Oita Godo Newspaper (evening edition on March 20, 2009)

　Taketa city's "KUJU Flower Park" in Kuju town began the business of this season on the 20th. After getting over the circumstance such as withdrawal of the management support enterprise, the new company of "Flower Park" has been started with the same employees under President Ichiro Kudou's management. The employees welcome visitors with warm smiling faces.

　The early management support enterprise called JSB (Kyoto city) was repealed in the end of January. The customers and the employees of the mother company, "Flower Business Planning Company", decided to newly establish the flower park as a management support enterprise candidacy.

　At that time, the employees continued cultivating the flowers. Winter break of business has finished, then the opening was arranged to be this day. Inside the park, there will be the blooming viola of approximately 100,000 stumps for customers to see their beautiful white, yellow, and purple while taking a relaxing walk. "Finally, I am very glad that the flower park was possible to open" said an employee.

Comment: First of all, congratulations!!! for all employees that they did not give up after the revocation of the early business. I wish the new business of flower park will run smoothly hereafter and someday I will go visit there if I have a chance.

PUNTHUCHAT Siripun

Thailand

APS3, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University                                  

Oita Godo Newspaper (evening edition on March 20, 2009)

　Today, March 20, is remembered as the "vernal equinox"- one of 24 terms used to denote the changing of the seasons. It is the day when times of the noon and the night become equal, and the noon will be longer from now on.

　At Mr.Kawano Eishin (59)'s vinyl house in Hiraiwa town, Tsukumi city, Mrs.Kawano Kiyomi (56) has been already picking house-oranges before the beginning of April, the usually harvesting season. "The fuel cost which heats the house soars making us serious but we believe that we will be able to deliver tasty oranges to the entire country" said Mrs.Kawano.

　According to the local weather station, all around the prefecture is being covered with high atmospheric pressure, the minimum temperature is warm like the weather temperature in May. However, the rain is predicted at late night of March 21.

Comment: I always admire Japanese people that they try their best and are good at everything from the well-known technology to the thing like agriculture. I am looking forward to eat Kawano's delicious house-oranges!

(Oita Godo Newspaper, January 25th 2009, morning paper pg 17)

It was a birth of "New Business Man" to Trinita. In November 2008, Yamazaki Nabisco Cup was won by some students. It is normal for other J clubs to decorate and display their showcases. Within Oita, business people together with the sponsors actually devote themselves to primary schools.

The schedule of the championship is hectic. In 2008, they also held an even for fans to express their gratitude, and for the opening of the year 61 primary schools (January 16th to May 14th) traveled from one place to another, displaying their showcases. During the activities of getting some sponsrs, the primary school students go out from their houses at times for displays.

"The champion cup is everybody's" is the philosophy of the chairperson Mizohata Hiroshi, and there is freedom to express one's opinions. In 2007, Nabisco Champion, G Osaka said that "It's not impossible to win. At the front gate of clubhouse, we can decorate something beautiful and attractive". Immediately after winning, in Expo Memorial Hall, it is made known to sponsors, and security guards were ready.

　　Watanabe Hiroshi, Oita's person-in-charge of ticketing, "Even when it is placed in the office, it would be inside a plastic bag, whenever you bring outside, always be ready to defend it". Those children who often travel from one place to another and display showcases are miracles (Hatayu Kun=4 years old), "I seem to be Japan No.1" said Adachi Makoto, same age, with sparkles in the eyes.

Comment: It is good that Japan has 'sprouts' of young business men, who will be the future leaders in the nation, and who will improve the economy. If they would become innovative and entreprenerial at such young age, they would have a bright future and would be able to make contribution to the betterment of society.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama

APM 2 Year

(Oita Godo Newspaper, March 11th 2009, morning paper)

Kojima Michiro (21), a third year student from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University's Volleyball's Club was the first short-term student who participated in the sport business internship of "Hoshino Dream Project". As a voluntary interpreter there, he said that the Wise Outdoor is "a place to enliven the experiences that you've got sports, and this year's spring the business activities will start and I also want to participate in it".

In this project, one the previous professional baseball supervisors, Hoshino Senichi aspired to be a support for the young people with passion and enthusiasm. As a volunteer, Kojima was not only an interpreter but he also expressed interest in the contribution of the activities to the betterment of the area, and he also responsibly attended and took part in the development of the team. He applied in 2007, did the interview in April 2008 and managed to pass.

From the middle of June 2008, approximately one and half month, he was joined a professional baseball team in the United States of America. He participated in the activities in the Gift Shop and Ticket Counter.

"Although it is a small city, business was still operating. And the way they sold the ticket was different from that in Japan. The sponsor is a relatively normal shop near the baseball stadium. By reducing the ticket price by US$5 they increase the number of spectators, and by selling food and drinks at the foodstalls they increase their profits. It seems that all the people in the city were drawn into the businesses revolving the baseball match" He commented.

Oita's baseball team is already in the third year looking for sponsor but they still have not found a sponsor yet and. "If we work hard, we can find enough. I want to give them assistance", he said.

Comment: An experience to live abroad like what Kojima had experienced is indeed an eye-opening experience. He came back to Japan with the fresh perspectives and new understandings of things, and has decided to do something for the betterment of society. In his case, he would provide assistance to the baseball team in Oita, an area in which he has a passion and enthusiasm.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama

APM 2nd Year

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

(Oita Godo Newspaper, January 8th 2009, morning paper)

"Oita One Coin Hometown Products" Project is a project which utilizes special products from Oita Prefecture and sells the products at 500 yen each. They started to sell the products since January 8th 2009, and this project was started at Beppu Wan Service Area in Beppu City.

An exclusive corner is reserved for the 62 most excellent products each year. For the first three days until January 12th, the producers of the products were present as the Public Relations (PR) to directly offer the products and to let the customers have a taste of the products.

The products are also sold in Tokiwa at two floors of underground.

It can be seen in the picture above, that at Oita Automobile Beppu Wan Service Area (SA), a wide range of variety of "Oita One Coin Hometown Products" are sold at 500 yen each.

Comment: It is appropriate to sell these products at Beppu Wan Service Area, because usually it is a stop-over place for tourists and usually they are looking for 'Omiyage'. I'm looking forward to finding out the sales results of the products.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama

APM 2nd Year

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

(Oita Godo Newspaper, January 14th 2009, morning paper)

On January 15th to 18th, the Non-Profit Organization who is always doing activities to promote city-making, held an event under the theme "welfare" in the city, gathering many people from different fields of work and providing "crossover",  a place for them to share their experiences with the purpose to stimulate and energize the activities of city-making even more.

The NPOs such as "Beppu Hattou Trust", "Hattou Onpaku", "Self-Independent Center Oita", and "Beppu Project" participated in a cooperating national assembly to promote the re-making of Beppu City. They are all aiming for Beppu to be "a place where human talents can gather and be stimulated", "a place where the talented people can be scouted and educated for the purpose of city remaking", "a place where you can actually stay and enjoy".

During the period of the "crossover" event being held, talk even was organized to provide a "platform" and utilized it as a place to share ideas and experiences about city revival. For example, there is an opportunity to listen to people from Onpaku, an organization which is already spread all over the nation, and the people who pioneered the activities of city remaking, as well as to provide a place for the people to make networks.

Besides the Beppu Art Festival-The World of Mixed Bath, which started from April 2009, there are some arrangements of activities that were opened to public. From the artistic point of view, "ArtTourism" was proposed. And also, there was a workshop with the theme of "creating barrier-free toilet" for the physically challenged citizens, which was considered to be an advantage for the tourism in Beppu City.

Comment: The activities of city-remaking that are going on are indeed interesting because they are organized in small scales within each city and involve a lot of people, whereby each person can have a room to contribute. And this kind of gathering event is indeed helpful to provide a platform for people to meet and share experiences, so that they can enrich one another.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama

APM 2nd year

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

(Oita Godo Newspaper, February 7th 2009, morning paper page 1)

On February 6th, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan who is aware about the existence of historical buildings contributed by the process of modernization in Japan, announced "the Heritage of Industrial Modernization", recognizing five places, such as the two storehouses near Bungo Forest Station, Senkeikikanko or "the fan-type engine warehouse" and Tenshadai or "the turntable" in Kusu Town, and so on.

The Heritage of Industrial Modernization is a system to raise awareness of the buildings which were built between the end of Edo period to the beginning of Showa period. The pioneer was Sea Bream Kanayama in Hita City and there are 575 places all over Japan.

　This time, besides Senkeikikanko and Tenshadai,  in Oita Prefecture, the "Takegawara Hot Spring" and "Takegawara Wooden Arcade" (Beppu city), as well as "Mizunokojima Lighthouse" (Saiki City) were also chosen.

　Bungo Forest System Warehouse was utilized from 1934 to 1970. Having changed the direction of the locomotive and focusing on "the turntable" there is a system warehouse of the sector which accommodates 12. It only exists in Kyushu, and it is Japan's biggest one.

In Beppu City, "Takegawara Hot Spring" is the symbol of the existence of the Eight Hells of Beppu. The existing building which is constructed in 1938 has unique appearance such as the triangular roof in Chinese style roof. Takegawara Wooden Arcade with 70 meters of length was completely construbcted in 1921, and known as the oldest wooden arcade in Japan.

Bungo Waterwork's Mizunokojima Lighthouse first illuminated in 1904. It is famous nationwide as the second highest stone lighthouse.

Comment: In every prefecture, there are plenty of historical buildings and it would be very productive if those buildings are reopened to public and it might attract more tourists from all over the nation and even from overseas.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama

APM 2nd year

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University