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Separate but equal? (Tokyo Metro)

Zettai Kareshi (絶対彼氏) / Absolute Boyfriend
Fuji TV Spring 2008 season

I find it strange that I like Zettai Kareshi so much. Although I love the romantic comedy genre of j-dramas (as opposed to the melodramas) in general, I can’t help but be reminded of the horrible conclusion that the title is everything that I am not. I’ve only seen the first few episodes since the summer started while stuck in airports and planes without in-flight entertainment, but here are some initial thoughts on the series:

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Selling the American dream? (Shibuya, Tokyo)

James Zumwalt, Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the State Department came to Columbia to give us an update on US-Japan relations, hosted by Robert Immerman-sensei at the Weatherhead Institute. He was speaking on the record, so it wasn’t really all that exciting, but there were a few gems I took away.

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(Ghibli Museum Mitaka, Tokyo) Whose children can best pilot the Japanese economic machine?

I attended a Weatherhead institute seminar on the ownership and board structure of Japanese family firms by Prof. Yupana Wiwattanakantang from Hitotsubashi University, hosted by b-school Center on Japanese Economy and Business director Hugh Patrick. I actually had the opportunity to visit Hitotsubashi while I was in Tokyo this winter, where I stayed with my friend and co-JFTC-winner Dyna in his Economics RA office. Prof. Yupana presented her a working paper on the performance of family firms in Japan, which I found quite fascinating.

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So it’s confirmed, I’m going to Tokyo, and they have posted the full text of the essay online if you care to read it. Although they liked my essay, they didn’t like it enough:

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My love of anime, combined with my interest in Japanese business, has finally paid off, and I might have the opportunity to visit Tokyo in January.

We would like to express our gratitude to you for submitting your essay to the JFTC Essay Competition 2007. After a strict screening of all the essays, we have selected your essay, “Gundamnomics: Transforming Corporate Japan for the Challenges of Global Capitalism” as a candidate for an award. The final result is scheduled to be announced on Friday, December 14, and the winners will be notified directly. The Awarding Ceremony and our New Year’s Reception will be held from 16:30 to 19:00 on January 9, 2008 at Hotel New Otani, Tokyo, Japan.

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I attended the Center for Japanese Economy and Business talk on comparative models of corporate governance by Todai professor Iwai Katsuhito, which I found pretty interesting, although for some reason my friends did not find the topic particularly compelling. I got there early to sit in front, and next to me was this oba-sama in an audrey hepburn hat laid her designer bags on a pink cloth, as if the floor of the classy business school lecture hall would soil them, and it looked like a little accessory tatami. I couldn’t help thinking that she epitomizes the Japanese economy - wealthy but aged by a lost decade, Western/modern yet culturally traditional. Anyway. I love business school talks since the food is always good, and sometimes, there’s an open bar.

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