Ishinomaki Laboratory

Ishinomaki Laboratory
Author: Keiji Ashizawa
Publisher:
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-05
Genre:
ISBN: 9781948765817

Ishinomaki Laboratory was born in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Initiated by the architect Keiji Ashizawa, it was originally thought as a community workshop intended to assist residents affected by the disaster rebuilding furniture from the materials at hand. Along with running DIY workshops, Ishinomaki Laboratory also participated in restoring local shops and the relevance and appeal of these well-designed yet low-tech products quickly resonated with people around the world.Today, Ishinomaki Laboratory has established itself as a prominent figure in contemporary design, some pieces being considered as classics of contemporary Japanese design. This book marks 10 years of prolific activities, providing an insight into the history of the brand, the products and many collaborations with established designers and partners worldwide that are giving shape to this ongoing experiment. Above all, it provides a tangible demonstration of possible solutions for rethinking furniture design from environmental imperatives.

Urban Migrants in Rural Japan

Urban Migrants in Rural Japan
Author: Susanne Klien
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2020-01-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1438478070

2020 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Urban Migrants in Rural Japan provides a fresh perspective on theoretical notions of rurality and emerging modes of working and living in post-growth Japan. By exploring narratives and trajectories of individuals who relocate from urban to rural areas and seek new modes of working and living, this multisited ethnography reveals the changing role of rurality, from postwar notions of a stagnant backwater to contemporary sites of experimentation. The individual cases presented in the book vividly illustrate changing lifestyles and perceptions of work. What emerges from Urban Migrants in Rural Japan is the emotionally fraught quest of many individuals for a personally fulfilling lifestyle and the conflicting neoliberal constraints many settlers face. In fact, flexibility often coincides with precarity and self-exploitation. Susanne Klien shows how mobility serves as a strategic mechanism for neophytes in rural Japan who hedge their bets; gain time; and seek assurance, inspiration, and courage to do (or further postpone doing) what they ultimately feel makes sense to them.

The Illicit and Illegal in Regional and Urban Governance and Development

The Illicit and Illegal in Regional and Urban Governance and Development
Author: Francesco Chiodelli
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2017-09-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1315317648

Discussions of the illicit and the illegal have tended to be somewhat restricted in their disciplinary range, to date, and have been largely confined to the literatures of anthropology, criminology, policing and, to an extent, political science. However, these debates have impinged little on cognate literatures, not least those of urban and regional studies which remain almost entirely undisturbed by such issues. This volume aims to open up debates across a range of cognate disciplines. The Illicit and Illegal in Regional and Urban Governance and Development is a multidisciplinary volume that aims to open up these debates, extending them empirically and questioning the dominant discussions of governance and development that have been rooted largely or entirely in the realm of licit and legal actors. The book investigates these issues with reference to a variety of different geographical contexts, including, but not limited to, places traditionally considered to be associated with illegal activities and extensive illicit markets, such as some regions in the so-called Global South. The chapters consider the ways in which these questions deeply affect the daily lives of several cities and regions in some advanced countries. Their comparative perspectives will demonstrate that the illicit and the illegal are an underappreciated structural aspect of current urban and regional governance and development across the globe. The book is an edited collection of research-informed essays, which will primarily be of interest to those taking advanced undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses in human geography, urban and regional planning and a range of social science disciplines that have an interest in urban and regional issues and issues related to crime and corruption.

Japanese Machizukuri and Community Engagement

Japanese Machizukuri and Community Engagement
Author: Shigeru Satoh
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2020-01-14
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 042951395X

Over the past few decades, Japan has faced severe earthquake disasters, an increasing aging population, declining birth rates, and widening social disparities. These issues have served to highlight gaps left by top-down governance approaches and the urgent need to create resilient societies using more traditional models. Japanese “machizukuri” has developed to become an exceptional example of bottom-up creative approaches based on collective action and use of local resources. Since its evolution in the 1960s, machizukuri has come to define diverse and creative community-driven management models, by which local communities are enabled to actively tackle problem-solving. Including contributions from experts directly engaged in the process, this book explores the original development of machizukuri in Japan, its diffusion through East Asia and the positive outcomes of this transfer. Combining theoretical explanations with practical case studies, from pre-disaster planning in Tokyo, to the revitalization of historic towns and rural areas around Japan, the book looks at specific solutions, tools, and links between academics, communities, organizations, governmental bodies, and the private sector. It will appeal to researchers in planning, community engagement, architecture, urban design, and sustainable development.

The Beauty of Everyday Things

The Beauty of Everyday Things
Author: Soetsu Yanagi
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2019-01-31
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0241366364

The daily lives of ordinary people are replete with objects, common things used in commonplace settings. These objects are our constant companions in life. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe - the aesthetic result of wholeheartedly fulfilling utilitarian needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, these essays call for us to deepen and transform our relationship with the objects that surround us. Inspired by the work of the simple, humble craftsmen Yanagi encountered during his lifelong travels through Japan and Korea, they are an earnest defence of modest, honest, handcrafted things - from traditional teacups to jars to cloth and paper. Objects like these exemplify the enduring appeal of simplicity and function: the beauty of everyday things.

Sendai Virus Vector

Sendai Virus Vector
Author: Yoshiyuki Nagai
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2014-01-31
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 4431545565

Sendai virus (SeV) is not just a mouse pathogen but is evolving into a cutting-edge component of biotechnology. SeV reverse genetics originating from a pure academic need to settle long-held questions in the biology and pathogenicity of nonsegmented negative strand RNA viruses (Mononegavirales) is about to bear the impressive fruit of multipurpose cytoplasmic (non-integrating) RNA vectors. This book brings together in one source the SeV biology revealed by conventional approaches and reverse genetics, the methods to construct the first-generation SeV vector and to generate safer versions, and the applications in medical settings that have left or are about to leave the laboratory bench. The applications, which already are diverse and have high medical impact, include use as vaccine vectors against AIDS and respiratory virus infections, creation of BioKnife to resect malignant tumors, induction of “footprint (transgene) free” pluripotent stem cells, and gene therapy for peripheral arterial disease. These achievements—which are just a few of many examples—were attainable only after rigorously incorporating the rich knowledge of SeV biology that has accumulated during the several decades since the discovery of the virus. Application of SeV vector is certain to expand greatly because of its extremely high performance in transgene expression and its remarkable target cell breadth.

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Asia and the Pacific Islands

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Asia and the Pacific Islands
Author: Agamuthu Pariatamby
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2013-09-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9814451738

Solid waste management issues, technologies and challenges are dynamic. More so, in developing and transitory nations in Asia. This book, written by Asian experts in solid waste management, explores the current situation in Asian countries including Pacific Islands. There are not many technical books of this kind, especially dedicated to this region of the world. The chapters form a comprehensive, coherent investigation in municipal solid waste (MSW) management, including, definitions used, generation, sustainable waste management system, legal framework and impacts on global warming. Several case studies from Asian nations are included to exemplify the real situation experienced. Discussions on MSW policy in these countries and their impacts on waste management and minimization (if any) are indeed an eye-opener. Undoubtedly, this book would be a pioneer in revealing the latest situation in the Asian region, which includes two of the world’s most dynamic nations in the economic growth. It is greatly envisaged to form an excellent source of reference in MSW management in Asia and Pacific Islands. This book will bridge the wide gap in available information between the developed and transitory/developing nations.

The Demography of Disasters

The Demography of Disasters
Author: Dávid Karácsonyi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2020-09-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3030499200

This open access book provides worldwide examples demonstrating the importance of the interplay between demography and disasters in regions and spatially. It marks an advance in practical and theoretical insights for understanding the role of demography in planning for and mitigating impacts from disasters in developed nations. Both slow onset (like the of loss polar ice from climate change) and sudden disasters (such as cyclones and man-made disasters) have the capacity to fundamentally change the profiles of populations at local and regional levels. Impacts vary according to the type, rapidity and magnitude of the disaster, but also according to the pre-existing population profile and its relationships to the economy and society. In all cases, the key to understanding impacts and avoiding them in the future is to understand the relationships between disasters and population change. In most chapters in this book we compare and contrast studies from at least two cases and summarize their practical and theoretical lessons.

Japanasia

Japanasia
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 628
Release: 1956
Genre: Industries
ISBN: