Random Talks

The man responsible for developing Bandai Co., Ltd.’s wildly popular capsule toys, Shimpei Takahashi, is in love with the idea of ideas. His most nota

Kumi Fujisawa is convinced that we can transform the world when we think, vocalize and act at the grassroots level. Getting people to realize the wort

Amanda Joy Ravenhill believes in the power of business to tackle social issues, most pressingly climate change. She is a professor at Presidio Graduat

Blind football is a universal sport that was originally conceived for the visually impaired, but can be taken part in by anyone through the use of an

Plastic doesn’t seem so fantastic these days—more an ecological nightmare that is overflowing our garbage dumps, accumulating in vast, drifting island

It is estimated that Johnson & Johnson have made an astounding 100 billion Band-Aids since they were invented in 1920. But where did the idea come

When Jesper Koll peers at Japan’s inner financial mechanisms, people line up to find out what he sees. Consistently ranked as one of the savviest Japa

Few Westerners have delved deeper into the Japanese consumer’s psyche than Bill Hall. Bill began researching the Japanese market in the early 1970s be

Corporations and governments regularly ask Chandran Nair how to do business the right way in Asia. Chandran—who built Asia’s top environmental consult

Batteries made from wood. Stone transformed into paper. Coffee turned in biochemicals to absorb odors and protect our skin from UV rays. Bioplastics a

Some geniuses really know how to have fun. Take Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Revered for conjuring up gaming masterpieces like Sega Rally Championship, Space Ch

Here’s an object lesson in quality vs. quantity: Despite Japan’s fervent obsession with overtime, it occupies the bottom rung of labor productivity am

Could you live in a world without music? Former DJ and record label owner Jakob Lusensky is dedicated to probing our thoughts on that bleak scenario.

Morinosuke Kawaguchi loves geeks. What’s more, he fashions solid notions for tweaking technology and other products from his close observations of Jap

An early advocate of mobile video and established expert in the field of digital media, Sandeep Casi worked for large corporations for the best part o

Nana Watanabe has a wide-angle lens on life. As a photographer, she has shot for iconic brands like Shiseido, Sony Music and Paris Vogue, and also exh