Memoirs of.... In each issue of jstyle, we ask a prominent Australian to tell us about their memories of Japan. An ex-Wallaby Text and photographs courtesy of Ian Williams Playing for Kobe Steel in the company rugby grand final, 1992. I first visited Japan with the Oxford University rugby team on its tour of Japan while studying at Oxford in 1988. None of us, including me, had been to Japan before, and I in particular knew very little about the history, language or culture. Most rugby playing countries have cultures similar to those I had lived in (the US, Australia and the UK), so it was a very exciting experience to visit a country that played rugby and had a completely new culture to me. I remember that Japan seemed so advanced in comparison to Australia at that time - we travelled on the shinkansen (bullet train) and played two games at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. And of course the nightlife was amazing! The defining moment of my relationship with Japan occurred in 1991 during the company rugby championship grand final. I had left the Wallabies and Australia in 1990 to work at Kobe Steel, a steel maker, where I worked in the international strategy planning department and played rugby for the company's team in the national rugby competition. The grand final game was between Kobe Steel and Sanyo Electric. Three minutes into injury time, Sanyo was deservedly leading by 16 to 12. We attacked from near our own goal-line. After a series of plays I received a difficult pass. The ball was behind me but I was able to bat it into the air with one hand and then catch it. I ran 70 metres along the sideline while the Sanyo defenders chased in vain, and scored under the goalposts. With an easy conversion, Kobe Steel won 18 to 16. The Japanese media and sporting fans love the drama of a game with a dramatic finish - the joy of the winners and the agony of the losers. So perhaps that's why my try became known as the "miracle try" and overnight I became the second-best known Australian in Japan after Greg Norman! Television, magazine and newspaper interviews followed - I really enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame as a minor celebrity. Even though I haven't played rugby for more than 10 years now, on business trips in Japan the occasional rugby fan will still ask me, "are you Ian Williams?" And as a lawyer working mainly for Japanese companies, it has certainly served as a good ice-breaker over the years. I have always found Japanese people to be very kind and considerate. This was especially so in my first year in Japan, when I couldn't communicate. People around me went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in what was a very different culture and sometimes quite a lonely time for me. It's funny to think how things have changed since - the existence of mobile phones, electronic dictionaries, the internet, and cable TV now mean that culture shock is probably not as severe as it was for me. Japanese people are quite sophisticated socially and I think I've learned a lot about teamwork from my rugby and business experiences in Japan. Japanese generally tend towards consensus-based decision making, in contrast to Australians where the norm is leader-based decision making. I value the consensus-based approach in my own work because it requires better understanding, not only of the issues but also of the feelings and positions of the people involved. These days it is a very dynamic and increasingly creative society, and it is good to see that the "lost decade" is now well behind it. I was in Tokyo last week and I was surprised and impressed by the general return to an attitude of confidence in the future of Japan. Japanese culture is also spreading globally - my sons both pleaded with me to bring back the latest Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards from Tokyo for them! Visiting Japan, I always feel very comfortable and at home, and I know it will always remain an important part of my life. When I get a chance I love watching Japanese films on SBS and seeing images of the beautiful Japanese countryside in them always make me nostalgic. I've travelled widely throughout the country, so the wonderful smells of nature and traditional food being cooked, and of tatami rooms at local ryokan, are some of my fondest memories. Ian Williams (43) is a partner at Blake Dawson Waldron Lawyers. He graduated from the University of Sydney in economics (1985) and law (1987) and Oxford University in politics, philosophy, and economics (1989). He has played rugby union for the Wallabies, Japan and Kobe Steel and has two boys, Max (7) and Sam (4) Nichigo spirit! In each issue of jstyle we introduce two people who embody the "Japan-Australia" spirit. Masae Ikegawa & Graham Hilgendorf Travelling Taiko Text and photographs courtesy of Graham Hilgendorf Working in the music industry is always eventful and, naturally, music has a knack of bringing people together from different cultures and backgrounds. Sometimes the result of this union is a great musical performance, sometimes it is a long and lasting friendship - sometimes it creates a life-long marriage! Six years ago I was playing with Sydney-based taiko (Japanese drum) ensemble TaikOz when Masae was visiting Australia on a working holiday visa. At first she came to our dojo (studio) just to watch, but with a little encouragement she introduced herself and her beautiful drumming style to the group, resulting in her joining TaikOz on a permanent basis. When we first started seeing each other I thought the language barrier would create too many problems for us but I quickly realised that you can communicate anything if you really want a person to understand you. As we got to know each other further, we realised that, although we were from different countries, we loved so many of the same things and had so much in common. These common interests mean that we have spent a lot of time together and have learned so much about each other, despite the language difficulties. Obviously drumming is a huge part of our lives but we also love dining out, camping, going to the beach, bodysurfing and body boarding, although Masae tends to sit out past the breakers and float around until she gets seasick. We got married at Palm Beach in Sydney in 2003 and since then we have lived in the Marrickville - Dulwich Hill area. Last year we spent six months in Japan staying with Masae's family and spending time with friends and relatives. I cannot speak Japanese but all of Masae's family and friends have been extremely patient with me and Masae is even more patient than usual while we are travelling in Japan. During that six-month visit in Kagawa Prefecture (where Masae was born) we practised our drumming at Marugame Castle. It was a wonderful location in which to practise because in the open air we could feel the season changing from the bitterness of winter to the warmth of spring, the cherry blossom season. We caused quite a stir and were asked all kinds of questions by curious onlookers. They asked us why we were practising outside and why one of our players was a gaikoku-jin (foreigner). The locals, who were generally retired folk, asked other questions about Masae and me; they couldn't seem to fathom why on earth an Australian would be practising taiko at their local castle. Our other visits to Japan have generally been spent studying Japanese drumming and watching festivals and traditional art events. Masae spends a great deal of her time answering my questions about Japan, organising our schedule, interpreting for me at our drumming lessons and helping me walk after my feet have fallen asleep from sitting in seiza (the traditional Japanese kneeling posture) for long periods. While travelling around we often stay with mutual friends or Masae's relatives. We love eating out in Japan and enjoy drinking beer or shochu (Japanese liquor) with friends. Spending so much time together touring can be difficult at times but generally we make the most of all the chances we have to go sightseeing, learn about the world and discover so many things about each other. In Japanese culture bargaining is not so common but, when we travelled to Bangkok in 2001 to perform in the International Festival of Dance and Music, we had some time to visit the local markets. I suggested that Masae should try to bargain the prices down a little. She was apprehensive at first but I convinced her to give it a go. She got the hang of it and bought plenty of useless trinkets from the markets, after which we rode in a tuk-tuk taxi with a wild driver back to the hotel. Our most recent adventure was to Paris to perform at the Pompidou Centre. Masae's parents met us there to watch the performance and then we all travelled together for a family holiday to Switzerland. Living in Australia, Masae often misses her family so a trip like this was very special for us. While all this travel and adventure may sound very exciting, what we really like to do together is sit in our little backyard in Dulwich Hill, have a barbecue and drink some beer and wine. JETRO Business Page Australian companies dealing with the Japanese market Case Study: Impact Investing Pty Ltd. Contributed by Steven Fairbrother Managing Director of Impact Investing, Mr Nigel Allfrey An Australian company, Impact Investing Pty Ltd, has recently opened an office in Tokyo to expand its business to the Japanese market. Impact Investing has experienced significant growth since developing a financial software solution called Impact that assists investment managers in end-to-end portfolio construction to enable effective control at all stages of the investment process. Focused on equity portfolio managers, the robust and highly scalable solution for global portfolio construction operates as an information hub by providing real time information and integrating seamlessly into clients' information systems. It facilitates portfolio positioning, performance regulation, analyst research, risk analysis and identifies fund-related characteristics. Since the company's inception in 2002, Impact Investing has expanded rapidly throughout Australia with an uptake of its Impact technology by more than 30 per cent of the equity market. With an impressive client base that includes Trust Company Funds Management, AMP Capital Investors, Challenger Financial Services Group, Colonial First State and BT Financial Group, Impact Investing is now focusing on expanding Impact internationally. Market Entry Impact Investing opened offices in London and Boston in 2005 and more recently entered the Japanese market with assistance from JETRO and their IBSCs (Invest Japan Business Support Centers). JETRO provided resources, temporary office space at no charge, advice on business types and market consultation; valuable help when entering a market where cultural and language considerations are fundamental to success. Expanding into Japan allowed Impact Investing to focus on large global players, such as Fortis Investments Japan, who now use Impact software for their equity portfolio management. "Tokyo is well positioned as the key financial hub to sell Impact in Asia. Entering the Japanese market has given Impact greater exposure to global players and allowed our focus to strengthen in the larger equity market," Impact Investing director Nigel Allfrey said. Sales and support have been the two key factors in the software's success in the market, and Impact Investing has progressed significantly with their ability to serve clients in this region through the network that it has established. Opportunities in Japan "The Japanese market is the world's second-largest equity market, with capitalisation eight times the size of the Australian share market," Mr Allfrey said. While Impact continues to seek growth in Japan, it has already aggressively positioned itself as a global software solution provider in financial markets. Future Strategy A portfolio screenshot from IMPACT The company's future strategy includes: - Focusing on selling Impact to global companies that will assist its international growth - Attracting sales staff and partners for software distribution - Increasing connections with domestic firms and improving cultural integration with overseas firms For more information and further details of JETRO's activities please visit: http://www.jetro.go.jp/australia JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation) is a Japanese government funded organisation that assists foreign companies wishing to expand their business to Japan. Many Australian companies are actively taking advantage of Japan's strengthening economy and the increasing opportunities its markets are providing. Writer's Profile: Steven Fairbrother has lived and worked in Japan for three years and works for JETRO Sydney Office's Business Development Department as a Trade and Investment Officer.