The RushmoreBy Kevin Mcgue -- Business bag fashion -- A proper bag or briefcase is essential to anyone working in Japan— whether on the morning commute, hopping in a taxi to go meet a client, or boarding a flight to Shanghai for a conference, arriving in style is vital. Th ere seems to be something of an obsession with business bags in Japan. Visit any department store on a weekend and find fresh college graduates ready to enter their first jobs or working people spending a good portion of their days off carefully inspecting the seemingly endless array of available shoulder bags, totes and briefcases. Finding the right bag depends on one’s personal approach to both work and style.

By Sarah Noorbakhsh -- How changing attitudes toward careers are revolutionizing Japanese employment patterns. -- Japan’s traditional lifetime employment system is in a state of flux as droves of younger employees are quitting their jobs at some of the country’s biggest companies, about 62 years before they’re expected to. So many are walking out in fact that the newly coined key-phrase, san-nen san-wari (three years, 30%), is hot on the agenda at HR departments all over the archipelago. The phrase comes from startling statistics that confirm this new social problem; the Ministry of Health, Labor and Wellness states that in 2004, 36.6% of university graduates had quit their jobs within the first three years of employment, up almost 10% from 10 years before.

By Peter Harris -- Davis Too is a restaurant of many pleasant surprises, tucked away off a Nishi-Shimbashi side street. -- Davis Too opened in 2005 and is the owner’s second eatery having started with her first restaurant, Davis, over in Takanawa. Both restaurants follow a “relaxed dining” concept but Davis Too, being in more of a business than residential area, is busier at lunchtimes and during the week. Snug and subtle, the simple décor of yellow walls and bare wooden tables is inviting, homely and intimate.

By Ben Brown -- How Japanese tax law affects brewers’ barley ratios -- Examine the cooler shelves in the liquor section of any grocery or convenience store and you’ll see what appears, at first glance, to be a vast selection of different beers. A closer look narrows these down mostly to offerings from Japan’s major brewers (Suntory, Kirin, Sapporo, and Asahi), with lip-service given to imports (Guinness, Heineken, etc.) on the end of the row in most supermarkets. The apparent variety can be overwhelming, so take a look at the next thing to catch consumers’ eyes once they’ve looked past the colorful packaging— the price tags.

Brief biographies of who's coming and going in the foreign business community. -- The J@pan Inc Arrivals & departures column takes a look at some of the key figures of Japan's expatriate business community who are either just landing in Japan or flying off to new places. -- James Quinnild -- Jeffrey Boyle -- Richard Harris -- Paul Fredrick -- Bob Pickard

By Ken Worsley -- Back and Forward is a regular column that takes a slightly irreverent look at some of Japan’s biggest business stories. -- Fukutoshin line opens up ... -- ... and department stores are ready ... -- ... Sales boosted in the opening weekend ... -- ... and that’s without the butter! -- A new summer flavor? -- Better put off that funeral until oil comes down

J@pan Inc is offering a prize of two free tickets to see Tokyo Sinfonia—Japan’s finest chamber orchestra conducted by Robert Ryker. All correctly completed entries will be entered into our prize draw.

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