President Gachon 1. Mrs.YOYOKA

■President Gachon 1. YOYOKA

"President Gachoon" is a special program where we conduct surprise interviews with iU's top visiting professors.

https://bit.ly/3Ig2zuB

Let's start spelling out the letters as well.

The first person to attend this memorable event was the world-famous drummer YOYOKA, who was 12 years old at the time.

https://bit.ly/3VBYtQz

What made you start playing drums?

I started when I was about 18 months old. My parents were in a band, so our house was a studio, and there were various instruments and musicians came to play. Every time I crawled up to the drums and stared at them. My father saw that and thought maybe I wanted to try it, so he made me sit on the drum stool. I don't remember. By the time I was old enough to understand, I was playing.

◆Drum sheet music

I have drum sheet music, but I can't read it. People say it would be better if I could. That's fine, but I think there are grooves and sounds that can only be produced by not being able to read it.

◆Can you hit it when you hear the sound?

It depends on the song. Most songs can be played after listening to them 2-3 times, or 4-5 times if they are a little difficult. You can get a feel for the atmosphere.

I didn't train myself to be able to listen to sounds and convert them into drum playing, so it's probably something I picked up on as I continued doing it.

◆What kind of musician do you want to be?

I want to be an artist like Prince, not just a drummer, but also a musician, compose my own songs and lyrics, and do my own art and design.

◆What's fun about writing songs?

Phrases and the like just pop into my head. When they do, it's fun to think that I look cool playing them. Sometimes the whole song pops into my head, but more often than not, I just come up with a phrase, and then I have to think about how to combine them.

◆How is school?

Classes are boring. Going to school = going to people-watch.

◆ What would you like to do with iU ?

I want to teach students about groove and music, but I also want them to teach me.

What are you interested in right now?

As an artist, I am interested in paintings, art, and books. My favorite painter is Picasso. His paintings are so varied that I could look at them all day.

◆What do you want to do?

Songwriting. Songs of various genres. I want to try various things. Maybe I'll find something better than music. I want to look at various things.

★Postscript

For a female drummer who became world famous at the age of 12, Japanese schools are too cramped. After the interview, YOYOKA decided to emigrate to the United States and set off. I supported her a little. She continues to be a visiting professor at iU . The next time she comes back, it will be for a triumphant return to Japan!

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Chomoro! Chomorrow !

■Chomoro! Chomorrow !

"An interesting future just around the corner" Chomoro!

"Change Tomorrow" Chomorrow !

Pop & tech event @ Takeshiba, Tokyo Bay Area.

There were 90 contents and 30,000 visitors over two days.

thank you very much.

Robots, AI, IoT, 5G, anime, e-sports, comedy, J-POP.

We are creating a smart city, a tech and pop hub.

This is the unveiling event.

Finally, reality is back.

A fun Halloween is just around the corner, Chomohalo.

Chomorobo is an interesting robot that's just a little ahead of its time.

A city where robots work and live in harmony with humans.

A parade featuring nine robots, children, and comedians.

However, just doing this on the road requires a lot of coordination with the police, local communities, and so on.

Thank you to everyone involved.

Robot Town, the town where robots live, is also home to a large gathering of robots that were not able to take part in the parade.

We also held a "VR art performance" in which we submitted the works we created to NFT.

Workshop collections are also available.

Programming, crafting, performance.

The future created by children.

Real World Collectible Figures are back.

There will also be a digital picture book fair.

Works come from all over the world.

Let's create a digital picture book for the post-COVID era.

Next to Kimura Yuichi, who was giving a speech, NHK was exhibiting a Chico-chan disaster prevention corner.

Congratulations to Yabe Taro on the publication of the first volume of "Tona-san in the Dressing Room"!

KMD Forum @ Chomoro.

Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University.

This is an international graduate school that "creates" through design, technology, management, and policy.

KMD students exhibiting "world first" items.

A real-virtual escape game that travels between the metaverse and real space.

Players in the VR space of Takeshiba's digital twin and the real venue space work together to solve puzzles. An interesting worldview.

I think this would be for sale.

Of course, iU will also be participating.

Robots, streaming, femtech, regional development, MaaS , and more.

Creating an exciting future.

A joint research project between iU 's B Lab and the RIKEN AIP.

"Super School Song" Project.

A school song for everyone created by AI.

The demo version has arrived!

Some interesting e-sports in the near future include:

Takashi Fukunishi and Keisuke Tsuboi will also be participating.

thank you!

A bit of a funny comedy from a while ago.

The comedians who remained in the third round of the M1 preliminaries performed.

In the food area, Yoshimoto Cooking Club also provided "sustainable spring rolls" made with cricket powder and extract.

Welcome to Chomoro, CRAZY COCO!

See you next year.

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Longevity in Japanese Companies: The "S" in SDGs

 ■ Longevity in Japanese Companies: The "S" in SDGs

Research on long-lived companies has shown that over the past 40 years, family-run businesses generally perform better than non-family ones. Notably, the uniquely Japanese practice of adopting sons-in-law has proven to be an effective strategy, often resulting in better outcomes than in other family or non-family managed firms. In Kyoto's venerable merchant families, it's commonly said that having a daughter means gaining a good son-in-law.

Another hallmark is the emphasis on "the path."

More than just prospering in business, these companies prioritize a merchant's ethical path that values simplicity and frugality, often explicitly outlined in family teachings. Eighty percent of these long-standing companies have formal family mottos. Operating in a society with minimal religious influence, they have maintained a management style distinct from Western Christian-based philanthropy.

In contrast to Western business focus on profit, sales, shareholders, speed, and market share, these businesses prioritize customer first, core business focus, quality standards, and adherence to foundational principles. They also foster a strong sense of unity and familial ties with employees, symbiosis with the community, and support for cultural and artistic endeavors.

However, the research consistently points out that a spirit of enterprise and innovation are also crucial for longevity.

Organizations that have lasted more than a century have endured wars, occupations, regime changes, and disasters. They have developed resilience to survive major upheavals, such as pandemics and the digital revolution, epitomizing sustainability—the "S" in SDGs. Arguably, they provide a compelling counterpoint to the American model of a 30-year corporate lifespan.

Japan has a unique position to promote itself as a leader in producing companies that sustainably coexist with employees and their communities, showcasing this approach as an SDGs model. The strategy of nurturing long-lived, traditional companies could well be a valuable export of "Cool Japan" to the global stage, offering lessons in corporate longevity and sustainability.

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