• 2010.11.24 (Wed.) JC Journal – APRA Annual Meeting in Okinawa -1
• 2010.11.25 (Thu.) JC Journal – APRA Annual Meeting in Okinawa -2
• 2010.11.26 (Fri.) JC Journal – APRA Annual Meeting in Okinawa -3
• 2010.11.27 (Sat.) JC Journal – APRA Annual Meeting in Okinawa -4

Good Morning! Okinawa, Japan

25 members of APRA Taiwan flew to Okinawa, Japan this morning for the 15th APRA Annual Meeting.  The theme is “The Union of Humanism and Asian Expatriates”.

It took one and half hours from Taiwan Taoyuan Airport to Okinawa Naha Airport.  Then we started our visit in the afternoon.

The first place we visited was Shuri Castle.  Okinawa was independent Ryukyu
Kingdom and had a tributary relationship with the Chinese Empire of Ming in the 13th century. 

It claimed to be “a state of ceremonies” (People who live in the state are polite and cultured.)

A contradiction is concealed in human nature.  The self-abased behave
arrogantly.  The poor disguise their poverty; the rich take notice of their
morals.  People who always review themselves from others’ angles look for
trouble.  The more arrogant a person is, the more he feels inferior.  “Rich
man” sounds “Hao Ya Lang” in Taiwanese which means a man who is rich in good character and morals.

After dinner, we went to Xia Saloon to listen to stories and folk music.
The owner, Mr. Kenji ASATO, had served as a police man.  He is strong with
tattoos on his arms so looks like a malicious bandit.  Actually, he is so
kind.  Mr. Asato shared the philosophy of “fortitude” – “be
fortitudinous to what others can’t bear with.”  He also talked about his
travel to Taiwan four years ago; in the night market, Taiwanese gangs
mistook him for a Japanese gangster.  It sounded very interesting!  He was
also impressed by Taiwanese hospitality.  From today’s visit, I thought

May God bless us! Let’s create a world where people love each other, enjoy
life and keep improving!

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Good Morning! Okinawa, Japan

This morning we visited Mr. Keiichi INAMINE, President of Ryukyu Oil
Company, which reaches annual revenue of 60 billion yen and has 2000
employees.  Mr. Inamine was born in Dalian, China.  In the end of WWII, his
family was evacuated from the northeast China with the Japanese naval force,
and the warship was sunk by the American submarine.  His family drifted on
the sea and finally went ashore in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  His father was ill
and all family belongs were also sank.  Fortunately, they met a kind doctor
in Donggang, who was Ryukyuan emigrated to Taiwan, cured his father's
illness and took care of his family until they returned to Japan.  Thus, Mr.
Inamine has a sincere feeling to Taiwan.

During WWII, one fourth of Ryukyuan people died, so Ryukyuan people hate war
and advocate peace.  On the war monument, they engraved fellow nationals as
well as the dead enemy soldiers, equally treated.

In the afternoon, we visited Nuchi Masu sightseeing and salt manufacturing factory.
Mr. Takayasu Masakatsu, General Manager of the factory, introduced us the patent salt processes. 
They use the world’s first instant salt manufacturing technology under normal temperature, which can entirely retain
the sea minerals in the manufactured salt.

Okinawa is a village of long life in Japan.  According to the 2009 investigation report, there are about 1000 centenarians among a population of 1200 thousand in Okinawa.  It is said that typhoons bring the sea minerals to the land every year so the rice, fruits, vegetables they grow contain a great deal of microelement. Typhoons avail Okinawan people's longevity.

In addition to benefiting from typhoons, the sea salt containing enriched
microelement, especially “Nuchi Masu (salt of life), is also helpful to
health!

May God bless us! Let’s create a world where people love each other, enjoy
life and keep improving!

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Good Morning! Okinawa, Japan.

Today we participated in the 2nd Nippon Compatriot Association and the 9th HaLA (Happy Lift Alliance).  The members presented their touching stories.

Nippon Compatriot Association was established in Hong Kong in 2004.  The members are mainly Japanese over the world, especially Japanese
entrepreneurs, and aim to exchange business opportunities and establish friendship.
About 300 members joined this event.

HaLA is a private association established by a group of Japanese entrepreneurs and aims to increase employee satisfaction.

In today’s event, there were four Japanese and two Taiwanese companies presenting the touching stories about employees and customers.  This kind of touching story presentation by audio-visual media facilitates effective conveyance of company core value and business ethos in a short time.  It is worthy of our learning.

At the night banquet, Okinawan Eisa Taiko had a marvelous performance, which made me further understand Okinawan people.

1. The Taiko Group comprises students inelementary and middle schools,
colleges, and member of society.  They join this art performance combining dance and Chinese martial art for they are fond of drumming art.

2. They perform for enjoyment rather than for earnings.  Their concerted movement manifested their investing a lot of time and efforts in practice.
Their smiles showed their confidence in performance.  They danced, drummed, and yelled.  The quick drumming rhythm was filled with happiness; audience was intoxicated in their performance.

3. It is said that all Okinawan people love Eisa dance no wonder many Japanese singers come from Okinawa.  Dancing and singing from childhood, they are healthy physically and mentally, and also live a long life.

4.  In their yelling, “Ei-Ya-Sa-Ga” was repeated again and again.  I was not sure if it related to EISA.  But when hearing it over and over, I was touched by the performers and yelled “Ei-Ya-Sa-Ga” with them together.

May God bless us! Let’s create a world where people love each other, enjoy
life and keep improving!

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Good Morning! Okinawa, Japan.

This morning we visited Ms. Yoshie SHIGEMITSU, vice president of AJISEN RAMEN.  She told us the story of AJISEN RAMEN.

Her father, Koji SHIGEMITSU, was native to Meinong, Taiwan.  I guessed his surname is “Liu” since there was a Chinese character – “Liu” on Ms.
Shigemitsu’s business card.  Mr. Shigemitsu left Taiwan for Japan at 15.
He had owned an eating house that finally folded up.  His wife encouraged him to run a ramen (Japanese noodle) restaurant.  In 1968, he established a very small ramen restaurant that could only accommodate eight guests; today he owns over 500 branches in the world.

The first restaurant he owned was very small but he bore lofty ambition.
When establishing the ramen restaurant, he had three dreams:

1.  AJISEN (thousand flavors): Delicious ramen with thousand flavors will satisfy guests after they taste it.

2.　JISEN (thousand) – a unit before “ten thousand”.  He named “JISEN (thousand)” rather than “Wan (ten thousand)” since he reminded himself to advance humbly on “Wan (ten thousand)”.  Moreover, he wanted to look for one thousand partners (1000 branches).

3.　Be always grateful!  He went to Japan at 15 and supported by many people in the time of need, so he took 22nd every month as “Thanksgiving Day of AJISEN”.  On the day, they offer “thanks price” to guests and send noodles to some guests who are unable to get to the restaurant.  He chose 22nd to commemorate that they established the ramen restaurant together. “Husband and wife” sounds “Fu-Fu” that means to be thankful.

In the speech, Ms. Shigemitsu played a short film about his father’s whole
life.  She sobbed when she saw his father in the film and met a group of
people coming from her father’s hometown-Taiwan- in Ryukyu.  The members of
APRA Taiwan were also moved by his father’s story.

In the annual meeting, chairman (Mr. Sumida) told a true story about a
Japanese Shinkansen vending expert (reported by NHK) to encourage APRA’s
enterprisers who should review company core value – A proud team should be
established firmly.  And “touching business” should be regarded as added
value.  Don’t put the cart before the horse.  Business owners should review
their “business ethos” and make innovation.  Renew business as the Only
One that employees and customers rely on and glory in.

愿上天赐给我们力量 - 我们要创造一个有爱、富足、永恒的世界！

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