GREATER NAGOYA INITIATIVE Monthly Newsletter Issue No.27 (Aug, 2008)
GREATER NAGOYA INITIATIVE Monthly Newsletter
Issue No.27 (Aug, 2008)
Issue No.27 (Aug, 2008)
Greater Nagoya Means Greater Business Opportunities
1. Report: GNI Mission to Vietnam and India (Jul 31 to Aug 6)
2. Report: FankfurtRhineMain’s Promotional Event in Greater Nagoya (Jul 15)
3. Event: International Trade Fair, MESSE NAGOYA 2008 (Sep. 11-14)
4. Entertainment: Gujo Odori Dance Festival – Summer Dance Festival in Greater Nagoya (Jul 12-Sep 6)
*Please contact Greater Nagoya Initiative Center (Ms. Sumi and Ms. Takagi) for further details on the above information.
1. Report: GNI Asia Mission to Vietnam and India (Jul 31 to Aug 6)
Greater Nagoya Initiative sent a delegation to Hanoi, Vietnam and New Delhi, India from July 31 to August 6 as a GNI Asia mission to introduce a Japanese national project, “Career Development Program for Foreign Students from Asia.” The delegation members consist of representatives from Toyota Motor Corporation, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Chubu bureau, Chubu Gas Company Ltd, and Chubu Productivity Center. This Asia mission took place with a view to attracting students to the Greater Nagoya region and explaining the details of the study program for students mostly of Hanoi University of Technology in Vietnam and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India. The program particularly targets the students who are majoring in Mechanical / Electrical Engineering and are interested in majoring in Automobile Engineering.
Kanji Kurioka, the commission member of GNI and senior Adviser to the Board, Toyota Motor Corporation gave a speech on the topic, “Introduction to the Greater Nagoya Area.” Tetsuo Noguchi, Director-General, Economic Policy Department, Chubu Bureau, Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry talked on “Outline of Greater Nagoya Initiative & Career Development Program for Foreign Students from Asia” and Takayoshi Mizutani, Executive Director of Nagoya Institute of Technology talked on “NIT and its International Graduate Program of Automobile Engineering” in respective countries.
Also guest speakers from both countries spoke on several topics. In Hanoi, Vu Hi Hong Minh, Doctor of Hanoi Law University spoke about what her experience as a foreign student in Nagoya was like. She stated that living in Greater Nagoya was convenient and safe, and facilitators in Nagoya University, where she studied in Law, provided good support. Complementing Ms. Minh, in New Delhi, India, Dr. Supratic Gupta, an assistant professor of Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
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| “Career Development Program for Foreign Students from Asia” seminar by Greater Nagoya Initiative – Asia Mission at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. |
, also talked how his 8 years’ living experiences in Greater Nagoya was great. He mentioned that learning speaking Japanese would just take about 6 months for Indian students. At the end of the seminars, a couple of questions were raised by students in respective countries. Questions were such as in which department in the university they could apply for the program, or if Nagoya Institute of Technology would provide any summer programs. Takayoshi Mizutani, Executive Director of Nagoya Institute of Technology said “The summer program has not been given so far, but it will be a good idea to establish those kinds of program.”
2. Report: FankfurtRhineMain’s Promotional Event in Greater Nagoya (Jul 15)
On July15, 2008, FrankfurtRhineMain GmbH held a seminar in Greater Nagoya to promote the Frankfurt Rhine Maine region (in Germany) and the investment opportunities to the region for the companies in Greater Nagoya. At the seminar, experts and professionals in different fields provided speeches. Mr. Hartmut Schwesinger, CEO and President FrankfurtRhineMain GmbH, gave an opening remarks, and Takeshi Kadota, Chief Representative in Japan of FrankfurtRhineMain GmbH talked on “Pole position of automotive industry.” Automotive Cluster RhineMainNeckar, an organization comprised of more than 350 automotive suppliers was introduced in the seminar, and according to the speaker of FRM, this business cluster facilitates cooperation and strengthens competitive capacity, as well as the region’s innovative power.
FRM and Greater Nagoya regions share a common industry structure. For example FRM is one of the largest in Europe and contains a concentration of the automotive industry while Greater Nagoya region is currently one of the most vibrant areas in Japan and it has clusters of automotive, aerospace, ceramic, or machinery industries, and more than 400 local and global companies within the Greater Nagoya area belongs in the organization’s Partner’s Club. The FrankfurtRhineMain GmbH is comprised of 24 cities, districts, and the chambers of commerce and industry in FRM region, and the region has “Frankfurt International Airport” with direct flights to many destinations in Europe and worldwide. In FRM, companies large to small, that specializes in different fields within the industry, such as design, manufacturing, service and logistics, work together creating leading-edge automotive products. GNI hopes that FRM and Greater Nagoya Initiative will continue to work closely for further economic development of both regions.
FrankfurtRhineMain Official Website: http://www.frm-united.com/9.html?&L=3&L=1
Automotive Cluster RhineMainNeckar Offical Website: http://www.automotive-cluster.org (German Only)
3. Event: International Trade Fair, MESSE NAGOYA 2008 (Sep 11-14)
International trade fair, “MESSE NAGOYA 2008,” will take place September 11 through, 14, 2008, at Port Messe Nagoya. With a focus on the environment and energy, MESSE NAGOYA, marking a third of its series this year, aims to create a gathering place in for small-and medium-sized enterprises to show and exchange their leading-edge products and technologies. By carrying on the philosophy of “Nature’s Wisdom”, the theme of the“2005 World Exposition, Aichi Japan,” Kanji Kurioka, a chairman of Messe Nagoya Executive Committee as well as a commission member of GNI makes effort to increase the recognition and great opportunities not only to local SMEs in the area, but also to global firms when he visits other countries. To both locals and global SMEs, many business opportunities will be found at this annual business event.
Greater Nagoya Initiative will have its own exhibition booth to attract Greater Nagoya region for business and industrial opportunities as well as its superb living environment. GNI will promote foreign direct investment and alliances between overseas and Japanese companies to people who stop by the booth.
Participating companies are shown on the official website: http://www.messenagoya.jp/english/index.html
4. Entertainment: Gujo Odori Dance Festival – Japanese Summer Dance in Greater Nagoya (Jul 12-Sep 6)
A small rural town of Gujo Hachiman in Greater Nagoya presents one of the most historical Japanese dance festivals called “Gujo Odori” dance festival. This dance festival has more than 400 years of history in Gujyo City, Gifu prefecture. The dance festival usually continues for 32 days straight on most of the nights from July 12 to September 6. Gujo Odori dance festival is well known and counted as one of the most important traditional dance event in the country. It was started by the lord of Gujo Hachiman Castle over 400 years ago to encourage all the town’s citizens to entertain local people and others regardless of their social position back then. The Gujo Odori dance festival has been designated as one of the Significant Intangible Cultural Folk Asset by the Japanese government.
Every year, the festival starts in mid-July and runs until the first weekend in September. But this festival is especially best known for the four nights of all-night dancing during the August bon period (Tetsuya Odori) with thousands of celebrators who want to dance all night long. Local people wearing Yukata (casual styled Kimono for summer) and Geta (a pair of wooden Japanese flip flops) make the festival more authentic and exciting. Making dance steps with the wooden flip flops creates jaunty and comfortable sounds, and the rhythms generated by more than a thousand of dancers increases the authentic atmosphere of traditional Gujo Odori. Any visitors who simply enjoy dancing are welcome and no costumes are required. The traditional dance styles are simple and slow, and each has its own dance music so there are ten different types of dance steps to learn. People with no experience can easily follow when they join at the festival, but if people want to master Gujo Odori celebrations, small dance lessons are available at no charge during daytime at 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 at both the Gujo Hachiman Kinenkan Tourist Centre and the Gujo Hachiman Hakurankan 1F.
Usually around evening, people quickly finish their work, and they are immediately leaving work. People shed their ties or high heels and don Yukata and Geta, and come to the dancing areas of their neighbors to dance for a couple of hours and switch their buttons of the festival. They enjoy dancing, but also enjoy drinking Japanese sake, chatting with friends, and having small snack at the food booths. Some people just come out to the area for watching people’s structured dance movement. This Japanese dance style is called Bon Odori, the dance style is common and mostly performed during summer season among Japanese.
Further details of Gujo Odori dance festival: http://www.gujohachiman.com/kanko/index_e.htm (Gujo Hachiman Kinenkan Tourist Centre Official HP)
Thank you so much for reading our e-newsletter, and sharing in our excitements for expansion of Greater Nagoya. All comments are welcomed! To subscribe, or unsubscribe, please email us at gninewsletter@greaternagoya.org
〔Issued by〕 Greater Nagoya Initiative Center（GNIC）
〔EMAIL〕 gninewsletter@greaternagoya.org
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