Hello, this is Kubo. Today I'll be talking about China. It's a neighboring country and is experiencing remarkable economic growth, so it's a big presence for us. However, I'll save the business talk for another time, and today I'll share my thoughts on it. Please keep in mind that this is based solely on my own experiences.
The first time I went to China was in the mid-1980s, when I was in high school. My grandfather loved to travel, so we went on a family trip together, with three generations of my family. What I saw there was a "deep rural" atmosphere that is hard to imagine compared to what it is today. Even in the capital, Beijing, there were only bicycles in front of Tiananmen Square. Cars were barely passing by. At the time, I never imagined that the country would grow to the extent that it has today.
The city in 2018
A long time later, in 2011, several years after I returned to Japan from New York, I visited China for the second time. I was invited to an event held by a select shop in Beijing that had purchased a lot of "yoshiokubo" products. It was a four-day, three-night trip. I was also accompanied by two other designers who had been invited: Udo (Kouji) from " factotum " and Hirokawa (Tamae) from " somata ."
Chinese crew at the time
After the event, I was taken to the Great Wall for sightseeing, and although it's normal to walk up the wall, the driver took me as far as the car could go. The driver got out, took off his striped polo shirt and handed it to a security guard-like figure, which made me wonder what he was doing, but thinking back, I guess it was a bribe. It was thanks to that that he was able to get me through to places that cars couldn't go through.
The night before I returned to Japan, I was entertained, and when I got back to my hotel room, there were about 10 bottles of whiskey lined up, and we had to roll dice to take turns drinking them, which was a crazy drinking tactic. China was also at the height of its economy, so the atmosphere was truly that of a bubble. It was like something out of a TV drama.
View from the hotel
Because of that, I ended up oversleeping the next morning and nearly missing my flight. Another day I went to a massage parlor, which costs about 6,000 yen, which is quite expensive locally, and ended up having the skin scraped off my heels, which is a bitter memory. Anyway, China had changed a lot since my first visit, and I remember feeling the momentum of the country.
Since my first visit, I have been visiting China about every 10 years, and I have personally experienced China's incredible growth speed (it goes without saying), which I think is incomparable to Japan. This applies to the speed at which digital technology is being implemented in society, as well as infrastructure such as buildings. Japan is completely behind.
Over the two years from 2017, I spent a total of about 120 days in Shanghai on business with a Chinese company. For more details, please read my blog post about Kono (Kubo Yoshio is a bundle of energy), but it was quite an experience.
Many people have said many different things about China, so I would like to share my own thoughts. Speaking from my experience working there for 120 days, I can say that although nationalities and customs are different, everyone is a good person. There are also many considerate people.
For example, at the Chinese company where I worked, there was a woman who acted as our coordinator, and she taught us about Chinese art that we didn't know about, took us to cultural facilities, and looked after us in many ways. Since all we did was go back and forth between work and the hotel, she was extremely helpful, and by talking to her directly, I also got to know more about China and the Chinese people.
Over the past few years, I've become interested in my own country's culture, such as "wa" (harmony) and "Japan," and the more I delve into it, the more I realize how connected it is to China. This is true of kimonos and temples and shrines. I didn't have any particularly negative or negative feelings when I first went, but researching it has only strengthened my affinity and positive feelings toward China.
This may be a bit off topic, but there is a test kit that can tell you your roots by testing your saliva DNA, so I did some research a while ago. My roots can be traced back to the Miao people and China. The Miao people are an ethnic group that live in China, Laos, and Vietnam.
I saw a photo of a Miao girl and she looked just like my daughter (laughs). Japanese people have roots in all sorts of places, so I think everyone should do some research. I think that if we do that, we might be able to be a little more tolerant of differences between countries and ethnicities.
The only thing that was a bit difficult for me in China was the food. I was taken to a high-end Chinese restaurant in Shanghai, but it didn't suit me. I couldn't stand the food at ordinary restaurants in the city, either. My companion, Kono-kun, may seem picky, but he's a pretty good eater and eats everything, but I wanted to eat Japanese food, so I was always looking for a Japanese restaurant.
Although it's still not that big in China, "yoshiokubo" has been on sale for quite some time, and it's such a big market, so I'd like to work hard to make my brand more well-known.
The first time I went to China was in the mid-1980s, when I was in high school. My grandfather loved to travel, so we went on a family trip together, with three generations of my family. What I saw there was a "deep rural" atmosphere that is hard to imagine compared to what it is today. Even in the capital, Beijing, there were only bicycles in front of Tiananmen Square. Cars were barely passing by. At the time, I never imagined that the country would grow to the extent that it has today.
The city in 2018A long time later, in 2011, several years after I returned to Japan from New York, I visited China for the second time. I was invited to an event held by a select shop in Beijing that had purchased a lot of "yoshiokubo" products. It was a four-day, three-night trip. I was also accompanied by two other designers who had been invited: Udo (Kouji) from " factotum " and Hirokawa (Tamae) from " somata ."
Chinese crew at the timeAfter the event, I was taken to the Great Wall for sightseeing, and although it's normal to walk up the wall, the driver took me as far as the car could go. The driver got out, took off his striped polo shirt and handed it to a security guard-like figure, which made me wonder what he was doing, but thinking back, I guess it was a bribe. It was thanks to that that he was able to get me through to places that cars couldn't go through.
The night before I returned to Japan, I was entertained, and when I got back to my hotel room, there were about 10 bottles of whiskey lined up, and we had to roll dice to take turns drinking them, which was a crazy drinking tactic. China was also at the height of its economy, so the atmosphere was truly that of a bubble. It was like something out of a TV drama.
View from the hotelBecause of that, I ended up oversleeping the next morning and nearly missing my flight. Another day I went to a massage parlor, which costs about 6,000 yen, which is quite expensive locally, and ended up having the skin scraped off my heels, which is a bitter memory. Anyway, China had changed a lot since my first visit, and I remember feeling the momentum of the country.
Since my first visit, I have been visiting China about every 10 years, and I have personally experienced China's incredible growth speed (it goes without saying), which I think is incomparable to Japan. This applies to the speed at which digital technology is being implemented in society, as well as infrastructure such as buildings. Japan is completely behind.
Over the two years from 2017, I spent a total of about 120 days in Shanghai on business with a Chinese company. For more details, please read my blog post about Kono (Kubo Yoshio is a bundle of energy), but it was quite an experience.
Many people have said many different things about China, so I would like to share my own thoughts. Speaking from my experience working there for 120 days, I can say that although nationalities and customs are different, everyone is a good person. There are also many considerate people.
For example, at the Chinese company where I worked, there was a woman who acted as our coordinator, and she taught us about Chinese art that we didn't know about, took us to cultural facilities, and looked after us in many ways. Since all we did was go back and forth between work and the hotel, she was extremely helpful, and by talking to her directly, I also got to know more about China and the Chinese people.
Over the past few years, I've become interested in my own country's culture, such as "wa" (harmony) and "Japan," and the more I delve into it, the more I realize how connected it is to China. This is true of kimonos and temples and shrines. I didn't have any particularly negative or negative feelings when I first went, but researching it has only strengthened my affinity and positive feelings toward China.
This may be a bit off topic, but there is a test kit that can tell you your roots by testing your saliva DNA, so I did some research a while ago. My roots can be traced back to the Miao people and China. The Miao people are an ethnic group that live in China, Laos, and Vietnam.
I saw a photo of a Miao girl and she looked just like my daughter (laughs). Japanese people have roots in all sorts of places, so I think everyone should do some research. I think that if we do that, we might be able to be a little more tolerant of differences between countries and ethnicities.
The only thing that was a bit difficult for me in China was the food. I was taken to a high-end Chinese restaurant in Shanghai, but it didn't suit me. I couldn't stand the food at ordinary restaurants in the city, either. My companion, Kono-kun, may seem picky, but he's a pretty good eater and eats everything, but I wanted to eat Japanese food, so I was always looking for a Japanese restaurant.
Although it's still not that big in China, "yoshiokubo" has been on sale for quite some time, and it's such a big market, so I'd like to work hard to make my brand more well-known.