I want to know and learn current local community development activities especially in Korea, China, Taiwan, and other countries. I believe there are co-current and same phenomena happened in those activities as in Japan. If possible, I want to visit there to learn them directly.
Stay at Jakarta in 10-14 July 2017 related to energy and environmental policy & business including business matching between Indonesia and Japan, supported by Team E-Kansai & Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan.
What is glocal? Of course, glocal is an artificial word made from global and local.
According to Oxford dictionary, glocal is “reflecting or characterized by both local and global considerations”. Or in Longman, it is “relating to the connections or relationships between global and local businesses, problems etc”.
Generally, global and local are opposite words each other, as globalization vs localization. Globalization is regarded as enemy from local. In Indonesia and maybe other developing countries, globalization is almost synonym with westernization, capitalism, imperialism, USA & Europe, or sometimes with christianization.
We remember that developing countries had felt to be exploited under colonialism by Western countries. So, the concept structure between globalization – localization and exploit – exploited has not been changed.
However, developing countries should know that many local people in USA or EU also criticize against impact of globalization. Such people played big role to win new USA President last year.
It means that almost all local people of the world, not only in developing countries but also in developed countries, feel and battle the globalization.
I understand that there is a universal basic issue in local society everywhere in the world. Local peoples in USA, EU, Indonesia, and Japan are facing to the same universal issues.
That is the crisis of local identities. Collapse of “who we are, where we live, what our life is”. Local life cannot be separated from so-called globalization, including using mobile phone, internet, or imported consumer goods.
The problem is not developed countries vs developing countries. But, what we keep and develop our own life with local identity.
Local people often think only they are in the worst condition because they know about only their local society. But, you are not alone. Even though the character and level of living is different, almost all local people feel and think the same.
In this context, I myself want to define glocal as global network of locals without border of administrations, and countries.
My glocal has no best model to be learned by others. No intention to apply a model to others. My glocal respects each locality and tries to settle the respect among locals. We start from such respect to others or at least recognition of others. Then, facilitate to learn each other to know more about ourselves in the local, for next step.
I will do more with local anywhere in the world. I believe the local-to-local network in global will change current confrontative situation, if we start from ourselves and our daily life, not from ideology or political jargon.
Visit Umaji Village in Kochi Prefecture. Umaji is Uma (horse) plus ji (road). It means we must reach Umaji by horse. But it is old story. Now we can enjoy smooth car drive to Umaji even though the road is narrow and winding.
Umaji, whose population is 930 persons, is now famous as success case of local revitalization by processing of yuzu, very good smelling citrus. JA Umaji has 5 factories to process many kinds of yuzu goods, as yuzu drink, yuzu ponzu source, yuzu jam, yuzu chili, yuzu pepper, yuzu liqueur, yuzu cosmetics, yuzu ‘aromatics, and so on. Yuzu seed becomes good material for cosmetics.
Amazing, isn’t it? Only 930-populated tiny village in mountainous area has 5 factories. Most of products are sold through mail order or internet to all areas in Japan, with increasing the number of fans of Umaji. Umaji offers the status of special villager to those fans.
This has been promoted by JA Umaji. JA Umaji has its very unique and impressive business model to revive tiny mountainous village, through the integration of production of yuzu, processing, and marketing.
However, as other villages in Japan, Umaji also faces to depopulation and aging. How is the way to satisfy with increasing market demand for yuzu products under decreasing of labor? Mechanization is one of the answer with 5 factories. But, is it sustainable in the future? Is it overcapacity or not?
The challenge of Umaji will be severer.
A Happy New Year 2016 from Tokyo !
Love and Peace for all people in the world !
In April, 2015, my work base was moved from Indonesia to Japan. Now I often go and back between Japan and Indonesia as an independent consultant and facilitator. Recently, not only Japanese side but Indonesian side has asked me to be speaker in a seminar or to consult about local business development.
In 2016, I will set up my main work base in Fukushima-city, my hometown, and sub base in Tokyo. This is for my preparation to start my role as a catalyst to connect local-to-local and local-to-global without any border of nation, generation, race, ethnicity and so on.
At first, I will try to approach from Fukushima to locals in Japan and locals in the world, not only to extend real information about Fukushima but also to share challenges and new ideas to tackle serious global issues from viewpoints of locals in the world.
Of course, I will continue to work as a specialist of Indonesian affairs, to increase and strengthen the mutual trust relationship between Japan and Indonesia. Yes, trust relationship is not limited to Japan and Indonesia, but all of the world. So, I also want to visit local communities in many countries to spread our activities. Please invite me.
With paying attention to our local communities, I want to be professional catalyst to connect people to people, local to local, and local to global with creating new hope and sharing our better future.
I believe many friends take actions in the same direction to realize them, starting little things from our daily life. Please share our hope and let’s support together.
During my coming home to my hometown, Fukushima, I visited an old Japanese traditional house in 4 January, supported by my friend. This house was built in 1874, about 10 minutes from my parent’s house.
We sat around an irori, a hearth in this house and talked many things. Owners told the history of the community since Edo era, how to utilize this house until now, how to conserve this house for the future, and so on.
I visited there not for just sightseeing.
I want to start something from this old Japanese traditional house in Fukushima.
A Happy New Year 2015 !
The year 2015 has just started. In transition from 2014 to 2015, we memorized 10 year after the Earthquake and Tsunami in Aceh/Sumatra/Thailand/SriLanka, an accident of AirAsia from Surabaya to Singapore, and will be 20 years after Kobe/Osaka Earthquake. Our life is just lucky. Deeply understood.
This year, I want to create and do ‘true’ works as an independent consultant, facilitator and catalyst.
I will set up my individual small consultant company this year. I try to connect people, regions, resources, technologies, and community beyond borders. I try to promote deep learning and more another learning among those connected ones. Through such deep learning, I promote them to create something new and valuable for the future.
Since this year, I will not be fixed only in Indonesia. Maybe one year will be divided among Japan, Indonesia, and other countries. I will be moving one to another.
Why will I be moving? Because I want to be ‘wind’. Not one-directed ‘wind’, but mutual-directed or multi-directed ‘wind’, I mean. I do not teach anything. I just support to make them find something by themselves, and to make them start to create something new and valuable. As a ‘wind’, I will tell and inform what they do to others. So, I will be moving one to another.
‘Wind’ must not be main actor. Main actor is people there as ‘soil’. I want to be professional catalyst.
For my self input to think new ideas, I will start my new private blog called “Connect, Learn and Action” this year. As an independent consultant, I want to write my own opinion without any intervention from any organization.
Thank you for your reading and I welcome your comments.
