Maid cafe waitresses show off their scientific know-how

Girls dressed in French maid outfits running craft classes on soldering, of all things, might seem like something out of Japanese anime. But this is Akihabara, Tokyo's "Electric Town," and home to all things anime and "otaku," meaning geeks. The workshops are the brainchild of electronics parts retailer Wakamatsu Tsusho Co. Akihabara has long been home to many electronics parts shops. But nowadays, it also serves as "ground zero" for otaku culture and attracts thousands of enthusiasts of anime, videogames, cosplay and other pop culture trends. Wakamatsu came up with the idea of craft classes run by waitresses in maid costumes to revive interest in the science behind electronic gadgets. The company, established 36 years ago, hosted a free craft session in March at Akihabara Network & Embedded Technology Center, Akiba NET-kan, in the Sotokanda area of Chiyoda Ward. In addition to Wakamatsu Tsusho workers and specialists close to Japan's leading semiconductor manufacturer, Renesas Electronics Corp., it included Erika Kurosaki and Shion Arimura from Togenkyo maid cafe as instructors to offer tips on soldering. Twelve people, ranging from a 6-year-old girl, who is set to attend elementary school this spring, to a 62-year-old man, joined the session. After they were given basic tips on soldering, they worked on a heart-shaped circuit board to complete an LED flasher that plays music.

Denim becomes the perfect fit for Tokyo’s Ginza

Denim and the tony Ginza district in Tokyo never before seemed the right fit, but for one day, they were tailor-made for each other. An outdoor fashion show was held in the Ginza district on March 24 to showcase clothes and other fashion items made of quality denim produced in Japan. More than 150 models walked the 100-meter catwalk covered in denim for the event, the Ginza Runway, on Ginza's central street. The show, watched by crowds of shoppers and passers-by lining both sides of the runway, featured about 200 items by popular brands by apparel companies and students at fashion schools in Japan. The items ranged from pastel-colored jeans, luxurious dresses with frills and kimono, to headwear and bags. The show was the brainchild of a Ginza department store and others, intended to cheer people up after the nation marked the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11. The denim made in Japan was chosen because it is widely used by top fashion houses around the world because of its high quality. Children from the disaster-stricken Sendai and Tokyo’s Chuo Ward, where the Ginza is situated, made appearances in the show's finale.

Uniqlo opens in Philippines in June

The clothing chain is one of Japan’s biggest exports today and is owned by Japan’s richest (or second richest, depending on who you ask) man. It   claims to be the world’s fastest-growing apparel retailer. Uniqlo’s parent company, Fast Retailing Inc., has partnered with the Sy family’s SM Retail Inc. to form Fast Retailing Phils. Inc. Uniqlo’s first Philippine store opens in June at SM Mall of Asia. The shop, to cover 1,500 sq m, will carry the men’s, women’s and children’s lines. Tadashi Yanai, chair and chief executive of Fast Retailing Inc., said in an interview early this year that Uniqlo is going into developing countries with a fast-growing middle class, naming the Philippines and other Asian countries.

The Economy of the Bikini

Swimwear brand Salinas started making its first bikinis at a home-factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 30 years ago, opened its first shop in 1990 and today is one of Brazil's leading bikini brands. It has 45 shops around the country and sells to 39 different countries. Its bikinis have been on covers of magazines like Vogue and Sports Illustrated, and dressed the likes of Madonna and Naomi Campbell. It began with a young couple, an idea born over lazy days at the beach and two sewing machines. Rio-born Jacqueline and Antonio De Biase were still a young couple thinking about their future in the early 1980s. She used to work as a model and considered becoming a veterinarian; he had just graduated in architecture - and they both spent a lot of time hanging out with friends on the beach. The couple decided to invest their savings in starting up a company making the types of bikinis their friends would want to wear. In a year's time they were able to make a living from the company's initial revenue. After three years they were producing around 2,000 bikinis a month. At first they sold the items to other shops that would stamp their own logos on them. They then started developing the brand's own image, reinvesting their profits to make the fledgling company grow. Today, 425 people work for Salinas in Rio. In 2007, it joined with a men's clothing brand from the same city, Richards, and three years later they both became part of In Brands, a holding that invests in the fashion industry. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16698850

VOCABULARY

1.      Leading (adj.) - best, most important, or most successful

Example: a leading heart specialist

2.      Veterinarian (noun) - someone who is trained to give medical care and treatment to sick animals 

Example: Pet shops should have veterinarians.

3.    Revenue (noun) - money that a business or organization receives over a period of time, especially from selling goods or services [↪ income]:

Example: The factory lost revenue because of the strike by the workers.

4.      Stamp (verb) – make a mark; to put a pattern, sign, or letters on something using a special tool:

Example: The woman at the desk stamped my passport.

5.      Fledgling (adj.)  - someone or something that is getting started in a new activity

Example:  My friend is a fledgling novelist.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.      Would you consider putting up your own business?

2.      Discuss about your future business plan.

3.      How would bikini business be like in your country?

4.      Tell us about swimwear brand in your country.