Toru Tokushige of Terra Drone: A Different Path to Global Impact
Toru Tokushige of Terra Drone: A Different Path to Global Impact A Comparison That Only Goes So Far Toru Tokushige, the CEO of Terra Drone, is often compared to Elon Musk. At a surface level, the comparison makes sense. Both are entrepreneurs working at the frontier of emerging technologies, shaping industries that did not fully exist a decade ago. But the similarity largely ends there. While Musk is known for starting with bold visions—colonizing Mars, transforming transportation, or building global satellite networks—Tokushige takes a fundamentally different approach. His work begins not with a grand narrative, but with practical problems: dangerous inspections, labor shortages, inefficient infrastructure, and the need for reliable, […]
Update on Shiny Silver Boots
Update on Shiny Silver Boots I didn’t expect this to happen. One video. Over 12,000 new followers. And one question I kept receiving: “Where can I buy these boots?” So I decided to find out. I reached out directly to the factory in Japan, explaining the situation as clearly as I could. The response? “We do not handle overseas exports.” It was simple. And honestly, not surprising. The reasons were too familiar: Not enough manpower. Limited budget. No system to handle international operations. In other words— they simply weren’t built to sell outside Japan. But what struck me wasn’t just the response. It was the gap. On the U.S. side: […]
Bonsai: Forbidden Art? Why It’s So Hard to Import Into the U.S.
Bonsai: Forbidden Art? Why It’s So Hard to Import Into the U.S. Bonsai looks like the perfect Japanese souvenir to bring into the United States.It is small, beautiful, culturally distinctive, and easy to imagine in an American home. To many people, it seems like the kind of object that should travel easily across borders. But in reality, importing bonsai into the U.S. is surprisingly difficult. Why Bonsai Is Treated Differently The reason is simple: bonsai is not treated as a decorative object. It is treated as a live plant, and live plants are heavily regulated. In the United States, plant imports are controlled mainly by USDA APHIS under plant health […]
Why Kewpie Is More Than Just Mayo
Why does Kewpie mayonnaise feel so natural in everyday life in Japan? A closer look at its flavor, ingredients, and cultural place in Japanese food.