Dutch masters destroy Italy. Hooray and read the article here: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09062008/58/euro-2008-dutch-masters-destroy-italy.html

Collection of all Waseda experiences finally online. Here or via "photographs" --> "Waseda"

Meanwhile time is running out tremendously and we already had to leave Tôkyô. So now we are "waiting" for the flight back to Germany at Ôsaka. The move out of Tôkyô was stressful as always but this lies already behind us, too. My Website will stay open in future, too as there are so many nice experiences yet to integrate - there really has been no time yet to get it ready for upload. So plse stay tuned in future - after I will be back to Germany there also will be further updates and photos on many nice places and experiences already lying behind.

Moreover I will create a partner website on my experiences back to Europe in English and Japanese - mainly to get friends and family from Asia and Australia up to date. So check it out in the future, too!

Matsushita Electric to Change Name to Panasonic Corporation

Osaka, Japan (January 10, 2008) - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Matsushita [NYSE symbol: MC]), best known for its Panasonic brand, today announced that the company will change its company name to 'Panasonic Corporation' effective October 1, 2008. The company will also unify its corporate brands to the 'Panasonic' brand across the world.

The change, that was approved at the company's extraordinary board meeting today, will be submitted for and subject to approval at its ordinary general meeting of shareholders to be held in late June this year.

Upon a company name change, the company will undertake its brand name change from the 'National' brand, which is used for home appliances and housing equipment in Japan, to the 'Panasonic' brand by the end of fiscal 2010, ending March 31, 2010. Subsequently, the 'National' brand will be abandoned and the corporate brands in Japan will be unified to the 'Panasonic' Brand.

The company has been using a company name 'Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.' since 1935, following its earlier names 'Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Works' since 1929 and 'Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works' since 1918 when it was first established. While the company was using 'National' and 'Panasonic' brand names over the period, it decided in 2003 to unify a global brand into 'Panasonic' with a brand slogan 'Panasonic ideas for life.'

The timing to change the company name and unify its global brand coincides with its 90th anniversary this year. At the same time, some group companies which currently use 'Matsushita' or 'National' in their names will also change their company names using 'Panasonic.' Together with the brand unification in Japan, the company will lead all its resources and activities to enhancing the value of 'Panasonic' brand.

The new 'Panasonic Corporation' and its group companies worldwide will continue to run its business based on its founder Konosuke Matsushita's business philosophy known as; 'A company is a public entity,' 'Customer-comes-first principle' and 'Start fresh everyday.'

The company is currently operating its business under the GP3 mid-term management plan, which sets a direction toward making 'Global Excellence' of its corporate performance with three pillars, namely 'Global Progress,' 'Global Profit' and 'Global Panasonic.'

The company name change and brand unification is a bold step forward to make the company a truly global corporation, in which its corporate value can be enhanced with united efforts by all the employees focused on the 'Panasonic' brand worldwide.

About Panasonic

Best known for its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the Company recorded consolidated net sales of US$77.19 billion for the year ended March 31, 2007. The Company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE:MC) stock exchanges. For more information on the Company and the Panasonic brand, visit the Company's website at http://panasonic.net/.

Japan's Matsushita says to rename itself Panasonic

Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Thursday it will change its name to Panasonic Corp., aiming to boost its international profile as it expands aggressively to keep up with brisk sales.

The announcement came as the group unveiled plans to invest about 857 million dollars to expand its semiconductor production facilities.

Matsushita's name change will take effect from October, provided that shareholders give their approval.

"The company will unify all the divisions of the domestic and global markets under the brand name Panasonic," group president Fumio Otsubo told a press conference.

"Our objective is to summon all the strengths of the group under the single brand name of Panasonic and to increase the value of the Panasonic brand," he said.

The group, founded by entrepreneur Konosuke Matsushita in 1918 in the western city of Osaka, also makes products under other brands including National, which it first attached to bicycle lamps in 1927.

Matsushita introduced the Panasonic brand for international markets in 1955 and it is now widely recognised overseas.

The group will now ditch the National brand, which is mainly used for home appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators sold in Japan.

Otsubo said the group will focus on its future growth "rather than sitting in nostalgia" but will never abandon the principles of its founder, who is known in Japan as the "god of management."

Konosuke Matsushita is widely seen as one of the driving forces behind Japan's miraculous economic development after its World War II defeat.

The group also announced plans to invest 94 billion yen (857 million dollars) to construct a new facility in central Toyama prefecture, which will produce image sensors for digital cameras and other appliances starting from August 2009.

Matsushita said it aims to boost its annual revenue to over 10 trillion yen in the year to March 2010, up 10 percent from the year to March 2007 level of 9.11 trillion yen.

Matsushita is aiming to boost sales in the fast-growing BRIC markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China, and in Vietnam, to more than 500 billion yen in the year to March 2009, up 25 percent from a year earlier.

The group will also try to expand its share in the European market by launching energy-efficient refrigerators and washing machines in the upcoming business year.

The Osaka-based company said it was also counting on its digital audio and visual products, car electronics, semiconductor chips and devices and home appliance segments to be key growth drivers.

Matsushita is enjoying fast-growing demand for flat-panel televisions, although there is fierce price competition with domestic and foreign rivals.

Last year it announced plans to build the world's largest plasma television plant at a cost of 2.35 billion dollars

As I start my vacation to Ôsaka now the updating of my website will also be at rest until next year. But meanwhile you can look forward to amendment of the scene I got today in Odaiba as well as finally photos of already visited cities like Kyôto, Ôsaka, Yokohama, Kamakura and many more. I think the most exciting stuff is still coming (as soon as time allows it).

All people still awaiting a mail from me: Please have some more patience, time is unfortunately not always on my side.

I wish all of you a very wonderful year change into 2008 and that the New Year shall begin in a good manner. Stay at best health and condition.

Might the power be with us.

Finally I could broaden my horizon so that I learned how to include Videos into a website. That´s why I am finally proud to present my long-awaited video section. First you can find videos taken in May this year during Soukeisen (Waseda-Keio baseball match). Of course it has been already ages since then but better later then never! Moreover it is not so much bound to time as everyone knows the Waseda hymn is everlasting ;)

Moreover you can enjoy some videos regarding how open minded and progressive the thinking of normally rather frigid japanese can be. I saw this in a fantasy toy shop in Ueno this week where I went with Beat for getting some new impressions. The photos of this event will be online from January. By the way I just heard that the dogs behaving like those on Discovery Channel are real USB drives. I will definitely get one!

You find access on the index page on the left unterneath "photographs" or just here.

First pictures of the widespread illuminations online! Go along here.

Up to now I experienced the illumination of fall trees at Rikugien park as well as the truly astonishing christmas illumination of Roppongi area. Today and tomorrow I will try to catch glimpses of the other sites too like Tôkyô-Marunouchi or Odaiba. As the way leads me to Ôsaka already on friday again until 6th January those are the last remaining opportunities which I better used.

Photo gallery about Japanese Fall tremendously extended. Check out here.

First pictures of the japanese fall now online! It starts here. Meanwhile there is wonderful christmas decoration everywhere in Tôkyô though it aims in most cases to attract customers so it is arranged by most of the shops. But you can feel that despite christian christmas is not celebrated in Japan that communities try truly hard here not to get the people bored in the City which I find really likeable. Especially in big shopping areas like Ginza there are whole streets decorated well (even if it seems quite American style) which brings in some nice christmas feeling though there is a lack of snow and cold weather compared to Germany. I will see if I can catch some nice photographs in the next time.

Anyway, if somebody wish to have any of my pictures here in wallpaper respectively original size please feel free to tell me!

The 40th Tôkyô Motor Show photos now online!! The event was held some weeks before.

Since the last weeks were again fairly demanding I am glad finding some time now to care for my readers. That was made possible by an additional free thursday and friday due to holiday in Japan. Meanwhile it has become more or less cold in Japan though the weather remains to be excellent. Everyday the is finest sunshine and blue sky. But at night you can feel the cold air clearly, also caused by the very thin japanese walls. Anyway, everything is running as always but the days left here are decreasing quickly. On sunday we will go to the eastern part of Tôkyô to a Sake producer which is fairly well known in this region. The surroundings there appear to be quite nice, the facility is found at the foot of a mountain and as recently the trees have start to become red - who knows - maybe I can catch some nice glimpses and photoshots!

But now please feel free to procede to the photos of the Motor Show!

Michelin crowns Japan world's culinary capital

It's official. Tokyo has unseated Paris as the world's culinary capital.

That's according to Michelin Guides, the French bible of gastronomy, which announced a Tokyo edition today - its first outside Europe and the United States.

Michelin's Tokyo guide awarded 191 stars to 150 restaurants in the Japanese capital, the most number of stars awarded in any city. Previously, Paris had the most stars, at 65.

Eight restaurants in Tokyo, including two sushi eateries, received Michelin's highest three-star rating. But Paris can still claim to have the most top-rated restaurants, with 10.

Michelin also crowned 82-year-old Jiro Ono of Sukiyabashi Jiro sushi restaurant in central Tokyo the world's oldest three-star chef.

"Tokyo is a shining star in the world of cuisine," Michelin Guides Director Jean-Luc Naret said at a press conference in the capital, after announcing the picks to gasps from hundreds of Japanese reporters gathered there. He declared Tokyo "the world leader in gourmet dining".

"We found the city's restaurants to be excellent, featuring the best ingredients, culinary talents and a tradition passed on from generation to generation and refined by today's chefs," Naret said.

A team of three undercover European and two Japanese inspectors spent a year and a half visiting 1500 of Tokyo's estimated 160,000 restaurants to decide on the ratings, according to Michelin. The famed guidebook series rates restaurants on excellence in cooking, service, decor and upkeep.

There were so many top restaurants that all entries in Michelin's Tokyo edition have at least one star, a first for any city, Naret said. Five of the eight awarded top honours served Japanese cuisine, while three were French restaurants.

In another first, two restaurants received top ratings despite getting rapped for their service, which the guidebook rates separately.

Sushi establishments Sukiyabashi Jiro and Sushi Mizutani were awarded three stars even though their Category of Comfort rating was just 1 out of a scale of 5. Even top sushi chefs here tend to serve their fare in small, starkly decorated eateries with minimal table service.

"It's true that Sukiyabashi Jiro has very small tables and its decor is low-key," said Taku Suzuki, spokesman for Michelin in Japan. "But that doesn't mean its cuisine is anything less than first rate," Suzuki said.

Sukiyabashi Jiro could not be reached for immediate reaction.

The entries in the Michelin Guide Tokyo, which goes on sale on Thursday in English and Japanese, were expected to ease local scepticism that the French can be the best judge of Japan's culinary traditions.

"The French do not understand anything about sushi and are so far behind in handling fresh fish. So how can they judge us?" Yoshikazu Ono had told The Associated Press in March when the Tokyo guide was announced. Ono is a chef at Sukiyabashi Jiro chef and son of Jiro Ono.

The first Michelin guide was published in 1900 as a handbook for French motorists. It is published by the Clermont-Ferrand-based tyre company of the same name.

Michelin Guides, which cover 23 countries, have been expanding their reach to more cities and launched Los Angeles and Las Vegas editions last week. Tokyo will spearhead Michelin's push into Asia and a guide to a second Asian city will be announced next year, according to Naret.

The Stemcell Breakthrough

Researchers of the Kyôto University succeeded in setting a new milestone in the stemcell science.

Yesterday's breakthrough in stem cell research was nothing short of spectacular. There are different types of stem cells and the most powerful ones, the ones that can develop into any of the approximately 220 cell types in the body have — until now — only been available by taking them from embryos left over from fertility clinics. Because the embryos are destroyed, the process has been the focus of intense ethical and political debate. Right now there is a government ban on creating any new embryonic stem cell collections. The few that already exist are old and not that useful.

Last year scientists figured out a way to take skin cells from mice and turn them into stem cells that are similar to the ones found in embryos.

How did they do this? It turns out that — by fiddling with their DNA — cells can be re-programmed to turn from a skin cell into a stem cell.

The scientists figured out they can give four genes (pieces of DNA) that tell a grown up skin cell to stop being a skin cell and turn into a stem cell. They splice those genes into the DNA of the skin cell with the use of a type of virus called a "retrovirus." Those genes turn the skin cells into stem cells in just 3-4 weeks!

We thought it was going to be a long time until they did this in humans but — amazingly — two different labs, one in Kyoto and one in Wisconsin, just announced they've done it. What's so surprising is that the recipe is relatively easy to follow. I expect there will be an explosion of stem cell research all over the world.

Why are stem cells important? When most people think about stem cells, they think about giving them to patients with diseases to help cure them. For example, in diabetes, stem cells might be able to turn into cells that make insulin — exactly the kind of cells that are missing in diabetic patients. This kind of therapy is a ways off. One reason is that the process by which the four genes are inserted into the DNA of skin cells causes those cells to be at increased risk to develop into cancer. Scientists are already working on ways around this problem.

But as soon as today, scientists can start using stem cells to learn more about diseases and to figure out new treatments. Take Alzheimer's disease.

We don't understand enough about what goes wrong in the nerve cells of patients with Alzheimer's. And you can't get brain cells from patients with Alzheimer's without taking the chance of hurting them. But now we can take skin cells from patients with Alzheimer's, turn them into stem cells, and then turn those stem cells into nerve cells. Next we can study those nerve cells in a Petri dish and try to figure out how they are different from the nerve cells in normal patients. And we can even try to test new drugs by squirting them on the nerve cells in the Petri dish — a lot safer then giving them to human guinea pigs.

The same thing goes for other problems like Parkinson's, ALS, diabetes, and heart disease. I just saw a movie of beating heart cells made from stem cells that started out as skin cells in a woman's face. Imagine squirting a new medicine right on the heart cells and seeing what happens.

This is the start of something very big. Compared to how we've been doing it up until now, I expect we'll now start learning about the inner workings of cells at warp speed.

And the faster we figure out what's going on inside the cells of people with diseases, the faster we can devise ways to cure them. But none of this will happen without adequate funding and support from the government. I would bet my last dollar on the ingenuity, intelligence, and perseverance of the scientists around the world who are dedicating their lives to medical research. Last Sunday I called a young stem cell researcher with a question and found him hard at work in his lab. But right now too many labs are struggling for adequate funding and too many researchers are living on a shoestring budget, trying to make ends meet. It is simply unacceptable. This latest breakthrough should spur us all to call for increased support of our medical research community.

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