Category: Amagai Blog

During this visit, I had the opportunity to meet with 10 start-ups from Sri Lanka. Out of them, 9 had been shortlisted from about 70 companies through a document screening process for a contest that offers a chance to visit Japan and collaborate with Japanese enterprises. I participated in listening to their presentations and evaluating them. Firstly, what impressed me was the strong sense of patriotism evident in their presentations. Of course, they all want to be successful, but there was a prevalent message about realizing the potential of Sri Lanka and contributing to its growth, which I found admirable. However, I felt that many are not familiar with making

Continuing on with episodes from my jungle visit. ①Next, I was most surprised by a vanilla farm where we applied a ‘leech-repelling cream’. It’s located deep in the central region. While other parts of the jungle had narrow roads that just about allowed a single car to pass, here we had to leave the car towards the end and walk a few hundred meters to reach the destination. When told about the ‘leech-repelling cream’, I was so taken aback that I forgot to take a crucial photo. We applied a cream, similar in color and consistency to mentholatum, all around our shoe midsoles. Still, the brave soul (?) who accompanied

The primary purpose of our 1,200 km journey this time was to promote the main business of the tour leader’s company.Specifically, it was to advance the trade of specialty products from Sri Lanka’s primary industry. To achieve this, we visited places that produce high-quality specialty goods, leading us deep into the dense jungles. ① Our first jungle stop was in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka, where we visited a natural cinnamon cultivation and production facility. This additive-free Ceylon cinnamon is referred to as “Cinnamomum verum” scientifically and is believed to be one of the world’s oldest spices. The manufacturing process was truly an artform: we observed the stages of

Let me write a bit more about my impression of Sri Lankans. ① They are broad-minded not only about time but also in conversations with people. Generally, debates or discussions don’t become confrontational. Even if you complain strongly about something lacking in a hotel at first, they will bow down to you so much that you gradually stop feeling aggressive and just end up saying, “It’s okay this time, but please get it right next time.” In some countries, it’s common never to admit a mistake or apologize, but Sri Lanka is the complete opposite. ② I had heard that in Sri Lanka, women often take the forefront and shine;

Time seemed to flow slowly and leisurely. The journey felt like being constantly told, ‘There’s no need to be in such a hurry.’ It had the laid-back atmosphere I felt when I visited Okinawa. In hindsight, maybe the 4-hour flight delay on the way there was a foreshadowing? On this day, 7/22, there was supposed to be a 2nd-anniversary party for IS-san’s company, our tour leader for this trip, at our hotel in Colombo. We, the visitors from Japan, were supposed to join, but our expected 17:25 airport arrival ended up being around 21:00. Hence, we were only able to join the party just before the hotel’s reported end time.

In late July, I visited Sri Lanka for the first time in my life. From the beginning to the end, it was an exciting 6 nights and 8 days full of unexpected events. I will share some of those experiences over a few installments. Although the trip was for private summer vacation, there were several matters indirectly and potentially related to our company. This is a report based on my personal observations, so there might be some differences from official information and statistics. Please understand this in advance. During my stay, I barely spent time in what you’d call urban areas. Instead, I traveled 1200 km over 6 days, covering

Ayurveda is said to be the world’s oldest traditional longevity medicine with a history of 5,000 years. Those who become enamored with it often stay for extended periods, leisurely aiming for therapeutic recovery. In this sense, it might be a concept similar to Japan’s ‘hot spring cures.’ A senior colleague from my previous company, Mr. H, posted on social media that he and his wife indulged in it for a week in February. Unfortunately, our tour only had half a day, so it was a condensed experience, but it was still incredibly good! First, there was a consultation with a dedicated doctor, followed by blood pressure and pulse measurements, and

Every time there is a major earthquake around the world, we realize in some way that we, mofiria, are related to it. As I mentioned in a previous blog, during the Great East Japan Earthquake 12 years ago, we were just three months after we went independent from Sony which hit us hard. It was also a time when we reaffirmed that our vein authentication technology can contribute significantly to personal identification during disasters. One of the advantages of our mofiria vein authentication technology is that it can accurately identify individuals even if they are not conscious, don’t have their belongings, or are covered in debris. During the Kumamoto earthquake

Below is not intended to criticize anyone, so please do not misunderstand. I personally do not prefer a business phone call. Phone calls do not consider a receiver’s convenience and demand the receiver to handle it as the top priority. A phone call will not be transcribed without software, so it could lead to a discrepancy in mutual understanding, and it takes time to share information with co-workers. I do not prefer SMS as well as it is also inconvenient to share information. Other than email, we have so many options to communicate, such as SNS, and in those ways, it will be much easier and more efficient. Conversely, if