TT-917 (Tourism Edition) -- Gourmet Ride in Aomori - Food as Content and a New Concept for Japan

The concept began in Sonoma Valley, with rides and food experiences called Gourmet Centuries. These are immensely popular, bringing in up to 300 riders per event.

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TT-916 -- Not Quite the Golden Age for Japanese VC, Unless You Can Break Dance

I went to TechinAsia thinking this would be a good chance to see if the street talk I'd been hearing about how we're now in the "golden age" of Japanese venture investing was true or not.

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TT-915 (Tourism Edition) -- Just Minutes from Kobe, but Awajishima Stuck in a No-man's Land

Awajishima is popular with cyclists because it has a road system that mostly hugs the coastline, offering great views of Osaka's Kansai International Airport, and flaming red sunsets in the late afternoons.

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TT-914 -- AI Dieting and Health Apps - an Appropriate Export? E-biz news from Japan.

Asken is a dieting assistant that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help the user figure out how what they are eating, and what exercise they are doing, will affect their weight and health.

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TT-913 (Tourism Edition) -- A Little Place You've Probably Never Heard Of - Senboku, Akita

There is one inland gem, though, and that is Kakunodate, home to one of the best preserved samurai residential districts in the country. Kakunodate is an oasis of tranquility and beauty.

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TT-912 -- The Good and Bad of Using Linked-In Within Japan, e-biz news from Japan

Linked In isn't popular because: a) when Japanese business people first establish a personal relationship, they do it with a face-to-face meeting, and b) because laying out your resume publicly is seen as "boasting".

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TT-911 (Tourism Edition) -- Spin-off Benefits of Airbnb and Minpaku

As we continue the countdown to implementation of the new Minpaku Law (the Airbnb law as we like to call it), investors, sociologists, and little old ladies alike are all expecting the sector to become a major contributor to the economy.

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TT-910 -- Food Delivery Wars in Japan - Who Will Win? E-biz news in Japan.

Honestbee is a food and shopping delivery company that makes it even easier, as long as you have a working credit card. Their main differentiator is that they have personal shoppers located in or near their merchant partners.

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TT-909 (Tourism Edition) - DMOs, Action, and Authenticity -- A Tourism Recipe for Remote Prefectures

Destination marketing organizations can help remote regions to improve their infrastructure and attractiveness, and thus help those areas bring home some tourist dollars.

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TT-908 -- Soracom M&A - 3 years old and worth US$180 million, e-biz news from Japan

One of Japan's Big 3 telcos, KDDI, announced that it would buy out a Japanese start-up company active in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, named Soracom, for an estimated JPY20bn.

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