Satoshi Amagai’s Blog : Visiting Tokyo Big Sight
I visited the Tokyo Big Sight this week, starting March 12th, as several exhibitions were held concurrently. Even just in the East Hall alone, there were this many exhibits (photo included), and since there were also companies of interest in the West and South Halls, I ended up walking around quite a bit and became tired both physically and mentally. After a few years’ hiatus due to the coronavirus, I returned to this March event to find changes ranging from subtle to significant Below, I will share my personal impressions in no particular order. ①The most impressive change was at the ‘JAPAN SHOP’ exhibition in the East, Hall 4. I […]
13th Anniversary – Evolving Journey
1) 12 Years of Foundation・December 6 marks our company’s founding anniversary, completing 13 full years.We are grateful for everyone’s warm support.As summarized below, this year continued to challenge us with trials in our immediate, near, and future business. 2) Persisting Shortage of Parts <Today’s Business Challenges>While large corporations are easing their parts supply and performing well, small tech ventures like us still face unresolved supply chain issues, continuing our trials.We experienced tough times in hardware business due to extended delivery times and sudden discontinuation of parts we use in our current products. Faced with parts discontinuation, we started developing products with new parts, only to learn that these too would […]
Sri Lanka Travelogue (7) – Start-ups in Sri Lanka
During this visit, I had the opportunity to meet with 10 start-ups from Sri Lanka. Out of them, 9 had been shortlisted from about 70 companies through a document screening process for a contest that offers a chance to visit Japan and collaborate with Japanese enterprises. I participated in listening to their presentations and evaluating them. Firstly, what impressed me was the strong sense of patriotism evident in their presentations. Of course, they all want to be successful, but there was a prevalent message about realizing the potential of Sri Lanka and contributing to its growth, which I found admirable. However, I felt that many are not familiar with making […]
Sri Lanka Travelogue (5) ‘Jungle Visit Part 2
Continuing on with episodes from my jungle visit. ①Next, I was most surprised by a vanilla farm where we applied a ‘leech-repelling cream’. It’s located deep in the central region. While other parts of the jungle had narrow roads that just about allowed a single car to pass, here we had to leave the car towards the end and walk a few hundred meters to reach the destination. When told about the ‘leech-repelling cream’, I was so taken aback that I forgot to take a crucial photo. We applied a cream, similar in color and consistency to mentholatum, all around our shoe midsoles. Still, the brave soul (?) who accompanied […]
Sri Lanka Travelogue (4): ‘Jungle Visit – Part 1’
The primary purpose of our 1,200 km journey this time was to promote the main business of the tour leader’s company.Specifically, it was to advance the trade of specialty products from Sri Lanka’s primary industry. To achieve this, we visited places that produce high-quality specialty goods, leading us deep into the dense jungles. ① Our first jungle stop was in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka, where we visited a natural cinnamon cultivation and production facility. This additive-free Ceylon cinnamon is referred to as “Cinnamomum verum” scientifically and is believed to be one of the world’s oldest spices. The manufacturing process was truly an artform: we observed the stages of […]
Sri Lanka Travelogue (3) “Sri Lankan Temperament and Traffic Situation”
Let me write a bit more about my impression of Sri Lankans. ① They are broad-minded not only about time but also in conversations with people. Generally, debates or discussions don’t become confrontational. Even if you complain strongly about something lacking in a hotel at first, they will bow down to you so much that you gradually stop feeling aggressive and just end up saying, “It’s okay this time, but please get it right next time.” In some countries, it’s common never to admit a mistake or apologize, but Sri Lanka is the complete opposite. ② I had heard that in Sri Lanka, women often take the forefront and shine; […]
Sri Lanka Travelogue (2): ‘Sri Lankan Time
Time seemed to flow slowly and leisurely. The journey felt like being constantly told, ‘There’s no need to be in such a hurry.’ It had the laid-back atmosphere I felt when I visited Okinawa. In hindsight, maybe the 4-hour flight delay on the way there was a foreshadowing? On this day, 7/22, there was supposed to be a 2nd-anniversary party for IS-san’s company, our tour leader for this trip, at our hotel in Colombo. We, the visitors from Japan, were supposed to join, but our expected 17:25 airport arrival ended up being around 21:00. Hence, we were only able to join the party just before the hotel’s reported end time. […]
My First Experience in Sri Lanka
In late July, I visited Sri Lanka for the first time in my life. From the beginning to the end, it was an exciting 6 nights and 8 days full of unexpected events. I will share some of those experiences over a few installments. Although the trip was for private summer vacation, there were several matters indirectly and potentially related to our company. This is a report based on my personal observations, so there might be some differences from official information and statistics. Please understand this in advance. During my stay, I barely spent time in what you’d call urban areas. Instead, I traveled 1200 km over 6 days, covering […]
Sri Lanka Travelogue (6) My first experience with Ayurveda
Ayurveda is said to be the world’s oldest traditional longevity medicine with a history of 5,000 years. Those who become enamored with it often stay for extended periods, leisurely aiming for therapeutic recovery. In this sense, it might be a concept similar to Japan’s ‘hot spring cures.’ A senior colleague from my previous company, Mr. H, posted on social media that he and his wife indulged in it for a week in February. Unfortunately, our tour only had half a day, so it was a condensed experience, but it was still incredibly good! First, there was a consultation with a dedicated doctor, followed by blood pressure and pulse measurements, and […]
After completing the technological announcement for the film sensor..
If we can achieve highly accurate biometric authentication using an ultra-thin vein sensor, the potential applications will expand rapidly, and that has been my heartfelt desire since over 15 years ago when I was still struggling within Sony. The origin of the company name “mofiria,” when I became independent from Sony, has been previously introduced. In 2009, when Sony introduced vein authentication externally, it was installed in Sony Ericsson’s mobile phones at the time, emphasizing the need for mobility to make a breakthrough. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000002.000115123.html Since then, for over 14 years, we have faced numerous setbacks and had to suspend development multiple times. However, recently, we were finally able to make […]