COOL JAPAN TOKYO-CONFERENCE

Seigou Matsuoka
                   （Director, Editorial Engineering Laboratory, Director of
                   Interactive System of Inter Scores Editing School ）

Born in Kyoto in 1944, he founded the publishing house Kosakusha and began publishing the objet magazine Yu in 1971, effecting genre-bending editing and groundbreaking graphic arts. He established the Editorial Engineering Laboratory in 1987, and engaged in the research project to pile up Japanese culture and information culture. He has served as a visiting professor of Tokyo of University since 1996, and a professor of Tezukayama Gakuin University since 1998. He opened Interactive System of Inter Scores Editing School on the internet, and has started the series of book navigation called “Senya Sensatu-1000 nights 1000 books.” Since 2009, he has produced the book store “Matsumaruhonpo” on the concept of “Senya sensate.” He is a director general of “Committee for Future of Japan and East Asia” Publication He has many publications such as “Information and Culture” , “Editing engineering of wisdom” , “Reading history of Information” , “Exclusive Reading” and more.

Yoshiko Ikoma （Fashion Journalist）
After having worked for VOGUE and ELLE, she became editor in chief for marie claire in 2004, and went independent in 2008. She now works as an independent fashion journalist, lecturer, producer covering various topics from fashion, art, eco to philanthopy. She directed Fasion and Beauty section at Organic Expo 2009 and 2010. She is currently writing a series of articles for a magazine such as cafeglobe. She is an exective board member of NPO organization Service Grant, and act as a representitive of the internationally certified organic textile company GOTS. She also curates exhibitions at gallery "Six" in Okasa, as well as "EYE OF GYRE" in Tokyo.

Kashiwa Sato (Art Director / Creative Director)
After having worked at Hakuhodo, he established SAMURAI.　He has been acclaimed for having a progressive view point and capability to develop powerful visual works. Some of which are; artwork for a Japanese pop band SMAP; NTT docomo「N702iD / N-07A」; UNIQLO; creative direction for RAKUTEN group; VI and scheme of the sign for the National Art Center; Corporate Ads for Kirin Beer; First Retailing CI for Globe Ride (former DAIWA); Branding for preschools, universities, and hospitals. He has received grand prize for Tokyo ADC award, Mainichi Design Award, and many more. He is a visiting professor at Tama Art University and Meiji University. He has written a book “Sato Kashiwa’s creative thinking” published from Nikkei Shinbun Publisher.
http://kashiwasato.com/

Tomoyuki Sugiyama (Founder of Digital Hollywood University)
Born in Tokyo, 1954. Worked as a visiting researcher at MIT Media Lab for 3 years from 1987. After working as the chief researcher at the International Media Research Foundation in 1990 and a full-time instructor at Nihon University Junior College in 1993, established Digital Hollywood Co., LTD. in October, 1994. Opened Digital Hollywood Graduate School (Graduate School of Digital Content) in 2004 which is the first graduate school for specialists run by a corporation in Japan. Opened Digital Hollywood University (School of Digital Communications) in the following year and currently serving as the President of the University. Has held positions such as a representative of Multimedia Broadcasting Business Forum, the chairperson of The Fukuoka Contents Industry Hub Promotion Committee, the content enhancement researcher of Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Secretariat and others. In 1999, received a special achievement award in the AMD Award of Association of Media in Digital.

Kiyoyuki “Ken” Okuyama
                   (Industrial Designer / CEO, KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN)

Born in Yamagata Japan, 1959.
He has worked as a Chief Designer for General Motors, a Senior Designer for Porshce AG, and a Design Director for Pininfarina S.p.A., being responsible for the design of Ferrari Enzo, Maserati Quattroporte and many others. He is also known for numerous industrial design products and consultancy, such as motor bikes,furniture, robots, and theme parks. Ken founded KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN as CEO in 2007.
He produces modern furniture from “KEN OKUYAMA CASA/YAMAGATA KOUBOU”, an eyewear series from “KEN OKUYAMA EYES”, and automotive coach building from “KEN OKUYAMA CARS”. He is currently a visiting professor at several colleges such as Art Center College of Design (USA), Tama Art University, Kanazawa Art College and Faculty of Engineering in Yamagata University (Japan). Ken is also a published author of several books.

Kengo Kuma
                   (Architect / Professor at the University of Tokyo)

Kengo Kuma was born in 1954. He completed his master’s degree at the University of Tokyo in 1979. From 1985 to 1986, he studied at Columbia University as Visiting Scholar. He established Kengo Kuma & Associates 1990. He taught at Keio University from 2001 to 2008, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008, and in 2009, he was installed as Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, University of Tokyo.
Among Kuma’s major works are Stage in Forest, Toyoma Center for Performance Arts (received 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Annual Award), Water/Glass (1995, received AIA Benedictus Award), Stage in Forest, Toyoma Center for Performance Arts (received 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Annual Award), Stone Museum (received International Stone Architecture Award 2001), Bato-machi Hiroshige Museum (received The Murano Prize). Recent works include Great Bamboo Wall (2002, Beijing, China), Nagasaki Prefectural Museum (2005, Nagasaki), the Suntory Museum of Art (2007, Tokyo) and Nezu Museum (2009, Tokyo). A number of large projects are now going on in Europe and China, including an arts centre in Besancon City, France, and Granada Performing Arts Centre, Spain.
He was awarded the International Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award in 2002 (Finland), International Architecture Awards for the Best New Global Design for “Chokkura Plaza and Shelter” in 2007, and Energy Performance + Architectutre Award in 2008 (France), and in 2009, he was given the title d’Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, from the French Government.

Kazuyoshi Suzuki
                        (National Science Museum Department. of Science & Engineering
                        Division of History of Science and Technology Head )

Born in Nigata prefecture. The focus of his research is the developmental process of science and technology in Japan primarily starting from Edo period until today. He incorporates an empirical approach for his research using real life objects.

Yoshiaki Nakamura (Head of Sotoji Nakamura builder's office)
Born in Kyoto in 1946. Master craftsman known for the tea-ceremony room architecture. He is the second son of Sotoji Nakamura. He runs the second generation of the Nakamura Sotoji Koumu ten (a building contractor). His work ranges from traditional style buildings to renovation work such as; the tea room for the Japanese garden at Osaka Expo; Mansion for Rockefeller in New York; tea room for Kounosuke Matsushita; Landscaping for MIHO museum.
He has also established a furniture store “Kouseki” that specializes in vintage furnitures imported from Northern Europe. When it first opened its door, they focused on the production of custom orders but soon it expanded its business to include high-quality selected imported furnitures from Northern Europe. It now handles design projects for a wide range of customers world-wide. Work includes homes, restaurants and hotels.

Hirokazu Kiuchi
                        (President of Agricultural producer's co-operative corporation “wagoen”)

Born in Yamagata Japan, 1959.
He has worked as a Chief Designer for General Motors, a Senior Designer for Porshce AG, and a Design Director for Pininfarina S.p.A., being responsible for the design of Ferrari Enzo, Maserati Quattroporte and many others. He is also known for numerous industrial design products and consultancy, such as motor bikes,furniture, robots, and theme parks. Ken founded KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN as CEO in 2007. He produces modern furniture from “KEN OKUYAMA CASA/YAMAGATA KOUBOU”, an eyewear series from “KEN OKUYAMA EYES”, and automotive coach building from “KEN OKUYAMA CARS”. He is currently a visiting professor at several colleges such as Art Center College of Design (USA), Tama Art University, Kanazawa Art College and Faculty of Engineering in Yamagata University (Japan). Ken is also a published author of several books.

Syujiro Kusumoto (President of CAFE COMPANY INC.)
Born in Fukuoka in 1964. Graduated from School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University and joined Cosmos Initia Co., Ltd. In 1998 begin to work on Cat Street development project. In 2001, found Café Company. Opens SUS under the elevated Tokyu Toyoko line. After open “WIRED CAFE”, “246CAFE<>BOOK” and ”A971”, which focus on the idea of locality of the area around the café. Launching café with new ideas and for new community. Focusing on the idea of Japanese tea culture, he has launched “Iemon Salon”, out door-fitness café “WIRED CAFE<>FIT”, bakery lesson studio “CENT QUATRE VINGTS” and with collaboration with JA Zennoh opened “Minori Cafe” and “Minoru Shokudou.” Not limited to café, he produces retail stores, commercial buildings, office and housings. In total, he owns 46 brand.

Harry Cheng (President of La Ditta Limited)
Born in Kobe, third-generation overseas Chinese. Recently acquired Japanese citizenship. Educated at the London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London) and Oxford Universities, specializing in social psychology and social welfare. ATT qualified. Participated in Virgin Group's and Dyson's market entry activities in Japan. Established maidoindia in Mumbai in 2007, working to foster cross-cultural relations between India and Japan. Founded marketing design company Bascos Japan in 2009, appointed Chief Operating Officer. As President of La Ditta Limited, in the business of exporting Japanese food etcetera to India, managed JETRO's antenna shops as well as the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency's (METI) India initiatives. Currently assisting Japan Tourism Agency's Visit Japan campaign to attract the increasingly wealthy Indians to come and discover amazing Japan. Writes for travel magazines in Japan and India. In September 2010, launched the travel diary "Been There Done That" that allows you to record your travel life through interesting checklists, and awarded the Good Design Award.
http://www.laditta.jp

Alex Kerr (Asian Culture Specialist)
Born in USA in 1952. In 1964 he visits Japan for first time with his family. Studied in Yale University and University of Oxford in UK. In 1977 moved to Kameoka-city, Kyoto and deliver lectures and writings about the idea of Japan and East Asia cultures. In 2004 found IORI. In 2010 retired chairman position on IORI. After his retirement, started NPO Chiiori Trust aiming to promote and save Japanese culture and traditions. He publishd “Utsukushiki Nihon no Zanzo” has received Shincho Gakugei Award.

Takaaki Umezawa (Partner, Managing director, Japan)
Mr. Umezawa leads the Japan unit of a global management consultancy A.T. Kearney. He has served many Japanese clients, including blue-chip conglomerates and companies in the consumer products and media industries. Prior to relocating to Tokyo, he was based in New York and served North American clients. His areas of expertise include corporate and business unit strategy, global strategy, marketing and organization. Before joining A.T. Kearney, Mr. Umezawa worked for Nissan Motor Co.
Mr. Umezawa is a Visiting Professor on strategy at Globis Graduate School of Management. He coauthored “Group Strategy and Group Management” (Business Research Institute) and translated “Stretch Company” (Toyo Keizai) into Japanese.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Tokyo, and an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Danny Choo (Representative Director, Mirai Inc)
Danny Choo resides in Tokyo and runs a small firm in Tokyo called Mirai Inc who's main focus is to share Japanese culture with the world though web, TV, print and conferences. Danny works with Japanese companies to bridge the gap between Japan and the world by aggregating/disseminating information and providing the technical and conventional means to do so.
Danny is invited several times a year to speak at conferences and universities worldwide on Japanese Pop Culture and Consumer Generated Media. He is regularly featured in web, print and broadcast media worldwide such as CNN, BBC, NHK and G4TV.
Originally from the UK, Danny has been working in the Japanese Internet since 1999. In his career, Danny served as Computer Engineer at Japan Airlines, Website Manager on the management team at Amazon and as CGM Product Manager at Microsoft.

Shoji Kogami (Playwright/Theater director/Film director/Novelist)
Born in Ehime in 1958. In 1981 he formed theater company "Daisan Butai". He received the Kishida Drama Prize in 1995 and the 61th Yomiuri Literature Price in 2010. In 1991 and 2007, he produced his play in London. In 1997, he studied the British method of actor training in London. He is currently focusing on writing and directing for production company "KOKAMI @network" and his new theater company "Kyokou no Gekidan" . He is also involved in a wide range of activities including writing essays and books, appearing on radio and TV(Hosting NHK program "COOL JAPAN"), directing movies and a Professor at TOHO GAKUEN College of Drama and Music.

   Yoshiharu Fukuhara (Honorary Chairman, Shiseido Company Limited)
In 1931 born in Tokyo. In 1953 graduated from School of Economics, Keio University and joined Shiseido Co.,Ltd. In 1987, take a place of president, In 2001 take a position as honorary chairman. Local , National and International Activities: Counselor / Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology / Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography / Chairman, the Association for Corporate Support of the Arts / Chairman, Kanagawa International Foundation / Chairman, the Tokyo Council for the Arts / Chairman, Characters Culture Promotion Organization / Honorary Chairman, All Japan Orchid Society / Co-Chairman, Club Franco-Japonaise / Chairman, la Section Japonaise de la Societe d’Entraide des Membres de l’Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur Publications ( titles translated from the Japanese):「Keys to Aging Gracefully」, 「Can Corporations Truly Become Patrons for Culture?」, 「Management in the Era of Multi-Value」, 「Managing Cultural Assets」, 「100 Orchids」, 「101 Orchids」, 「My Multiple Lives」, 「Why People Read Books」 Etc.

Yasushi Akimoto (Lyricist)
He made a conspicuous figure as a broadcasting writer at high school days. As a song writer he has created several hits starting from 「Kawano nagare no youni」for Hibari Misora, 「EXIT」for EXILE, and 「Umiyuki」for Jero since 1983.In 2009, He won the Special Award of 51st Japan Record Award with the pop idle group AKB48 he produced. He frequently appears in TV shows and active as a composer and producer of film, original script writer and publishes on news paper and magazines. He also produced pop idle groups, “AKB48”, “SKE48”,and “SDN48” in recent years. He is an author of 「Zon no senaka」and more others. In 2010 June, Akimoto became a board chairperson of The Television and Radio Writers’ Association of Japan. (TRWA), and also in the same year, He became a chairperson of Japanese Society for Rights of Authors Composers and Publishers. He is a vice-president of Kyoto University of Art and Design.

Kenichirou Mogi
                     (Brain Scientist / Senior Researcher, Sony Computer Science
                     Laboratories)

Japanese brain scientist. He is currently a senior researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories and a visiting professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo University, Osaka University, Waseda University, and University of the SACRED HEAT, Tokyo. Born in 1962 Oct 20th. After graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1985 with a degree in science and in 1987 with a degree in law, Mogi received in 1992 a Ph.D. and worked at RIKEN and Cambridge University in United Kingdom.

Toshiyuki Inoko (Creative Director)
Ultra Technologist Group TEAMLAB started on 2001at Tokyo.TEAMLAB is consisted of people with diverse specialists like engineers, designers, architects, CG animators, mathematicians. We are in active beyond media from WEB to installation, video art, robot etc with ambiguity borders among technology, art, and design.The Major achievements are: Developed the news/blog portable site “iza”of Sankei Digital (06). The Concept model cell phone “actface” received the Japan Media Art Festival Jury Recommended work (07). Exhibited “Flower and Corps” in Les Arts Decoratifs, France (08). Unveiled “100 Years Sea” at Konica Minoruta Plaza (09). Developed “Korekamo.net” which is twitter linked product search engine service with Tokyu Hands. Unveiled TEAMLAB Hanger at PUBLIC/IMAGE.3D (10)

Sou Fujimoto (Architect)
Born in Hokkaido on 1971, after graduating from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering at Tokyo University, he established Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2000. In 2005, he was awarded the Architectural Review Awards, a much coveted international award among young architects, 3 years consecutively (of which includes the Grand Prize in 2006). In 2008, he was invited to be on the panel of judges for the same award. In the same year, he won the JIA (Japan Institute of Architects) award and the highest award at the World Architectural Festival for the Private House division, and was selected as “Design Vanguard” in the Architecture Record magazine. In 2009, he won the Design Awards for wallpaper magazine. In 2010, he was awarded the Spotlight: The Rice Design Alliance Prize. His book “Primitive Future” published in 2008 became the best-selling architectural book of the year. His architectural designs that pursue new shapes and spaces that exist between nature and artificiality will undoubtedly continue to evolve in future.

Marcus Fairs (Founder and editor-in-chief of Dezeen)
Marcus Fairs is one of the most influential and knowledgeable figures on the international architecture and design scene.He is founder and editor-in-chief of online architecture and design magazine Dezeen (www.dezeen.com) - the world’s most influential design website, which gets around two million visits a month.Previously he launched architecture and design magazine Icon, which he edited from 2003 to 2006.Marcus is author of the best-selling book Twenty-First Century Design, published in 2006 by Carlton Books, which sold out and was reissued in June 2009. His new book, Green Design, was published in March 2009 by Carlton Books.His television experience includes Profiles: Philippe Starck, which he wrote and presented for BBC4 in 2003, and numerous on-screen contributor roles in documentary series including Home (BBC2, 206) and The National Trust (Channel 4, 2004).He has won numerous awards, including Journalist of the Year (2002), Architectural Journalist of the Year (2004) and Launch of the Year for Icon magazine (2003).Marcus is an accomplished public speaker, speaking at events and conferences around the world, including Design Indaba (Cape Town), Tokyo Designers Week, Design Miami, Slovenia Design Month, Belgrade Design Week, Future Design Days (Stockholm) and more.He has served on many competition and awards juries including Dutch Design Awards (2008-2010), Forum Awards (2008), Jerwood Prize (2004), RIBA East London Awards (2005) and Designers of the Future (2010). Marcus lives and works in London.

Fumio Nanjo (Director, Mori Art Museum)
Born in Tokyo in 1949. Independent Curator, Art critic.
He is a director of Mori Art Museum. He Graduated from Keio University, Faculty of Economics, and Faculty of Literature, "Aesthetics and Art History” After working at Japan Foundation he became director of Mori museum in 2002 and up to present. In the past he was a commissioner of Taipei Biennale in 1998, Jury of Turner Prize in 1998, Asia Pacific Triennial co-curator in Brisbane in 1999, and Sydney Biennale International jury membership, Expert of Japan Pavilion at International Expo in Hanover, and an art director of Yokohama Triennale n 2002, and Singapore Biennale in 2006 and 2008. He also plans public art and corporate arts projects. He now is a board chairman of CIMAM (International Committee of ICOM for Museums and Collections of Modern Art), and a member of AICA (International Association of Art Critics). He is a visiting professor at the Keio University.