Please log in and check your service registration status.To cancel your subscription 1) === '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";");else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} 2025Daito Cacao delivers diverse chocolate products with its precise production techniques allowing it to find the perfect blend for its customers but in the case of Japanese firm Daito Cacao the company specializes in the B2B supply of an extensive range of chocolate for its customers to find the perfect fit As chocolate is often combined with an array of ingredients Daito Cacao understands the importance of providing variety so its clients can find the perfect flavor balance of ingredients and chocolate As company President Shigeyuki Takeuchi says: “For chocolate products to shine we really need to have a wide range of cacao ingredients and chocolate at our disposal We call this our Drawer of Variation.” Daito Cacao’s ability to control its production line is the key to its diverse product range and ability to react to its customers’ needs There are four factors affecting taste and aromas in chocolate: the origin of the cacao beans Being able to control and adjust all four of these factors gives Daito Cacao the ability to create an essentially unlimited number of aromas and tastes in its chocolate products the company is set to use the manufacturing techniques it has cultivated over its 100-year history to continue to provide distinctive safe and high-quality chocolate for years to come To hear more from President Shigeyuki Takeuchi of Daito Cacao, check out this interview with him Daito Cacao delivers diverse chocolate products industrial and financial news about global economies with a focus on understanding them from within Shares of Daito Trust Construction Co.,Ltd. (OTCMKTS:DIFTY - Get Free Report) dropped 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday The stock traded as low as $27.00 and last traded at $27.74 Approximately 14,379 shares were traded during mid-day trading an increase of 70% from the average daily volume of 8,479 shares The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.03 MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on.. currently has a Hold rating among analysts top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys View The Five Stocks Here Discover the 10 Best High-Yield Dividend Stocks for 2025 and secure reliable income in uncertain markets Download the report now to identify top dividend payers and avoid common yield traps Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information a real estate agency is turning to an artificial intelligence model to improve the selling skills of its young sales representatives rather than through human instruction refers to the autonomous dialogue system as the “AI manager,” given its passing on of sales know-how and assisting newly hired staff with their unique challenges Daito Trust Construction put the generative AI model in place at its 300 branches throughout Japan The system is anticipated to provide personal education and sales support for a total of 2,900 employees Sales representatives from Daito Trust Construction often call on potential clients without making an appointment Inexperienced staff members were thus engaged in role-playing sessions with senior employees and supervisors previously to learn how to adeptly respond to customers’ questions it became increasingly difficult for experienced officials to spare valuable time for this sort of training Another disadvantage of the traditional approach was that the content of the exercise varied from teacher to teacher The AI manager is specifically designed to train users for door-to-door visits Younger staff greet residents and promote services in front of the image of the visited home on the computer screen On inputting conversations by text or voice the dialogue system automatically produces responses The user and the model can smoothly converse with one another this way As the AI manager is equipped with the skills and techniques of veteran sales representatives trainees can receive consistent guidance nationwide repeatedly whenever they want The AI manager also evaluates users’ performance and recommends improved approaches Changes in clients’ impressions of and trust in the sales representatives are gauged based on their words and actions Going through all these processes on many occasions is believed to help staff significantly refine sales promotion skills trainees should seek advice from their supervisors in person at the same time Daito Trust Construction began considering the AI-driven framework in 2023 The company’s brainchild has since been completed at a cost of 550 million yen ($3.6 million) Daito Trust Construction foresees an increase of 800 contracts and a reduction of 61,120 work hours per month A 25-year-old male employee from the consultant sales division of the company’s Tachikawa branch in Tokyo gave the AI manager a try “It is very nice to be able to train on my own not taking valuable time away from my boss and senior staff,” he said The young representative noticed a range of benefits of the AI system “I do not need to concern myself with the teacher’s schedule in order to practice repeatedly and overcome my own weak points “It similarly provides a great opportunity for me to contemplate various sales scenarios.” Daito Trust plans job-premised university course in Indonesia Many light up at renting out apartment roofs for solar panels Used-goods firm says AI system 99% effective in detecting fakes Japan faces severe shortage of carpenters as home prices soar shares secrets to elevating strokes to an art form Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission The initiative aims to enhance environmental sustainability in maritime operations a subsidiary of Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” LINE) has announced lans to build an electric tugboat powered by a large-capacity lithium-ion battery Daito held a signing ceremony for a collaboration agreement with Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and Daizo Corporation to construct the electric vessel (EV) tugboat The EV tugboat will feature a high-capacity battery of 3.2MWh operating on green electricity charged into the battery This approach significantly reduces fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional tugboats equipped with heavy fuel oil engines The innovative hull design and automatic control of onboard power demands optimise energy consumption Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis The project is expected to result in around a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional tugboats This initiative is part of the Grant Programme for the Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Non-Fossil Energy Transition in the Transportation Sector a collaboration between the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land KHI will offer the control and propulsion systems and their integration for the tugboat with the tugboat providing towage services at Yokohama Port and Kawasaki Port and driving the development of carbon-neutral ports in both locations “K” LINE Group’s long-term environmental policy “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050 – Blue Seas for the Future establishes and operates the DRIVE GREEN NETWORK framework to promote environmental management aligning with its sustainable push,“K”LINE took delivery of its liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered car carrier from China Merchants Jinling Shipbuilding (Jiangsu) Nominations are now open for the prestigious Ship Technology Excellence Awards - one of the industry's most recognised programmes celebrating innovation This is your chance to showcase your achievements Don't miss the opportunity to be honoured among the best - submit your nomination today Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network An update from Daito Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ( (JP:4577) ) is now available reported a 5.6% increase in net sales for the nine months ending February 28 the company experienced a significant decline in profits with operating profit down by 39.8% and ordinary profit by 34.9% The financial results indicate challenges in maintaining profitability despite increased sales which may impact the company’s strategic positioning and stakeholder confidence is a company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange The company is involved in the development and distribution of pharmaceutical products focusing on providing healthcare solutions in the Japanese market Learn more about 4577 stock on TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page Disclaimer & Disclosure Report an Issue An update from Daito Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ( (JP:4577) ) is now available Disclaimer & Disclosure Report an Issue There is a line of expensive decadent businesses called 'Softland.' It is the place where Japan's oldest red light district Although it is legally operated under certain conditions it is also an area that cannot always be free from various social problems and criminal controversies due to its decadent nature there is more tension than before among business owners who use this street as a livelihood stage This is because the police crackdown on the recruitment of women working in businesses has increased leading to a series of arrests of business owners on charges of violating related laws The Mainichi Shimbun reported on the 15th that "there is such a sense of crisis among business owners that it is not strange when the police come." The Japanese police have strengthened their crackdown on Yoshiwara because many of the Scouts are committing organized criminal acts in the form of Tokuryu (トクリュウ) Tokuryu is a combination of the Japanese words for 'anonymous' (tokumei 匿) and 'yuyu' (ryu do) and means 'anonymous and fluid criminal form or organization' that has been prevailing in Japan recently Unlike existing criminal organizations such as Yakuza they are characterized by one-time reunions without fixed members It is known that many young people in their 20s and 30s are involved as they abuse the anonymity and liquidity of SNS which began to spread in Japan two to three years ago have far exceeded 10,000 people arrested across Japan in the past year until March due to police crackdowns When women who visit the host club fall under the so-called "malicious host" trick and owe a large amount of debt a Tokuryu broker recruits these women through SNS and introduces them to Softland Sopeland pays them a portion of the revenue in the name of brokerage expenses So the exploitative triangular structure of debt collection for the host and securing manpower for the softland is completed A never-before-seen form of criminal organization spreads like poisonous mushrooms and is becoming a hotbed of crimes such as intimidation and exploitation in connection with host clubs and sexual customs industries As it is not easy to detect crimes due to its anonymity and fluidity the Japanese police are trying to stop the spread of crimes by cracking down on SoFland the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department set up a special investigation headquarters to find out the actual situation of large Tokuryu mediation groups the Japanese government is considering amendments to related laws requiring telecommunications operators to preserve telecommunications history to identify alleged criminals behind anonymity about 60% of business owners in Yoshiwara have relied on brokers to recruit employees the possibility of brokers' involvement in crime has increased more than ever with the spread of Tokuryu crimes and as concerns grow that this may lead to no business at all employers are also cutting ties with brokers one by one "We recruit them through recruitment magazines or the Internet and that was actually natural," said an owner who has been running a business in Yoshiwara for 15 years "We were often introduced to 70-80% of our workforce." as the number of brokers involved in Tokuryu has increased recently We have notified all the vendors that we can no longer trade," he explained The biggest reason Yoshiwara business owners are breaking up with brokers is also fear of increasingly tight police crackdowns who is the chairman of the Tokyo Special Bathroom Violence Promotion Council said he received a strong warning from an executive of the National Police Agency in January to "break off relationships with brokers immediately." another reason is the burden of brokerage fees paid to brokers Brokerage fees usually require a permanent payment of 15% of the sales made by the woman to the broker "It was burdensome because there were cases where women asked for additional fees or received advisory fees depending on the number of times they came to work." "I once gave 5 million yen to a broker a month," he said "I received a receipt and handled it in the name of advertising expenses but I was also worried that the National Tax Service might take issue." It is possible to create an environment where employees can work for a long time," he said with more than half of the owners customarily dealing with brokers it remains to be seen how much this weight will fall and it is unlikely that all owners will be able to insulate themselves from brokers It can be said that the industrial origin of Sopland a public figure created in the early 17th century the Edo Shogunate designated certain areas as "遊廓" to officially manage and restrict prostitution Yoshihara enjoyed its heyday for about 100 years from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period but it has gradually declined since modernization with the enactment of the 'Anti-Fecundation Act' the official system of prostitution was abolished in Japan using the legal interpretation that "it is not illegal without sexual intercourse," a new type of business called 'トルコ風呂' has emerged with a flurry of protests from the Turkish government the current name "Sofland" has been used instead of Turkish soup Softland is not legally classified as a red light district softland is classified as a special bath under the "Speed Business Act" and the owner and employee are contractually required to "provide bath services." Apparently it is registered as a public bath facility so it is given a certain degree of legitimacy physical contact is allowed in the form of a bath service it is not illegal and has survived using Aungsik's "legal gray area." which had reached 230 stores by the mid-1990s and there are currently about 140 stores left It is now known that the establishment of new stores is virtually impossible due to administrative regulations The industry itself has entered a phase of reduction amid the possibility of involvement of anti-social groups such as organized crime and a tightening crackdown on illegal practices surrounding the recruitment of female employees which boasts the lowest women's rights in the developed world which has continued its reputation by squeezing the "legal gray area" while wearing the legal envelope is also facing an inflection point in the face of changes in the times Any practice seems in the right direction in that it can be a channel of exploitation and a cover-up of violence Yoshiwara is a space with 400 years of time from the Edo period and it is also a historic street that often appears in Japanese novels Yoshiwara is the most representative and symbolic background and material of "浮繪" which has been highly regarded both inside and outside Japan as a representative genre painting of the Edo period It is also used as the background of the recent NHK epic drama "Verabo" and it is said that the influx of tourists to the Yoshiwara area has actually increased thanks to the popularity of the drama the village hall has been renewed as a tourist information center with a motif of a bookshop in the play I don't mean to promote something in the future I want to change my business in a way that fits the times and still leave the spark of the street connected from Yoshiwara." ※If you press the press page '+subscription' below The weekly series [Korea-China-Japan Review] examines various issues related to Asia ※ This service is provided by machine translation tool A city near Osaka recently put out a call asking foreign residents in Japan to apply to play the role of a feudal warlord in a local festival The government of Daito in Osaka Prefecture said it is looking for someone to play the role of Miyoshi Nagayoshi a lord who governed the region and the island of Shikoku near the end of Japan's "Sengoku" warring states period The person would play the role in the western Japan city's samurai procession festival in March The offer comes as the area gears up for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka Applications are open to any foreign resident aged 18 or older who is willing to commit to participating in the March 1 parade The city said it will provide the successful candidate with traditional armor and other costume elements to wear Miyoshi was born in 1522 in what is now known as Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku He died at a castle located in Daito in 1564 Osaka Expo unveils tie-up goods with Hello Kitty, Sanrio characters Iran, Pakistan give up on building own pavilions for 2025 World Expo Osaka Expo pavilion cost may further increase by 7.7 billion yen To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible ‘ROOFLAG’ is the showroom of Daito Trust Construction a Japanese construction and real estate business The building consists of a column-free atrium a triangular roof using cross-laminated timber (CLT) beams of the largest cross-sectional size in Japan and a 4-storey reinforced concrete structure which houses a theatre room The shape of the building is simple but technically challenging to realise Arup was responsible for the structural design and site supervision Working closely with MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO we developed innovative solutions to realise this stunning structure. Arup developed innovative solutions to realise the eye-catching triangular roof made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and the column-free atrium for this showroom. The huge wooden triangular roof is supported by the roof of the 4-storey reinforced concrete section the thin mullioned columns of the glass façade along the front road and the steel columns in the side walls All of the horizontal seismic forces acting on the triangular roof are transmitted to the ground via the rigid reinforced concrete section thus allowing the creation of a transparent glass façade without the need to place any seismic elements on the street side. The northward sloping wooden triangular roof over the vast atrium is made of 128 pieces of CLT panels The maximum size of the CLT panels used is 270mm x 2,300mm x 12m almost the largest size that can be produced in Japan. The maximum span of the structure is approximately 30m in the short side direction we customised two types of connectors: shear connectors to transmit shear forces and lag screw bolts to transmit axial forces and bending The joint system is as rigid as the beam members while keeping the aesthetics of the roof. The northward sloping wooden triangular roof over the vast atrium is made of 128 pieces of CLT panels. The shape of the building was simple but technically challenging to realise. As this is a dense structure with huge 2,300mm CLT beams intersecting each other in three directions at each node it was key to determine the appropriate winning and losing positions of the members at each node We took into account the stresses on the beam members after completion and also the erection sequence and onsite joining methods. the designers and builders shared a 3D model and made a full scale mock-up to ensure the quality the assembly of the large CLT structure was completed as planned in just 54 days. 6th JAPAN WOOD DESIGN AWARD 2020 : Life style design  Project owner: Dato Trust Construction Co. / Key collaborator: Tokyu Construction Co. Design of monolithic timber roof structure spanning more than 30m over an atrium space using 2.3m deep CLT beams connected to each other by unexposed steel connectors Consideration of the complex sequence of the roof erection to make the structure work properly. Transparent glass façade supported by thin mullioned columns that also support the timber roof vertically If you'd like to speak to one of our property experts about any of the issues raised on this page or a potential collaboration then please get in touch by completing the form Caves like Hoshino Cave likely also exist in the deep sea ©JAMSTEC, www.jamstec.go.jp Targeting net sales of 10 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2027 and world-leading 1.5 million units managed worldwide AD Leave a rating/comment#Painting#Video and FilmBack to ArticlesSHARE Daito is set to order a battery-electric tugboat after securing a green loan from one of Japan’s largest ports Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) subsidiary Daito Corp has secured a green loan from a Japanese bank to build and operate an electric-powered tugboat to cut emissions from harbour operations Mizuho Bank has supplied the loan to Daito using the Port of Yokohama’s CNP sustainable finance framework established by the City of Yokohama for decarbonisation projects in the harbour Daito will operate the newbuild 33.4 m tugboat after its delivery The tug will be built with 3.2 MWh of battery capacity and an electric propulsion system providing a bollard pull of 48 tonnes and a maximum speed of 14 knots This 199-gt tug will have a beam of 9.6 m and a draught of 4 m for assisting vessels at quaysides and in shallow water in the Port of Yokohama Construction of the electric-powered tug is classified as a green project under “clean transportation” within the CNP framework and a letter of conformance for this green loan was obtained from classification society DNV Daizo Corp won the contract to build this electric powered tug in November 2024 through an agreement with Daito This vessel will have two azimuth thrusters at the stern Daito said at the time this tug would have a newly developed hull design and automatic control of onboard power demand to optimise energy consumption using internet-of-things technologies to monitor operations and manage power Daito is the first company to use this framework for financing a maritime asset and this is the first case in Japan of a private company utilising a use-of-proceeds specific framework developed by a municipality K Line sees this project as part of its plans “for integration of hull improvements electrification and new maneuvering equipment to achieve a transition to non-fossil energy and improve operational efficiency.” The Japanese shipping group estimates the adoption of lithium-ion batteries as a non-fossil energy source would achieve a CO2 emission reduction of around 60% K Line runs these projects under its Environmental Vision 2050 — Blue Seas for the Future strategy as it operates the Drive Green Network a framework to promote environmental management and advance efforts to support low-carbon and carbon-free operations Riviera’s TUGTECHNOLOGY ‘25 will be held in Antwerp, 22-23 May 2025. Click here for more information on this industry-leading event This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Japanese speech presentation by International Exchange Students was held at Higashimatsuyama campus 14 students made a speech in fluent Japanese about their experiences and impressions which they got through their lives in Japan some teachers and Japanese students attended All of them enjoyed the unique contents of each speech and were touched by their sincere words Recognized for its disclosure and initiatives based on its environmental vision Today's print edition Home Delivery Shibuya Ward's Daikanyama neighborhood came out on top of a livability survey by a rental housing operator that polled residents in Tokyo the results of which were released last week Daikanyama residents gave their neighborhood the highest points when responding to a question on how much they wanted to continue living there.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The survey ranked areas near train stations based on the responses of 20,393 men and women age 20 and older who live in Tokyo how much they wanted to continue living in their current neighborhood and how happy they were living there Respondents all live within a 15-minute walk from the respective train stations In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division On December 12th, Japanese speech presentation by Exchange Students was held at Higashimatsuyama campus 12 exchange students who would finish their Daito life and return to their home land in this winter made speech about their experiences and impressions about Japan in fluent Japanese. The audience enjoyed their presentation and was touched by their sincere words We wish them all the best for their future! is pleased to announce that Daito Corporation an electric vessel powered by a large-capacity lithium-ion battery Daito held a signing ceremony for a collaboration agreement regarding the construction of the EV tugboat with Kawasaki Heavy Industries This EV tugboat is equipped with a high-capacity battery of 3.2 MWh and operates using green electricity charged into the battery it significantly reduces fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional tugboats equipped with heavy fuel oil engines through the newly developed hull design and the automatic control of onboard power demands utilizing the latest IoT technologies enabling energy-efficient and high-performance operations of the vessel This results in approximately a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional tugboats This initiative are a part of the subsidized Grant Program for the Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Non-Fossil Energy Transition in the Transportation Sector (Innovative Navigation Efficiency and Transition to Non-Fossil Energy for Coastal Shipping) playing a significant role in the coastal shipping industry’s environmental initiatives The EV tugboat is being constructed at Daizo with the cooperation of KHI providing the control and propulsion systems and its integration and it will offer towage service for vessels at Yokohama Port and Kawasaki Port contributing to the development of carbon-neutral ports (CNP) in both locations “K” LINE Group’s long-term environmental policy “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050 -Blue Seas for the Future- establishes and operates the “DRIVE GREEN NETWORK” framework to promote environmental management reflecting its commitment to environmental conservation We will continue to advance efforts to support the decarbonization of society and contribute to enhancing the quality of life for people Top News,Events CSN is excited to announce the launch of a new high-level event that will be happening yearly ‘The 1st CSN Greece Shipping Debate’ Top News,Cyprus C.M.C.L Cyprus Marine Club Limited (CMC) hosted Members Get Together with a presentation from Mr Top News,Greece In the face of unpredictable provisioning costs and longer lead times MCTC has reinforced its commitment to supporting vessel… World,Word newsletter The British International Freight Association has launched a cargo community advisory body which will undertake a lot of the activity previously… Design & Development by P.KAN.DESIGNER Design & Development by P.KAN.DESIGNER National Report will start a university course in Indonesia starting in August 2025 to nurture future engineers and possible executives at the company while addressing labor shortages in the construction industry The company and the University of Singaperbangsa Karawang reached an agreement about opening the course at the Indonesian national university Around five students are expected to enroll The students in the program will be selected from among those who wish to work for Daito Trust Construction in Japan The graduates will be hired under the same conditions as full-time Japanese employees The company will teach the students Japanese language skills and other knowledge to gain Japanese national certifications needed to carry out and manage construction projects in Japan Local instructors at the university will provide lectures in Indonesia University credits will be awarded for the program A ceremony to sign the memorandum was held in Tokyo on Nov the company’s representative director and CEO said securing human resources is an urgent issue in the construction industry “This course offers technical lectures to students and it is based on an agreement of employment and this is a highly innovative plan,” he said at the ceremony “It will enable us to quickly secure human resources from overseas and operate in the long term.” the number of young workers is increasing year by year,” Suherman said “Many of them are looking for opportunities to work in foreign countries Daito Trust Construction also hired five students from a national technical university in Uzbekistan in September 2 universities in Tokyo that plan merger settle on new name New high school graduates in demand as job market heats up Tokio Marine to ask for employee consent before their transfer University offers Ukrainian class to those working with evacuees Korean course at high school on island nurtures self-reliance with the goal of securing capable human resources for employment in Japan in 2027 the International Center held the Japanese calligraphy “Shodo” Workshop for international exchange students at the Higashi-Matsuyama Campus and 9 students participated in 　“Shodo” is a kind of Japanese traditional culture and Daito Bunka University is famous for its Department of Calligraphy 　Under the expert guidance by an exchange student from Capital Normal University students practiced writing their favorite Kanji or Japanese word repeatedly All of them enjoyed and finally completed nice pieces Aims to secure capable human resources from abroad capable of playing important roles in its businesses from the start in response to restrictions adopted in 2024 on overtime work in the construction industry The strong Typhoon Ewiniar is expected to make its closest approach to Minami-Daito Island on Wednesday evening and Izu islands on Friday The Japan Meteorological Agency has been raising the alarm over storms and high waves please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent the typhoon had moved northeast at a speed of 15 kph from the southwest of Minami-Daito Island It has a central atmospheric pressure of 985 hPa and a maximum wind speed of 35 meters per second near its center It is expected to develop into an extratropical cyclone over the sea east of Japan by Saturday Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Amplify + Nike transform music into art for Air Max Day Nike released an entirely new Air Max silhouette – Air Max Pulse A shoe inspired by the sound of a new generation – engineered to help you move through the streets like you’re listening to that one song Nike needed a disruptive launch moment that would drive hype amongst Air Max fans immediately placing the iconic silhouette at the heart of the underground music and street culture scene It’s a day marked out in every sneaker head’s calendar Nike never fails to impress their hyper-critical fan base the fans have come to expect more and more What could Nike do to raise the bar yet again We turned to the underground music scene that inspired the silhouette Where style and attitudes are unapologetic unrelenting and loud to create a content-engine that would encapsulate the beating heart of the Air Max Pulse A larger than life and interactive Air Max Pulse art installation that was powered by 'The Pulse of London' an authentic location for the next-gen music scene we transformed underground sounds into generative art that interacted with a large-scale Air Max Pulse installation By tapping into the underground music scene we turned the London skyline into our own billboard to launch Nike's latest silhouette hosted by AI generative artist and VJ Daito Manabe the giant Air Max Pulse shoe was a OOH canvas waiting to be transformed the pulse from the music below became the art for the shoe The generative art interacted with the large-scale Air Max Pulse canvas Paired with Daito’s AI systems we manipulated sound into art which meant that when artists hit the mic the Air Max Pulse installation became a canvas for the pulse of London became a content engine that sparked a movement online being one of the most successful calendar moments yet Check out what happened behind the scenes at Air Max Day '23, courtesy of Complex magazine. ‘particles’ (2011) © Yamaguchi Center of Arts and Media Artists, programmers, DJs, designers, engineers—this duo expertly masters the codes and techniques of new medias. Presented for the first time in 2011 at the Yamaguchi Center of Arts and Media (YCAM) in Tokyo the installation particles (2011) brings the audience into a world of neo-kinetic participative art an esteemed recognition in the digital art world The installation is a live experience determined by choices made by the audience to guide LED balls in order to form drawings as they move When coming across the work at the Voyage festival in Nantes in 2012 art critic and curator Dominique Moulon highlighted the ‘immediacy of our relationship to the work adapted to multiple interpretations for those who wish to go beyond pure contemplation.’ While the work of the duo is unique for its technical dimension, there is also consistant attention paid to the interaction between the audience and the use of technology in order to offer new experiences. For example, Daito Manabe and Motoi Ishibashi also realised Music for the Deaf a performance where deaf dancers seem to evolve with the music thanks to tactile stimuli particles (2011), is an installation by Daito Manabe and Motoi Ishibashi and can be found on their website ‘particles’ (2011) © Yamaguchi Center of Arts and Media The Growing Popularity of Japanese Contemporary Artists in France Japan’s Contemporary Creative Scene Gathers in Paris an Avant-Garde Game Released on PlayStation Traditional tattoos were strong signifiers; murderers had head tattoos The series 'Hysteric Ten' by photographer Sawatari Hajime revisits one of the most sulphurous relationships in Japanese art Nagisa Oshima made Sada Abe the heroine of his film defying the codes of 'pinku eiga' that make men the focus of attention This rice soup seasoned with miso is served by a monk to Ashitaka one of the heroes in Hayao Miyazaki's film we interviewed its founder and chief representative Strong Typhoon Ewiniar moved northeastward at a slow speed east of the Philippines on Monday and is expected to pass near the area around the Daito Islands in Okinawa Prefecture from late afternoon to early evening on Wednesday The Japan Meteorological Agency is calling for caution as strong winds and high waves are predicted the central pressure was 985 hectopascals and the maximum wind speed was 35 meters per second near the center with the maximum instantaneous wind speed in the Daito Islands region expected to reach 50 meters per second on Wednesday The typhoon will likely bring torrential rain to the region around Okinawa’s main island and the Sakishima Islands on Tuesday and the agency said there is a risk of a heavy rain warning During the closing ceremony of the Rio De Janeiro Olympics in August 2016 dressed as Mario from the popular Nintendo series of video games made a surprise appearance at the flag handover This was followed by a live broadcast of performers in the Rio stadium overlaid with computer-generated images of the 33 events planned to be held at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics making for a performance the likes of which the world had never seen A photo of the AR performance from the Rio de Janeiro closing ceremony where Rhizomatiks combined elements of live performance with CG images of the 33 events to be held at the next Summer Games in Tokyo The team behind the AR production was Rhizomatiks and Manabe Daito tackles everything from software programming to hardware architecture and the artistic aspects that productions like these call for is the research and development branch of the organization Rhizomatiks has made itself known throughout the entertainment industry through its contributions to projects including the world’s first 360º virtual reality concert streamed in real time for the Icelandic singer Björk and performances by the Japanese techno-pop band Perfume which relied on Rhizomatics for the technical support necessary to coordinate lasers and drones Manabe also produces artwork on his own and has won awards at several international media art and advertising festivals “People sometimes ask how I keep my artistic endeavors and entertainment industry work walled off from each other there are certain projects that I’m only be able to achieve working solo as an artist But there are also projects that wouldn’t be feasible without the backing of corporations or public institutions And there are some things initially conceived as pure art projects that eventually come into common use all over the world five to ten years down the line One example of this would be games played on touch screens But media art that relies on little more than technological novelty is destined to be consumed quickly and to fall into obsolescence after that novelty has worn off.” and artificial intelligence are all drastically changing the way society functions and Manabe is eagerly applying these concepts to his own work One project that helped to propel him into the public eye was a series of works in which he affixed medical-use electrodes to his own face and electrically stimulated the facial muscles The videos of this experimental work that he uploaded to YouTube proved to be a turning point in his career Manabe Daito’s 2008 Electric Stimulus to Face—Test 4 “While I was at the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences I started experimenting with expressing myself through programming I wasn’t ever able to show off my work on any platforms that garnered significant attention from the public a limit to the audience you can reach by holding exhibitions and distributing DVDs—so for me people all over the world were talking about it in what seemed like minutes.” all of a sudden Manabe found himself getting offers for jobs and collaborative projects from all around the world developing new business fields really isn’t my goal here The reason I produce art is to shine a spotlight onto the possibilities and the dangers that new technology brings with it and to fuel discussions on those issues at a societal level.” brought Manabe’s experimental efforts into their close juxtaposition with mainstream entertainment today I helped out with a production that involved Fujimoto Takayuki of the artist collective Dumb Type a group known for performances melding video It was then that I invited the director and choreographer Mikiko with whom I’d wanted to collaborate for a while when Mikiko came to us and said: ‘For Perfume’s next gig I want to do something that uses technology.’” A photo of Perfume’s March 17 That idea eventually coalesced into Perfume’s 2010 Tokyo Dome performance which included balloons floating around the stage being shot down with lasers members of the group being scanned in 3D using industrial-grade cameras and projected during the show and numerous other technological displays that took fans completely by surprise News of the production quickly made its way to the ears of other cutting-edge creators causing quite a stir despite this community being one that typically showed little interest in the mainstream entertainment world “Since we were using new technology that had no precedent of being used in a live performance setting we had to run tests over and over to make sure it would function We couldn’t get this sort of work just by pitching our ideas to concert organizers But once we got a successful run under our belt then other outfits opened up to the idea of letting us do a show for them It’s our accumulation of small successes that has led us to these big productions.” It was in this fashion that Manabe’s works combining facets of media art with experimentation and the artist’s message one that needed to be physically experienced Manabe and company moved on to their next experiment again collaborating with Mikiko—this time working not with Perfume but with her female-only dance company ElevenPlay “One thing I tried was using sensors to pick up on dancers’ movements and then reproduce those movements with a flock of drones,” explains Manabe One experiment involved putting audience members in personal mobility units with VR headsets transporting them in between the realms of the real and the virtual—an experiment in combining visuals and sound “The experience I gained through that project helped me when it came time to put on the live performance for the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.” A photo of the collaborative performance by Rhizomatiks Research and ElevenPlay titled Border performed in February 2016 at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (© Muryō Honma; courtesy of Rhizomatiks Research) Given the international prestige of a global performance platform like the Olympics To try and bring any kind of live performance elements onto that stage carries with it an enormous risk But that is just what Manabe and his team did creating a performance that used augmented reality by sensing motions in real time combining that data with the choreography of dancers and flickering three-dimensional frames he would need a system architecture allowing extreme precision and detailed simulation “The performance for the Olympic closing ceremony was unprecedented,” says Manabe “After Prime Minister Abe took the stage we used AR visuals to show the thirty-three events that will be held at the Tokyo Olympics In order to really create the sense of atmosphere we needed Just pressing play on some CG videos that had already been created didn’t interest me This was an event that people all over the world were watching live and if the visuals themselves weren’t live It wasn’t simply about using new technology—I wanted to bring people the context of a live performance something that would really move their hearts and minds.” A scene from the flag handover ceremony promoting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the closing of the Rio de Janeiro games giving both Manabe and Rhizomatiks a jolt of global fame His works are also increasingly featured on television with each showing inspiring a wave of social media reactions that sometimes border on the bewildered: “That was amazing but I have no idea what it was that I just watched.” “I’m not surprised when I hear that kind of reaction,” laughs Manabe I’ve been pursuing the idea of making people unsure of where the line lies between reality and virtual reality What is really interesting to me is how people’s posts on social media outlets have shown their growing awareness of cutting-edge technology During NHK’s 2017 New Year’s Eve Kōhaku Uta Gassen music program they had lights in the windows of buildings in Shibuya dancing up and down like an equalizer to the tune of Perfume’s music Is this VR?’ They were taking photos and investigating it and posting about it all over social media It’s these kinds of things that I find interesting.” Though his work is steadily earning him public recognition Manabe has recently started to feel that he wants to get back to his guerrilla art roots again there are always budgetary restrictions on what you can do and there’s a trend away from truly adventurous pursuit of artistic expression China is the scene for true guerrilla-style artistic expression these days Chinese people aren’t shy when it comes to imitating past artwork I sometimes get offers from people in China stating ‘We tried to imitate your work but were unable to reproduce it which is why we would like to collaborate with you.’” [Laughs] “Still in terms of the amount of energy poured into new artistic expressions and the speed at which art gets created I think no one in Japan can rival the Chinese when it comes to this “there are European and American companies that are working to try and produce artistic expressions like ours—but with teams of several hundred people New technologies are being born one after the other This rapid pace of development is accompanied by a rise in the population of “digital artists” putting these latest trends to work in their creations What drives Manabe to keep innovating in the face of this increasingly fierce global competition “It’s probably my desire to create things that move people The kind of artistic expression that my team and I are after differs fundamentally from a technological demonstration When you’re just demonstrating your research results all you need to do is show off the specs of what your tech can do you need to think about how it can become a form of expression.” And it isn’t only about the latest technology “You don’t necessarily need to do something that’s difficult from a technical standpoint our 2010 piece Fade Out was created using lasers purchased from an online auction site for relatively low cost the most difficult part of the process is coming up with things that nobody would’ve thought of and then realizing them.” The 2010 work 405nm Laser Fade Out Test 2 (Manabe Daito and Ishibashi Motoi) Lasers are used to illuminate a screen coated in luminescent paint By carefully controlling the order in which the lasers are fired at each part of the screen and making use of the paint’s property of dimming over time the artists create an image that gradually grows in complexity and detail Manabe is also interested in the human body and has been taking dance lessons to learn more about the physical potential of humans He is also working on an experiment one might call “the ultimate guerrilla art piece.” “I’m excited to say that we’ve finally started experimenting with a concept that I’ve been interested in for a while now: running electricity through my brain,” explains the artist to halt activity in the language center of the neocortex and see what kind of effect that would have on speech At some point I think I’d like to install electronic microchips in my brain but I’ll never be able to find out what sorts of interesting possibilities that holds until I try it myself,” he laughs “My goal is to keep at my research and experimentation research so I can continue creating works that won’t lose their freshness no matter how much technology progresses.” (Originally published in Japanese on March 15 Reading"Daito Manabe’s latest..." 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POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Extra Search and delete and replace them with glitches and 3D textures Long-time Squarepusher collaborator Daito Manabe has created the video for the artist’s latest track Terminal Slam using live action footage of Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya as a canvas for chaotic The video is based on a film tour of the district showing its famous crossing as well as its busy streets and warren of underground tunnels and uses AI software to recognise and label everything in the footage particularly the people and advertising space then the AI appears to hack all the ad space mountainous 3D textures that pulsate violently from billboards and screens in time with the track This is all seen by the video’s protagonist who views the city through alternative reality glasses Manabe is one of the directors and founders of Rhizomatiks programmers and DJs who have collaborated with the likes of Björk as well as creating the Squarepusher x Z Machines project in 2013 and live visuals for the artist’s Shobaleader One set at Sonic Mania in 2017 Manabe says the Terminal Slam video imagines near-future Tokyo and how advertising might feature in that landscape a theme of many a dystopian cinematic vision “Squarepusher himself provided a lot of detailed feedback and adjusted the expression of the images,” Manabe says on the creative process “His creative commitment to glitches and interactions was enjoyed by the entire production team AI is used to automatically recognise people and they are deleted from reality or replaced by other advertisements it would be exciting to be able to rewrite ads as freely as is depicted in this music video while wearing such a device and wandering around the city.” the video was premiered on screens overlooking the Shibuya crossing Terminal Slam is featured on Squarepusher’s new album Be Up a Hello Daito Manabe: Terminal Slam for Squarepusher Further Infowww.daito.ws www.squarepusher.net www.warp.net Jenny Brewer Jenny is the online editor of It’s Nice That She was previously It’s Nice That’s news editor Get in touch with any big creative stories Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest About Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs © It’s Nice That 2024 · Nice Face Logo © It’s Nice That A shocking photograph of the artist’s grandfather in a newspaper triggered a deeply personal journey to unearth hidden family histories sees London and iconic grime history moments created in miniature and stellar cameos from some model train enthusiasts The most popular stories on It’s Nice That this year spanned topical long reads and projects that tackled tech in brilliant ways we’ve picked out some of our personal favourite stories from across the year Outside of our most-read articles for 2024 these were the projects that really resonated with us — so we wanted to give them a little more reading room Together With You’s latest typeface is as unpredictable as it is functional Winston Duke and Jesper Lindborg take on the most relevant topics currently surveying AI international community of creatives for a showcase of software The Barcelona-based artist is bringing back early internet aesthetics and 90’s web design making the digital landscapes of your RGB dreams the band’s singer-cum-drummer and kind-of creative director tell us what it was like to work with a Hollywood stunt skydiver and why they love YouTube so much give their top tips navigating everything from copying and AI to contracts and sharing work online platforms – and even an AI-infused service – are trying to help brands write better So will brand writers soon gain the prestige of brand designers Pivoting away from “algosorted” recommendations online celebrating the internet’s independent creators www.daito.ws www.squarepusher.net www.warp.net Arnaud Bresson – the creative behind the wonderfully confusing casting tape-style video – tells us about the work which had us all seeing double last month South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone the work stretches across the industry to deliver creative genius Many Nicer Tuesdays talks over the years have left us baffled – and more than a little jealous – as to how they pulled off such an amazing project The video for Terminal Slam uses an AI to automatically recognise people and adverts in live action footage About Contact Advertising Opportunities Newsletters Insights + Opinion Creatives + Projects Advice + Resources Culture + Lifestyle Nicer Tuesdays The View From... POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs the President of Daito Trust Construction Co. the largest company in Japan in the fields of construction Daito Trust Construction is headquartered in Tokyo and operates more than 100 local and overseas branches The company's annual turnover is approximately $11 billion Daito Trust Construction specializes in building construction and the construction of houses and bridges the possibilities of implementing joint projects in construction The focus was on introducing Japanese technologies and investing in construction and architectural projects in Uzbekistan as well as training highly qualified personnel in construction This includes enhancing their skills through internships and employment within the Japanese corporation Kei Takeuchi expressed readiness to support the introduction of Japanese seismic safety technologies and earthquake-resistant construction standards in Uzbekistan the Japanese side showed willingness to participate in building and structure construction projects in Uzbekistan They aim to establish cooperation with the Ministry of Construction and other interested organizations leveraging their extensive experience in construction and the development of seismic resistance technologies The activities of the "Transfer of Japanese Language and Technology" center established in April at the Tashkent State Technical University named after I created in collaboration with Daito Trust Construction Corporation supports the transfer of highly qualified personnel from Uzbekistan an agreement was reached to organize a visit of Daito Trust Construction Corporation's management to Uzbekistan internships and employment opportunities for 100 highly qualified Uzbek engineers in Japan were agreed upon Contact General Enquiries: crack@crackmagazine.net Advertising: advertising@crackmagazine.net Family CC co Ground Work Simple Things Plinth Good Measure The Christmas Steps Information Jobs Diversity Policy Privacy Policy Terms of service Cookie Notice Landmrk Data An independent platform for contemporary culture Design and build by Plinth 27.04.18 Words by: Vivian Yeung Pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with technology and music Manabe is a digital artist whose mode of self expression crosses into several different disciplines – he describes himself as a designer Manabe began programming before turning to DJing in his teens; later it was his interest in sound design that led him to his studies at the International Academy of Media Arts and Sciences in Japan where he met longtime collaborator Motoi Ishibashi Launching Rhizomatiks in 2006 – a collective of visual artists engineers and programmers – Ishibashi has worked alongside Manabe since 2015 as the co-director of Rhizomatiks Research the Tokyo-based artist can boast an impressive ouevre of collaborations with Björk Manabe expands on what’s understood to be a music video the multi-hyphenate has worked on large-scale commercial projects creating viral videos for titans such as Nike and immersive dance performances that have the otherworldly appearance of an alternative reality We catch up with the digital artist to discuss working with Björk and Ryuichi Sakamoto and how his groundbreaking work binds together sound and cutting-edge technology Read Crack Magazine’s list of 10 music video directors switching up the game. Work by these directors will be screened at the and& summit and festival’s A/V screening room and Oscar Hudson will be in conversation with Crack Magazine at the event, discussing the art form and its future. Find out more about and& here which has informed my present practice as a software engineer I predominately present my work in performative settings Although I often use light and moving images I’ve recently focused on an exploration of sound and the human body I entrust much of the advanced engineering to my team at Rhizomatiks Research while I orchestrate the front-end aspects of our projects can you remember connecting with any music videos Drop by The Pharcyde and Gantz Graf by Autechre What did you study at college and how did you end up working with musicians I studied mathematics in university but played in a band with jazz musicians on the side I also worked in a studio to learn more about mixing I never had a proper education in video imaging but rather became a VJ because it was an opportunity to use my training in linear algebra I have very little film experience apart from the real-time video imagery generated during my live performances Your work is often centred around “everyday materials” – could you elaborate on this at all I don’t like work that is too privileged or elitist I prefer to find new paths to innovation using simple materials and technologies Some people splurge on expensive equipment to make work that is more technological demo than art What were some of your early works in the field of music I backed East New York rappers such as Jeru the Damaja and Group Home I made a track and released a single with a guest appearance by the rapper Afu-Ra Would you describe your work as music videos at all as most of my work is conducted in one take and requires no editing Could you talk about the work you did for Björk and Jesse Kanda in 2015 They were saddled with technological challenges in terms of filming VR imagery and fortunately our team at Rhizomatiks Research (centred around Yuya Hanai) was able to step up and find solutions The project was an exceptionally special experience You have also collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto another hugely influential figure in music Tell us a little about working on Sensing Streams We ended up creating the piece after spring-boarding from a discussion of how to conceptualise our interest in information that is humanly imperceptible as well as the relationship between nature and mankind We conducted an immense amount of research before deciding on the final theme How do you feel about being described as a music video director I mostly work in a non-hierarchical environment wherein engineers and creative types join forces to create projects as an organic whole the entire team deserves equal billing on our projects The contemporary status quo often necessitates that a director takes centre stage but I personally wish that all the talented people who work on projects behind the scenes would get credit where it is due Words: Vivian Yeung Interview: Duncan Harrison As he gears up for a Milan Design Week collaboration with Stone Island Friendly Pressure founder Shivas Howard Brown talks formative sound system experiences and being part of a lineage of Black British music Copenhagen contemporaries Clarissa Connelly and Molina connect to discuss romanticism harmonic experiments and the future of Denmark’s thriving experimental music scene a series of artist-curated playlists from those in the know the understated Chicago trio are learning that sometimes it’s the most unassuming voices that cut through the noise Merging college-rock influences with allusions to Iraqi heritage and musical traditions Nabeel(نبيل)’s music is driven by both the preservation of culture and creating a new sound a series where DJs get granular with current tracks in their sets giving us the low-down on what makes them work Our Supporters really do power everything we do; as an independent media publication this community is vital to sustaining us Sign up and get a load of benefits in return including discounted festival and event tickets.