Challenge Your Imagination…
This is simply stunning.
“Tokyo in Timelapse”, an installment of a multi-continent photography endeavor by Holger Mette:
Read the full description of Mr. Mette’s Tokyo journey on his site, as well as his list of destinations in 2012.
As an aside, you can see my apartment in one of the scenes!
“Invest in China!”
If I were to sum up most of the business literature I see about one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, it is to open your wallets and throw your money into the return-generating machine known as China. And I do not dispute the justification by any means, but rather I offer a twist on the advice.
I just spent a little over a week in China for business and got to see the growth engine at work first-hand: Construction everywhere. Buildings, apartments, roads, bridges, highways… All under development in the rural and well-populated regions of the country alike. What was more striking, however, was the fact that the growth is far outpacing the infrastructure’s ability to keep up with the breakneck speed of growth.
I perceive a growing problem in China, and I have not seen much coverage of it: The country’s infrastructure is not equipped to support the pace of growth.
To be clear, I am defining infrastructure as the support services underpinning the broader economy, such as power utilities, internet connectivity, water and plumbing, access to transportation, etc.
I saw a large number of apartment complexes and buildings under construction like the above, but contrasted with what appeared to be little support for utilities like electricity or gas, or easy access to paved roads or local transportation. We were traveling on a rocky, sandy highway because this particular road to the airport was not yet paved, and there were few other viable routes. While mobile phone prevalence and usage rates are among the highest in the world, the ability to push mobile data and provide reliable phone coverage was hit or miss.
Why is infrastructure an issue? Won’t infrastructure catch up to support the new growth?
As a parallel, consider the issues among some of the high growth markets in Latin America, like Argentina and Brazil. Top line output – measured as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), for example – is growing at a significant rate, but access to services, like health care and efficient transportation, is lagging far behind. It creates a longer-term problem where economic returns and actual on-the-ground growth (with the appropriate infrastructure to support it) start to diverge.
A lack of infrastructure will eventually hinder future growth in China, as the economic system is not able to support further increases. It appears the same issue is happening in Africa and Indonesia as well.
The remedy is for the Chinese government to spend money at a brisk pace equal to that of private industry to try and keep up, pouring billions (or trillions?) of RMB into bridging the gaps. I have seen reports recently of China making such investments as the global economy slows and the country’s reliance on foreign investment growth decreases, forcing the attention to promoting growth within their own borders. Though it is unclear the breadth and depth of that flow of capital.
Next to the new apartment building being erected above was a person delivering goods to the construction site. You can see a bit of the road we were on, as well as the conditions around the area.
One of the things that has surprised me most here in Japan is how many varied cuisines and restaurants there are — from Italian to French to Indian to Korean to American (somewhat)… Of course you can get traditional Japanese fare, but it’s equally common to see a tapas or pizza restaurant next to a sushi house. This Wall Street Journal piece from the end of 2011 sums it all up nicely: Japan is taking over the culinary world.
I plan to sample as much of the cuisine as possible while living here. Yes, I am fully aware that I may gain several kilos in the process, but it’s a small price to pay for the opportunity to say “oishii” (“yummy/delicious”) at the end of a meal! I’ll count the walking to and from the train stations as part of the fitness program.
My recent adventures have uncovered some great local meals, including:
^^ This ramen noodle bowl at Maru-kin (my first ever, actually, as I have been vehemently opposed to those Maruchan brand packets of salted noodles my entire life), complete with scallions (green onions), kikurage mushrooms (that purple stuff on top), nori (seaweed), soft boiled eggs, and a delicious broth. It was quite amazing. What made it even better was the plate of gyoza and the pint of local brew to complement the meal.
^^ This traditional sashimi appetizer, which was rich in flavor and varied in textures. It barely even needed shoyu (soy sauce) or wasabi for flavoring.
^^ This over-and-above-the-call-of-duty mug of hot chocolate at a small cafe. What was translated simply as “hot chocolate” on the menu turned out to be a rich, creamy beverage topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, chopped nuts, and chocolate sauce. It was decadent.
I plan to continue exploring to find some of the more random and special dishes, but so far I have not been disappointed. Even the take-away meals at the grocery store are pretty tasty. I have been avoiding the typical American chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Applebee’s, and Outback, but will probably venture there at some point just to see how they compare to the US versions.
For those who know me well, you know that I like to find as many uses as possible for Heinz ketchup. You can imagine how thrilled I was to find this at the international grocery store:
I just have no idea what to put it on!
As part of my pre-arrival Japanese cultural training, the instructor was reinforcing the generally polite nature of the culture throughout Japan, as observed in the language, gestures, signals, and interactions between people of all statures. In just a few short days, I have already seen evidence of this in the most unsuspecting places:
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by these gestures, but in a city with the largest population in the world, I was expecting there to be some slip-ups here and there. I have been pleasantly proven incorrect!