Differences between Tokyo Disney Land and Orland Disney world

 Last week, I visited to 2 theme parks of Disney World in Orlando, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. I`ve seen and thought so many differences from Tokyo Disney Land, so I`d like to talk about it.

1. Size

Orlando one is literally "world". It has 4 theme parks and water parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon. In addition, it has a variety of official Disney hotels in the area. It`s too huge to walk through from a park to another one. So I had to use a bus to move to park to park. Tokyo one also has 2 theme parks and is big enough that people hang around, but you don`t have to use transportation to go to another theme park from a one where you are.

2. Live action movie area

Orlando one has specific areas that is based on live action movie which became one of Disney movies later in each theme parks. When it comes to parks that I visited, Hollywood Studios has Star Wars area, and Animal Kingdom has Avatar area. Both areas are made elaborately, so not only kids, but also even huge adult fans of those movies can be satisfied with quality. I was touched and excited as a one of movie fan. On the other hand, in Tokyo one, there are no sort of those kinds of areas. I mean there are attractions which is based on live action movies too, but they are just a part of a specific genre theme area. For instance, Star Wars attraction is located in the area which is called "Tomorrow Land". It is kind of future and science area but not "Star Wars" area. Instead of that, there are many specific Disney animation areas like Aladdin, Little Mermaid, beauty and beast, Toy Story and more new ones they are constructing now. I guess there are more animation movie demands for Japanese than the U.S.

3. Guests

I`ve seen a bunch of family group in Orlando one. Of course there are families in Tokyo one too but not as much as Orlando. Actually, when I told my coworkers that I would go to Disney World, she said that it`s been a while since she had been there with her family when she was child. However, in Tokyo one, you can see more young people and that they hang out with their partner or friends there. So I think there is different typical image for Disney parks each other country. In U.S., people think that Disney parks are for family more like for children, in contrast, in Japan, people think that it is for not only family but also for young people. This is just my conjecture.

I had fun with Disney World itself and also differences from Tokyo one. To be honest, no other Disney theme parks can be better than Disney World. It is original and the best. By the way, it was one of my bucket list, so I`m pleased it`s completed. Eventually, I`d like to go the other 2 more areas that I couldn`t make it.

Thank you for reading.

Business ideas!

Hello, 

I'm Keitaro. Today, I'd like to introduce my three business ideas! 

1. Picture Book Sharing Service

Parents often buy many picture books for their babies. However, as babies grow quickly, they stop reading picture books soon. In many cases, these books remain good enough to read. Considering the prices of picture books are not so low, how about giving these books to other new parents? I believe this approach is eco-friendly and good for education. Moreover, with the rising costs of raising children becoming a major concern, this service could save the cost. Of course, a part of the service's fee should be paid to the book's publisher.

2. Community Assistance Application for Apartment Residents

Helping our neighbors is very important for our society and personal happiness. I live in an apartment and I believe there's more we can do to support each other. For example, some residents may need small assistance in their daily lives like carrying heavy items, fixing computers and preparing dinner. Within an apartment or condominium, there could be many people who can and want to help these people.  Also, moving in the same building is easy because it isn't influenced by the weather. I'm thinking about making an application to match these individuals. 

3. Casual Sports Bar in Japan

Sports can be more enjoyable when watched with someone. The sports bar is one of the best places for watching. However, in Japan, the sports bar can little bit hard to enter. Of course, everyone is welcome. The issue is that some people feel so. Additionally, sports bars usually exist only in urban areas. So it isn't accessible for many people. I want to make a sports bar close to my home and I want to enjoy watching sports with people!

What do you think of my ideas? I hope to execute these ideas someday!

Thank you for reading!

Enjoy the Toronto International Film Festival even if you can't secure tickets!

 In preparation for next year, here are some tips on how to enjoy the fan zone without buying tickets at the Toronto International Film Festival. If you can't buy a ticket, you might also have a chance to meet celebrities!

① Four Theaters

At the International Film Festival, movies are primarily screened in five theaters:

1. Roy Thomson Hall (RTH)

2. Princess of Wales Theatre (POW)

3. Royal Alexandra Theatre (RA)

4. Toronto Bell Lightbox (TBLB)

5. Scotiabank Theatre (SCOTIA)

The fan zone is set up across the street from theaters 1 to 3. The abbreviations in parentheses are the official schedule abbreviations listed on the festival's website.

(In front of the Princess of Wales Theatre,

inside the silver fence at the very front of the fan zone)

② Controlled by Wristbands

To enter the fan zone, you'll need wristbands. Wristbands for the premium screenings of the day are distributed in front of RTH from 9 to 10 AM. You can request wristbands for specific movies or simply ask for all of them. 

(Note: Premium screenings are movies being premiered for the first time at the festival, typically attended by directors and lead actors for promotional purposes.)

(A bundle of wristbands)

③Fan Zone Entry 2 Hours Before the Movie

If you have a wristband, you can enter the fan zone 2 hours before the screening at each theater. If you want autographs and interactions, be sure to get to the very front. There will be lines to enter, so arrive about 3 hours in advance.

④ If You Couldn't Get Wristbands in the Morning

If you couldn't wake up early or had work preventing you from getting wristbands in the morning, there's still a chance! Arrive 1 hour before the screening at the fan zone, and if there's space available, you can enter.

⑤Celebrities Start Arriving About 40 Minutes Before

As the time gets closer, the street is blocked off, and limousines arrive. When celebrities arrive, call out to them enthusiastically. Celebrities often come to the opposite side of the street to interact with fans, but the fan zone is quite long. It depends on the celebrity where they choose to interact, so try to get their attention. Sometimes, you may only get an autograph or a selfie, so decide your priority in advance. Having a notebook and pen ready for autographs is also a good idea.

Unfortunately, I can't share photos of the actors and actresses online, so I share the picture of the autograph I really wanted, which was from Viggo Mortensen. (Viggo Mortensen is best known for his role as Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings." He's already 60 years old, but he's still fantastic. I became a fan in junior high school, and I never thought I'd get to see him in person!)

Other celebrities I got autographs from:

- Patricia Arquette

- Camilla Morrone

- Willem Dafoe

- Lee Byung-hun

- Park Seo-joon

- Park Ji-hu

- Finn Wolfhard

This year, the Toronto International Film Festival took place during a strike by the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood, which meant there weren't as many celebrities attending as usual. The list of celebrities usually attending in early September wasn't released this time, and the festival didn't seem as lively as in previous years. As a result, there were many available spots in the fan zone, even at the last minute. We hope for a more exciting festival next year.

There might be changes in the wristband distribution methods and timing for next year, but I hope you find this information useful!

HACK.BAR in Kobe

Hi everyone,

I'm Keitaro. This time, I'd like to introduce a unique bar in Kobe, HACK.BAR. In this bar, you can enjoy cocktails named after programming language and chat with software engineers!

Entrance

At the entrance, you'll find a selection of technical books about programming.

Inside

                                

The bartenders are also engineers and they can introduce you to their products and the source code displayed on the big monitor. They are high experts and very friendly. You can ask any questions If you are interested in!

The most intriguing part is their drink menu. The cocktail names are based on programming languages. You're sure to find something that interests you! Of course popular drinks are available as well.

Can you guess which drink I had?

The answer is.. Typescript! The color matches the language's logo color. Anyway, it was sweet and tasted great.

The bar is located at Sannomiya, the largest station in Kobe. If you visit Kobe and are interested in programming, I highly recommend this place!

Thank you for reading!😊

URL: https://hackbar.jp/

Nice to meet you!

Hello, everyone,

My name is Keitaro Hirano. I'm a web developer. I'm joining Tenatch as an intern and I'm very happy to be here! I was looking for an opportunity to gain interesting experiences and I found this internship program through Kobe engineer's community. I wanted to learn English and create helpful products with new programming languages. So this internship is perfect for me!

I live in Kobe now. It's a really nice city with mountains and ocean. I have two children and I go to the beach with them almost every weekend during summer. There is the second largest suspension bridge and I love this beautiful scene.

My children and me

Akashi bridge

Besides, I also love Canada. 10 years ago, I visited Toronto to see my girl friend. Nostalgic!lol Buildings and nature are so beautiful. Especially Canadian people are friendly and I don't know of any city with such diversity. I hope to visit the country again!

By the way, I love watching movies and playing soccer. I had never played soccer 2 years ago, but I joined a local soccer team's class and start playing!  Although it is challenging, I learned many useful lessons for my life! (Did you know that the word "soccer" is derived from "association", which hints as its social nature?)

Lastly, let me talk about my current job. I'm working in Japanese IT company and making a web marketing software, time scheduling application and mobile app. The company's office is in Tokyo, but I usually work from home remotely. I wish my experiences will be helpful for Tenatch's business. 

Ok, that's all. I'm so glad if we could talk a lot. So don't hesitate to talk to me or ask me any questions!

Thank you for your attention!

Team MAGIC @ Draper University Herothon

After the disappointing showing at Junction ASIA, an opportunity to atone for past sins immediately presented itself. Having heard a lot of good things about Draper University, I decided to enroll in the online Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship course to see what it was about. To go off on a tangent, I almost did not get accepted for the program. I was almost not able to do the 15-minute online screening interview, as I was experiencing technical difficulties with my microphone. Being badly shaken, fumbling through the first few questions, and the interviewer not being in a good mood, I somehow managed to find my composure, and finish the last 5 minutes of the interview strong. I got accepted into the program. I guess all the grilling we got from the mentors at FI🌱 does help build up startup muscle memory.

 

And wow, what an experience! It was a huge cohort of more than a hundred people. Most them were sponsored by government programs(in particular, in Central Asia and Africa), it was a really interesting to experience to see how entrepreneurship is transforming those regions. In the middle of the program, there was the Herothon(Draper University Hackathon), which they divided us into groups of 5. The theme of the Herothon was to create an app for ChatGPT. With the mistakes from Junction Asia still fresh in my mind, I settle quickly into focusing on what needs to be done. With another talented team for the weekend, of Nicole, Nurland, Andrea, and Bogdan, we managed to come up with Nicole AI

Nicole AI accelerates market validation through a ChatGPT-powered reasoning engine.

 

Nurland did a fantastic job creating the Android and iOS app, Andrea came up with the business model, and Bogdan came up with the idea to name the project "Nicole AI".  When it came to the Herothon presentation, it was plagued with network issues, as the slides were not changing on the screen during pitch. However, Nicole, a talented young pitcher from Calgary, pulled through, and despite the technical difficulties, her firm voice managed to convey our message. We came in 1st place🥇

It was a great result, and it helped me remember what it was like to work with a good team which could execute. Unfortunately, we did not get an investment for Nicole AI, as it is hard to keep the momentum going for a hackathon team. Everyone has different priorities(as we all had our own startups, ideas and/or school to pursue), and different paths to walk. Ultimately, as a closing act, we made an application to Y Combinator, to see if we could keep the ball rolling...🏀

All in all, Draper University was a great experience, and now we can call ourselves proud DraperU Alumni🎓

We pledge to fail, fail, & fail again until we succeed💪

We all became Heroes🪄🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️🤖🚀

CNE!!!!!

I went to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition)! Despite the presence of COVID-19, it seems that the event resumed its operations last year. The duration is from August 18th to September 4th.

I went with five of my college friends. The system for entry involved a $25 admission fee, but you also had to purchase tickets to use the rides, with each ride requiring around six tickets, on average.

To fully enjoy the event, we decided to buy the all-day ride pass (around $70) that includes admission. There was an early bird discount available until the day before the event, which would have cost us $45, but we missed that opportunity. However, one of my friends found a discount using a Presto card, so in the end, it was around $50. Presto cards offer various discounts, so I recommend checking them out if you plan to attend any events.

This is the URL for reference: PRESTO Perks | AuthentiGATE

This was my first time visiting a temporary amusement park, so I honestly didn't have high expectations for the rides. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how well-maintained and authentic they were. One of my friends even fainted after riding a roller coaster, which was quite amusing.

I enjoy thrill rides, so I had a great time, but I must admit that the rusty appearance and age of some of the coasters were a bit scary at times.

I think the most popular attraction was the gondola pictured here! 

It was much higher than I expected. The view is much more beautiful at night, so there was quite a long line once the sun went down. If you don't mind riding during the day, I recommend doing it earlier to avoid the crowd.

Inside the park, there were various shows and exhibitions. On the day I went, I had the opportunity to watch an ice dance show, a dog show, a fountain show, and a drone show. I heard that starting from tomorrow until the last day, there will be an airshow by the Canadian Air Force, so if you plan to visit during this time, be sure to check it out.

Well, when I checked the website again, I realized that I probably didn't even experience half of this event. It's so vast that you can't see everything in just one day!

I've heard that for Canadians, the end of CNE marks the end of summer. If you're considering whether or not to go, I highly recommend giving it a try. I heard that entering in the evening is even cheaper!

Team OASIS @ Junction Asia 2023

This past weekend, Team OASIS participated in the Junction Asia 2023 Hackathon, it was a great event, and we had a talented team, and it went something like this:

Day 1: What have we got?

Day 2: We got this!

Day 3: We got nothing.

So where did things go wrong? As an 'A' Team with a 'B' effort, we had our lunch eaten by less talented teams with better effort. We did not get our priorities straight, and that's just not good enough. Plenty of blame to go around and finger pointing, but as the CEO of the team, the bucket stops with me.

 

This competition was significant for me personally, as it marks my debut as an AI/ML Engineer, and I managed to complete and publish my first recommender system, and this will have an impact as Tenatch makes the transition to become an AI/ML startup.

 

But for Team OASIS, I wore the wrong hat, and we lost. We needed Steve Jobs, not Steve Wozniak. We talked about "working smart", and laughed at the Korean teams who stayed up all night throughout the hackathon, but our own questionable decision making, and inability to keep our own egos in check ultimately sunk the ship. The Koreans got the last laugh, and we reinforced the perception that Foreigners talk alot and but cannot deliver. And this stung me particularly hard, as it was a completely winnable competition, but we dropped the ball.

Sometimes, we can only learn by failing. And having gotten too used to winning, I slacked up, and had to learn the lessons the hard way. 

 

To be honest, I did not expect much from the event, but this competition turned out to be a microcosm of the Korean startup ecosystem, and I am grateful I could learn so much in a weekend. And the lessons learned will be invaluable for Tenatch, as we embark on our journey in the Land of the Morning Calm🇰🇷

As for Team OASIS...We'll be Back! We thank the organizers and teams we completed against, and the wonderful new friends we made along the way!

Looking forward Junction Asia 2024!!👾🚀

The truth about not finding a suitable partner

 This is an overview of the "Consciousness Survey on Countermeasures for a Declining Birthrate" conducted by the Japanese Government. When asked about the reasons why young unmarried individuals are not getting married, the following results were obtained:

According to the survey, the top reason for both men and women not getting married is "not finding a suitable partner." Based on this result, the city of Sanda in Hyogo Prefecture was planning to support young people in meeting each other and had invited ideas from the public (the recruitment period has now ended).

However, I don't think the reason for "not finding a suitable partner" is as straightforward as it sounds. In my opinion, Japan is currently facing a crisis of impoverishment, and it seems to be approaching a point of no return. Salaries have not increased, but prices have risen due to global circumstances. The yen has also depreciated. What was once known as the "Lost 20 Years" has now turned into the "Lost 30 Years" without any effective measures being taken. Furthermore, it appears that the Japanese government has no intention or ability to take a "realistic" way and is even suggesting further tax increases.

In such a situation, some young men and women at the age of marriage are burdened with student loan repayments and other financial challenges. What I have personally thought about and discussed with friends who have also reached the marriageable age is that, in such an uncertain future, people are hesitant to marry someone on the same level as themselves. Many men and women seem to think that they don't want to marry someone with a similar salary, education, skills, or their family's economic situation. They feel anxious about marrying someone unless that person earns more, has some special skills to cope with possible economic difficulties, or comes from a wealthy family. At least, they can't marry just for the sake of getting married. This is why the answer "not finding a suitable partner" is given in the survey.

However, as a truth, humans can only meet people within their social circles, and within those circles, there will be people of similar levels. No matter what kind of meeting opportunities are organized or how many people you meet on dating apps, in principle, you can only meet people of similar levels, and mutual understanding won't be possible. Haven't we been told this since 20 years ago, "If you want a good encounter, first improve yourself"? In other words, it's not an issue of meeting opportunities; it's a more fundamental problem. The government should have taken more proactive measures earlier. I don't think the plan in Sanda City, whatever it may be, will have a significant impact and lead to a fundamental solution.

On the other hand, I don't believe providing financial assistance to married couples would be of much help either. I have heard that in France if a couple has five children, they can receive enough subsidies to not work. If Japan could do something like that, it would be a different story, but in reality, marriage and child-rearing are economic activities that last for at least 30 to 40 years.

As for the future of Japan, I think the various solutions that could have been implemented 20 years ago are now too late. I don't believe the current politicians have any real intentions to do anything about it. I think Japan will continue to decline, and that's one of the reasons why I came to Canada. Although I love Japan as my hometown, I plan to return there because I wanted to gain various experiences in a society that is becoming increasingly stagnant.

I used to think it was truly a great country, and coming to Canada has made me feel even more strongly about how sad it is to see it end up like this. 

So, would you like to get married?

IN THE SKIN OF A LION

 Good evening!

Today I would like to share with you a book about Toronto. Unfortunately, I have not read it yet.

I always try to read books on paper and second hand as much as possible,  I will try to find an English version at BMW (a used book store in Toronto) Alternatively, I will go to a library.

ライオンの皮をまとって

マイケル・オンダーチェ　著

IN THE SKIN OF A LION

MICHAEL ONDAATJE

The author is a Canadian who was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Montreal, Canada at the age of 19. The story is set in 1930s Toronto,  a poetic description of urbanizing Toronto and the changes and dreams of immigrant workers. Surprisingly, it is being made into a movie. (I just found out about this)

Simon Beaufoy, Tom Harper, Robert Lantos to Adapt Michael Ondaatje's 'In the Skin of a Lion' Into Film (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/Czq43tqswj

— Variety (@Variety) May 19, 2022

The reason why I am interested in this book is that I currently have a part-time job in a store owned by a 70-year-old Canadian lady and she always says that Toronto has changed now and that she wants to leave and go back to her hometown (which is a much higher up city).

I am now interested in Toronto's background because I have heard that Toronto is famous for its diversity and was recently ranked 9th in the world's most livable cities, but I am beginning to wonder what it was like in the past and how it has changed. 

And it's almost time to vote for the mayor!

Is the book famous enough to be made into a movie? If you have read it, please let me know!

thank you for reading!

Haruka

 

Littile Tibet in Toronto

 Hello everyone. Today I would like to introduce Little Tibet in Toronto. You may have heard of Little Greek or Little Italy, but not many people have heard of Little Tibet. In fact, I had never heard of it either until recently.

Here is the location. It's located southeast of High Park, in the Parkdale area.

According to Wikipedia, about 3,000 Tibetans immigrated to Toronto between 1998 and 2008, making Toronto home to the largest Tibetan-Canadian community in North America.

 Also according to the 2006 census, more than half of the city's Tibetans live in Parkdale.

Would you like to go there? I would very much like to go. I am interested in Tibetan culture after my trip to Nepal. But, actually, I haven't had a day off since last Thursday, so I haven't been able to go yet😭

So here are two restaurants I would like to visit.

1.Tsampa Restaurant

1528 Queen Street West Toronto, ON 

This is the restaurant that was featured on the blog of the Japanese person who first introduced me to Little Tibet. They have Tibetan-style dumplings called momos, and there are 15 different kinds of them. I am also interested in the many menu items that are depicted as Nepali style.

2.Shangrila

1600 Queen Street West Toronto, ON 

This one was listed on a website that showcases Toronto. I loved the pictures of the interior. The five-colored flags are called "Tarcho" and they have pictures of sutras and Buddha images on them. Whenever these flags flutter in the wind, it is said to have the same effect as reading sutras. I saw many of them during my trip to Nepal.

(like this it is a picture I took)

Everyone in Toronto, you should not miss there. I can't wait to go myself...

Also, there is a 1997 American film about Tibet  "Seven Years in Tibet". It is based on a true story and is very interesting. I recomend you to watch this movie also

thank you for reading!

Haruka

FAN EXPO Canada

 Hi!

Finally, long winter season finished and temperature is getting warm, which means a lot of events will be held in Toronto more toward summer season! There will be a variety of events like film festival, music concert, summer party, culture event, and sort of those things. This time around, I want to share an event that I`m interested in. That is FAN EXPO Canada.

FAN EXPO Canada is the largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event in Canada and the third-largest Pop Culture event in North America. In the event, you can enjoy purchasing items of pop culture contents, seeing showcases, meeting people who has something in common, cosplay, shows, and so on.

The most attractive thing of the event for me is celebrity guests above all the others. Every year, some Hollywood celebrities come to this event. And you can take a picture with them or get autograph of them. In addition, if you are lucky or have enough time, you could have a chat with them a little bit. You must pay money for those things, instead of that, you can meet them 100%. As a one of big movie fans, this is great opportunity. You can see celebrities at Toronto Film Festival as well, but if you want to see them at there, you must have luck, guts and energy because it wouldn`t be confirmed and makes you wait for a couple of hours to succeed it (It doesn`t matter for me though). 

If you like any pop culture, it will have to be exciting experience, so you shouldn`t miss the opportunity. Every time, contents of the event, shops, celebrity guests are changed, so once you miss it, I would say that you can never see same things. And there are a couple of event-exclusive items. Furthermore, the event is like a huge community which people who has same interests each other, then their connection would expand through this event. Therefore, to not miss one-time stuffs and make connections, you better go there.

As I explained about the event above, it is festival for pop culture fans around the world. To put it another way, it is "otaku"(Japanese word) festival. So obviously, the main target audiences for the event is various otakus including me. Nowadays, the amount of those people are increasing, and they create a positive economic effect. I`m also probably going to join a part of them.

I hope you got interested in the event through this blog!

Details of the events

URL: https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpocanada/

Date: August 24 - 27, 2023

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Thank you for reading! 

Abura soba food truck business

Hi, 

I would like to share my business idea that I am confident will succeed in Toronto.

It is an Abura soba food truck.

If you are Japanese or individuals who have lived in Japan, you should be familiar with Abura soba.

Abura soba is a kind of Japanese ramen. Unlike traditional ramen, it does not contain a soup broth, instead, it is in a flavorful sauce and topped with various ingredients. It is so popular in Japan.

Abura Soba

Ramen has become famous in Toronto City since a lot of ramen shops can be seen, yet Abura soba is not well recognized. As an abura soba lover, I am eager to introduce this delightful dish to Torontonian.

One good advantage of selling abura soba is its low-cost price. Abura soba consists of only noodles, sauce, and various toppings. Soup, which costs the most is not necessary, making its selling price as low as 10 CAD, which is a very affordable option to customers' choice.

Why a food truck?

Considering the simplicity of cooking Abura soba, a food truck is a suitable option. Compared to a normal restaurant, a food truck business needs lower overhead costs. Eliminating rent is especially huge and the smaller space needs less management. It is great for a startup. 
A food truck can move in different areas to target busy areas, times, and events in order to maximize potential profit.

I believe that Abura soba has the possibility of becoming one of the most popular foods in Toronto. I heard that many foreign travelers have fallen in love with Abura soba in Japan. it indicates its appeal to diverse international customers. Moreover, my previous workplace serves a similar noodle to abura soba, and I realized that it was popular. From my experience, I am sure that this business will work out and Abura soba will be established as one food option in Toronto. 

Thank you for reading this article about my business idea.

I hope I will make it come true in the future.

See you.

 Hello everyone. Today I would like to share with you an idea for a startup company that I have been thinking about.

My idea was a business related to Japanese rice. More specifically, we operate an e-commerce site that sells rice to overseas customers.

I have grandparents in Akita, Japan. The situation is similar in all rural areas of Japan, but Akita Prefecture is also depopulated to the extent that it is said to disappear in 20 years, and young people are leaving for the cities.

Managing rice paddies is very difficult and many elderly people have abandoned their rice paddies. My grandparents abandoned their rice paddies about two years ago.

However, Akita rice is really delicious. When I lived alone in Yokohama, I used to eat the cheapest rice at the supermarket, but when I visited my grandmother's house, I was surprised at how different the rice tasted.

Also, Akita is a truly beautiful land, and there is really nothing. It takes me 15 minutes to drive to a convenience store, flying down a national highway. I love Tokyo and Kanagawa of course, but I love Akita where there is nothing. I do not at all want Akita to be like Tokyo, for example. It is perfect as it is. 

However, it is very painful to see Akita continue to decline. I think Akita needs a new form of industry.

Therefore, I wanted to set up a business to operate rice fields privately and sell rice to people overseas and people who are particular about rice.

However, there are several problems. The first is that the rice paddies are operated by "Tonari Gumi," a culture unique to the rural areas of Japan. Tonari Gumi" means a group. Several houses in a neighborhood get together to form a group to manage the rice paddies, and the group delivers rice to the JA. Each group leases farming equipment from the JA. There is also a water rights issue.

But now that I am in Toronto, I am beginning to think that even though it is difficult to produce and sell rice privately, it might be realistic to operate an e-commerce site for exporting rice overseas. Here in Toronto, there are many Japanese restaurants, and even if not, there are many restaurants that serve rice. However, I think that the rice is not very tasty lol

Additionally, nowadays there are sushi restaurants all over the world, and the quality is improving. I believe that demand for high-qualit-rice will increase in the future.

But even if you come up with something, you need to be able to execute it. I wish I could acquire that kind of ability in the near future...

Thank you for reading!

Haruka

Pop up movie theatre business

 Hi!

This time around, I`ll share a business idea that I`m interested in. It is Pop up movie theatre.

Conventional movie theatre is placed on an one location permanently like Cineplex. Opposite to that, pop up theatre is small theatre which is opened at various places temporarily. 

Unlike conventional theaters, relatively, it is available to cut costs of rental or constructing building to set up a small theatre.

Reference: https://openaircinema.blog/start-your-own-pop-up-cinema-business/

For example, it can be set up at vacant store which is located in regional city, and hold seasonal limited show based on a specific season, which would enhance effect of attracting customers.

In addition, it has potential that can entertain non-movie fans and make them get interested in movies. For instance, collaborating with local restaurant and play a movies related to the restaurant like cooking, Italian, French, Bollywood, sort of those movies, then, customers can enjoy meals with them. And it is able to serve a talk show or live event too.

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSxT80WXrxY

Of course, it can give movie fans great opportunities as well. In downtown, people can watch a variety of movies including independent movies and old movies. However, in regional city or countrysides, it`s a little bit difficult to watch those kind of movies, because huge movie theatre like Cineplex usually release latest movies which expect to obtain a lot of box office revenue. But, pup up theatre can play any movies anywhere. That can be mutual benefit for business and movie fans.

As a one of movie fans, I`m interested in this business and believe that it can open up new markets and customers, which can develop whole movie industry more.

Thank you for reading!