or want to work for the IT Services, you must read this book.

Principles of Educating at Home

This book looks unuseful. I thought so. I imagined the book would address hard methods how we could keep. However, this book tells some important principles to educate. If you have some issues to educate, I recommend this book. I want parents to read this book.

The most important principles are only three items.

1. Greetings
   
2. Making a Reply Loudly
   
3. Setting Right Personal Items
   

They are not only for children.

Real Estate Agent for Biginners

The main income area of the company I'm working for is real estate. I tried to read the area's book, but it's be hard to read the book I've never experienced... I'll read some books on the real estate business in order to know the core area of my company more.

Anti-Mobster

This book explains the anti-mobster in our ordinary life. The traditional mobsters had been gone extinct by the anti-mobster laws. However, the newer, more upgrading and underground mobsters have been extended. There has been higher possibilities to be taken in on problems which are imvolved in the mobsters. Be careful...

Top Class Competitors

This author researched Japan and Asia business, their minds, the business environments. He compared the Anglo-Saxon business with the Asian business.The global competition has been severe year and year. I'm an IT guy, and I've competed against American, European, Indian and Chinese engineers. The IT guys have to learn the new technologies and skills which include in communications, design, managements for projects, human, problems and user's area.

However, many Japanese IT and white colors in the other area have been protected by the own language, because Japanese workers, managements and their customers can't understand English or other non-Japanese language. if non-Japanese companies want to extend their business in Japan, it was essential to understand Japanese language.

However, some Chinese and other Asian workers have already learnt Japanese or other languages. Some area has been occupied already. I suppose almost some IT guys, white color and managements in the Japanese companies would be occupied by non-Japanese people who can understand Japanese, English and one more other languages and have enough knowledge and skills in 2010's. How many are Japanese sure of this situations?

Non Woven Fabric

There are many items which are made from non woven fabric, such as midical, agricultural, interia and automobile materials. Non woven fabric has been essential goods in the modern life.

I could know the history and technologies of the non woven fabric from this book.

EBA

The evidence-based approach is important for my business. I'm working as a IT person. Sometimes IT people suggest IT System Plan without any evidences. I make a report with some evidences because I must let upper managements and users understand the report and agree with them, and then the evidence-based approach would bring some confidential to my report.

This book seems hard to read, but the postscript is very reasonable. The survey methods and the researcher should be more practical besides the lab inside. If you find this book in bookshops or libraries, please read the postscript. I recommend.

Spotbill & Heron

Many spot-billed ducks live at a stream new my home. I and my kids walked on the path along the stream. We could see many spot-billed ducks and a heron. It's fine but cold, but they're finding something to eat.

Writing Research Paper in English

Even if you've write some research papers in English, you should read this book. I suppose there would be large differences from writing research papers in Japanese to English. In addition, some Japanese translate idioms in Japanese into English directly. When non-Japanese people read the reports, they could confused, or they could not sure what the writer said.

If you have to write some English emails on your business, you should get on English idioms and writing manners.

Uzbekistan: International Understanding Seminar

 I took the International Understanding Seminar in English on Uzbekistan in the Kawasaki International Center today. There is the Great Silk Road in Uzbekistan. The pictures of the Islamic buildings on the slide show were so interested. The capital city "Toshkent" is larger than I though. The three metro lines are running.


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Risk & Crisis Managements

The risk & crisis managements are very common in the financial institutions. However, the managements could suspect  the effectiveness from this financial crisis. Some large global companies went to bankrupt or were merged, as you might know well..

The companies paid huge money for the risk and crisis managements, but it's not available. We might have to rebalance the costs for the risk and crisis managements. The financial instituions pays huge money. The authorities have forced the companies to build the risk managements. The costs have been paid by cilents finally. The cost the companies paid for the risks and crisis were not efficient at last. It's truth.

Competition with Asian Cities

Asian cities has been being grown year and year. Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo... There are many large cities in Asia. As you might understand easily, the most popular city in Asia has been Tokyo. However, Hong Kong and Singapore has caught up with Tokyo rapidly.

There would be two significant issues on this competition in Tokyo. The first issue is the Japan and local  government don't have enough compulsory executions to make city plans and execute the plan than Hong Kong and Singapore. On the other hand, individual properties in Tokyo are protected with the laws.

The other issue is of course that there are not enough people who can't understand non-Japanese language. It doesn't mean to understand only English, but also French, Spanish, Chinese and other language, too.

Performance After Changing Job

If you want to change your job, you could get some information what you should know something to change your job. I have changed my jobs four times. From my experiences, this book is not only for people who want to change their jobs. I recommend business persons who are not planning to change their jobs should read. You could get some essentioals to work.

Don't givie up important issues on your business.

You must resolve human troubles.

Running Meetings

Some people like meetings, but others people hate. Running good meeting for all attendees would be difficult because the meeting would be better for me but it would be worse for others.

This book wraps up how to arrange, run and finalize meetings though the contents are basic. However, it's hard to execute the basic actions naturally.

The rule of "8-18-1800" is intersting.

• If you want to decide something, the max number of attendees should be 8.
  
• If you want to hold a brain storming, the max number of attendees should be 18.
  
• If you want to inform something, the number of attendees should be 1800.
  

Running Meetings for Japanese

I've sometimes heard it'd be hard for Japanese people to have a good discussion, and there are many long meeting but less enough results in Japanese companies. However, I have not experienced so many bad meetings recently. I imagine people understand to waste time.

 Checkpoints for A Good Meeting

- Can you cancel this meeting?

- Can you merge this meeting with others?

- Can you find other ways besids this meeting?

- Can you reduce the frequency and kinds of meetings?

- Can you finish this meeting for shorter hours?

- Can you reduce the attendees and reports?

- Can you get rid of unnecessary attendees?

- Can you limit to speak?

Made 3000 Agreements with World Business Persons

This author told some negotiation styles, but His opinion seems stereotype. 

For example,

• An American business person tries to seize the initiative in the beginning.
  
• An Italian warms up the meeting with his/her cheeriness, and he/she tries to make agreements.
  
• A Spanish tries to know each other in the dinning room with good wines in the beginning.
  
• An Arabian tries to becaome a friend personally in the beginning. If not, The agreements is impossible.
• A Korean Make a copy, and arrange soon.
• A Chinesse checks out risks.
• A Juwish is patient and logical, and he/she attacks the counterpart's weak points.
• An Indian asks so much, and he/she attacks when the counterparts are tired.
• A French is selfish, he/she doesn't adjust with the counterparts.
• A German  refuses to be bowed.

There are many people who have their own personality or business style in the world that are independent on their nationality. 

However, his main three points are reasonable and efficient.

1. I must ask what I'm not sure.
   
2. I must have a good ear.
   
3. Any counterparts can't understand what I think without explaining.
   

Unit Head's Performance

This book shows what and how the unit head improve performance which the top manager expects. However, I think the member should not be a unit head if the member had not had the abilities to improve performance of the unit.

This author has consulted more than 2000 companies. It's so many. I imagine allmost all companies would be small or middle business. There might be less good human resources.