Spencer Wolfe

Just about 4 years ago we saw fuel prices in Japan rise. It was an unnecessary rise but not caused by anything in Japan. It was caused by political leadership that came into office in the United States that had no clue of basic economics.

Rising fuel prices led to rising food prices (it costs more to get it to your table now) as well as overall transportation. What caused it? The new leadership (2020) in Washington DC decided that gas and oil companies in America were ‘evil’ and that they were going to do everything they could to make business life difficult for the American companies that currently fuel our lives. Therefore American oil production dropped and global supplies went down raising the costs of doing business even for us in Japan.

People are sometimes apathetic about voting. However this is a perfect example of how important it is to get competent people into political office.

The common problem globally for the last few years has been the same for people from many nations… challenged governments. Many politicians are self-serving, dictatorial, or even outright inexperienced in leadership. If you are living under a dictator, which much of our brothers and sisters around the world are doing, you’re stuck with whomever is leading your nation. However, if you have freedom and can vote in fair and free elections, then you have a voice.

Vote for people that will represent your values and vision for the future. In an ideal world, whomever you vote into office will be under term limits (not in office for more than 6 to 8 years).

Don’t forget to vote! Your nation needs you!

When our team was looking to build a new Tokyo sales office space, being on a street that was the center of a festival from the Edo period (1603 to about 1868) was not exactly on the list. To our pleasant surprise, Oct 19 and 20th of every year we have the Bettara-chi festival in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. I think we’ll just call it the “Odenmacho Matsuri“.

One website describes it-

The area’s proximity to the Edo Shogunate made it a thriving commercial district, and hotspot of circulation for a variety of crafts and products such as Kimono materials, seafood, and paper. (there is a paper merchant that still continues to be in business today!) Every year on October 20th, the “Ebisu “Assembly” – A merchant’s gathering to wish for good business and family safety – is held.

The original festival was only on October 20th, but the market that consistently emerged the day before, on the 19th to sell tools for the annual event, slowly merged with it to make a bigger festival. Somewhere along the way, pickled daikon radish — the Bettara-zuke — came to be sold at the street stalls, and gradually became the focus of the festival.