Although local neighborhood associations are found in many countries, Japan's are distinguished by their ubiquity, scope of activities, and very high participation rates, making them important for the study of society and politics. Most Japanese belong to one local neighborhood association or another, making them Japan's most numerous civil society organization, and one that powerfully shapes governance outcomes in the country. And, they also often blur the state-society boundary, making them theoretically intriguing. Neighborhood Associations and Local Governance in Japan draws on a unique and novel body of empirical data derived from the first national survey of neighborhood associations carried out in 2007 and provides a multifaceted empirical portrait of Japan's neighborhood associations. It examines how local associational structures affect the quality of local governance, and thus the quality of life for Japan's citizens and residents, and illuminates the way in which these ambiguous associations can help us refine civil society theory and show how they contribute to governance. As well as outlining the key features of neighbourhood associations, the book goes on to examine in detail the way in which neighbourhood associations contribute to governance, in terms of social capital, networks with other community organizations, social service provision, cooperation with local governments and political participation. This book will be welcomed by students and scholars of Japanese politics, Japanese society, anthropology, urban studies as well as those interested in social capital and civil society.

Although local neighborhood associations are found in many countries, Japan s are distinguished by their ubiquity, scope of activities, and very high participation rates, making them important for the study of society and politics. Most Japanese belong to one local neighborhood association or another, making them Japan s most numerous civil society organization, and one that powerfully shapes governance outcomes in the country. And, they also often blur the state-society boundary, making them theoretically intriguing.

Neighborhood Associations and Local Governance in Japan draws on a unique and novel body of empirical data derived from the first national survey of neighborhood associations carried out in 2007 and provides a multifaceted empirical portrait of Japan s neighborhood associations. It examines how local associational structures affect the quality of local governance, and thus the quality of life for Japan s citizens and residents, and illuminates the way in which these ambiguous associations can help us refine civil society theory and show how they contribute to governance. As well as outlining the key features of neighbourhood associations, the book goes on to examine in detail the way in which neighbourhood associations contribute to governance, in terms of social capital, networks with other community organizations, social service provision, cooperation with local governments and political participation.

This book will be welcomed by students and scholars of Japanese politics, Japanese society, anthropology, urban studies as well as those interested in social capital and civil society. "

Culture no longer has borders. With the advent of internet sites like Sothebys.com and the increasing reality of globalisation, culture itself has gone global. This collection focuses on questions involving national identity, indigenous culture, economic growth, free trade, cultural policy, and global tourism. Global Culture looks at all aspects of the "arts" including: film, art, music, theatre, television, and museums. This book fleshes out how current cultural policies are working and forecasts what we can expect the future landscape of global culture to look like.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

From Guy Kawasaki, the bestselling author of The Art of the Start and Enchantment, The Art of Social Media is a no-nonsense guide to becoming a social media superstar. By now it's clear that whether you're promoting a business, a product, or yourself, social media is near the top of what will determine your success or failure. And there are countless pundits, authors, and consultants eager to advise you. But there's no one quite like Guy Kawasaki, the legendary former chief evangelist for Apple and one of the pioneers of business blogging, tweeting, facebooking, tumbling, and much, much more. Now Guy has teamed up with his Canva colleague Peg Fitzpatrick to offer The Art of Social Media - the one essential guide you need to get the most bang for your time, effort, and money. With more than 100 practical tips, tricks, and insights, Guy and Peg present a ground-up strategy to produce a focused, thorough, and compelling presence on the most popular social-media platforms. They guide you through the steps of building your foundation, amassing your digital assets, going to market, optimizing your profile, attracting more followers, and effectively integrating social media and blogging. For beginners overwhelmed by too many choices, as well as seasoned professionals eager to improve their game, The Art of Social Media is full of tactics that have been proven to work in the real world. Or as Guy puts it, "Great Stuff, No Fluff." Guy Kawasaki, who helped make Macintosh a household name, now runs Garage Technology Ventures, a venture-capital firm. He has held his workshop, "Boot Camp for Start-ups," around the world. Kawasaki is the author of seven previous books, including Art of the Start, Enchantment and Rules for Revolutionaries.

Provides a detailed discussion of all aspects of employment (including recruitment, tenure, turnover, promotion, labor force participation, unemployment, and retirement) and labor payments (wages, bonus payments, non-wage costs) in the Japanese labor market. All topics are discussed in relation to comparable experience in the United States and Europe. A major theme concerns whether or not key features of Japanese labor market institutions and practices differ from competitor economies.

A top social media guru shares the secrets to expanding your business through relationships

People have always done business with people they know, like, and trust. That's the essence of "relationship marketing." Today, the popularity of online social networking has caused a paradigm shift in relationship marketing. This book helps businesspeople and marketers master this crucial new skill set. Social marketing expert Mari Smith outlines a step-by-step plan for building a sizable, loyal network comprised of quality relationships that garner leads, publicity, sales, and more.

If you're a businessman or businesswoman feeling the pressure to shift your approach to using social media marketing, to better understand the new soft skills required for success on the social web, and to improve your own leadership and relationship skills through emotional and social intelligence, this book is for you.Outlines how to become a significant "center of influence" for your customers and prospectsExplains the unspoken rules of online etiquette--and the common "turnoffs" that drive customers and potential partners awayDetails the unique cultures of Facebook, Twitter, and other popular online platformsShows exactly what to automate and delegate to build your social media persona, yet still retain the personal touch

Even if you currently have zero presence online, this book will help you see measurable results in a short time.

Praise for "Energize Growth Now"

"Effective, timely, balanced-this book captures the critical steps for growing a business the 'right way' and avoiding the usual pitfalls of a poor growth strategy."
--Stephen R. Covey, author, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and "The Leader in Me"

"Much like my experience at Apple, you will need to know when it's time to stop acting like a bootstrapper and start operating like a growth company. This book is a great resource to ease the transition. By applying these core principles and time-tested planning guides, you will have changed the world for the better."
--Guy Kawasaki, author, "Reality Check" and "The Art of the Start," and cofounder, Alltop

"I wish I'd had access to this book's wisdom in the past. It's a wellspring of invaluable marketing ideas and wealth-building strategies business owners and management teams can-and should-use to take their companies where they need to go. There's no abstruse theory or hard-to-understand doublespeak here. Just actionable plans anyone can literally start using tomorrow. That makes Lisa Nirell the growth strategy guru for sustainable businesses."
--Jeffrey Hollender, President and Chief Inspired Protagonist, Seventh Generation

""Energize Growth NOW" appears at an ideal time to provide small business owners with their rightful wealth, life balance, and peace of mind through great advice, easily applied. Lisa Nirell's advice is more important than any business plan you now have in place."
--Alan Weiss, PhD, author, "Million Dollar Consulting"

""Energize Growth NOW" is simply a fantastic how-to guide for building a great company. Try the ideas in this book and not only will your business grow, but so will you "
--Marshall Goldsmith, "New York Times" and "Wall Street Journal" #1 bestselling author of "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" and "Succession: Are You Ready?"

"In "Energize Growth NOW," Lisa Nirell has written a smart, concise guide for business leaders looking to navigate growth successfully. The book provides valuable tips on how companies can grow better as well as bigger, and how leaders can create the kind of vibrant culture that's critical now more than ever."
--Ray Davis, CEO, Umpqua Bank, and author, "Leading for Growth"

"Lisa Nirell has captured the essence of what it takes to grow an entrepreneurial venture into a successful, sustainable enterprise."
--Jerry Andres, CEO, Jeld-Wen Development, and Chairman of the Board, Clear Choice Health Plans

"What's uniquely cool about Lisa's book is the way she interweaves values with financial success. Making big bucks without values smells. Having high values go unrewarded ultimately destroys beliefs. She keeps them together."
--Gary Sutton, author, "The Six-Month Fix" and "Corporate Canaries"

Using real-life cases describing patients with neuro-ophthalmic disorders, this book is a case-based teaching tool that bridges the gap between textbook information and everyday clinical practice. Each case illustrates a particular area of frequent diagnostic confusion, and highlights the specific clinical features that should point to the correct diagnosis. Focusing on errors in this way serves as motivation to the clinician to master the material so that 'pitfalls' can be avoided. The level of the case discussions assumes that the reader has some familiarity with basic neuroanatomy, physiology and disease process but each case discussion furnishes a brief review of such information, always with an emphasis on those features that are clinically relevant. The case-histories are succinct and amply illustrated, including motility and fundus photographs, visual fields and radiographic studies. The narrative is moved along with questions to the reader, making it easy to follow the logic of the cases.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Japanese labour market institutions and practices with respect to employment issues and labour payments. It contains extensive discussion of the effects of industrial relations, small business activity, business cycles and schooling on work and pay. An early chapter is devoted to presenting, in an accessible manner, essential labour market ideas and concepts that recur throughout the text. Important topics covered include (i) unions and wage determination, (ii) the breakdown of total labour costs, (iii) the Japanese bonus system, (iv) the employment life-cycle, (v) small businesses and subcontracting, (vi) pay and productivity over the business cycle. A key feature is that subject areas and themes are examined within a comparative United States/European framework. This allows assessments of whether or not the structure and performance of the Japanese labour market has differed from experience elsewhere.

Tweet your company to the top of the market with a tailored approach to Twitter Twitter Power 3.0 is the newly updated guide that shows smart businesses and entrepreneurs how to use Twitter to their advantage. This book is the best business leader's guide to Twitter, with the most up to date information on trends in social media, branding, and competitive research. Readers will learn that viral content doesn't happen by accident, why videos and photos are crucial to engagement, and how to measure the success of a Twitter strategy using specific and accurate metrics. This new edition contains brand new case studies, user profiles, features, and images, helping readers create a stronger overall Twitter strategy whether they're already engaged or just wondering if Twitter's important for their business future. Tip: it most definitely is important! Twitter has grown up. It's now a public company, worth over $30 billion, and it means business. Twitter has changed over time, but remains a crucial tool for business branding and a key place to engage with customers and build long-term client relationships. This book demonstrates how Twitter can play an important role in business growth, 140 characters at a time. Understand how Twitter differs from other social media platforms Build a savvy Twitter strategy as part of a broader social media plan Create viral content that effortlessly spreads your message and gains you huge numbers of followers Learn which metrics matter, and how to measure and track them Firms need to understand how Twitter is a vital element in any social media marketing, and craft strategies specific to each. Twitter Power 3.0 is the complete guide to Twitter for business, with the latest information, proven techniques, and expert advice.

Chio continues to live out her (relatively) peaceful, below-average high-school life-buying underwear with two of her friends, testing the limits of her friendship with Manana, and getting into plenty of other hijinks-but a day of reckoning approaches! Is she finally going to go on a date with Andou?! This story of a high-school gamer just trying to reach the grounds by the morning bell ends in this volume!

**Winner Gourmand World Cookbook Award 2019** "In his new book, journalist Brian Ashcraft digs into the short but colorful history of the Japanese liquor and the process that differentiates Japan's labels from their Western cousins. Plus, whisky authority Yuji Kawasaki shares tasting notes for more than a hundred bottles." --Travel + Leisure Japanese whisky has been around for less than a century--but is now winning all the major international awards. How did this happen and what are the secrets of the master distillers? This whisky book divulges these secrets for the first time. Japanese Whisky features never-before-published archival images and interviews chronicling the forgotten stories of Japan's pioneering whisky makers. It reveals the unique materials and methods used by the Japanese distillers including mizunara wood, Japanese barley, and novel production methods unique to Japan. It also examines the close cultural connections between Japanese scotch and whisky drinkers and their favorite tipples. For the first time in English, this book presents over a hundred independently scored tastings from leading Japanese whisky blogger, Yuji Kawasaki, shedding new light on Japan's most famous single malts as well as grain whiskies and blends. Japan expert Brian Ashcraft and photographer Idzuhiko Ueda crisscrossed Japan visiting all the major makers to talk about past and present whisky distillers, blenders and coopers. Japanophiles, whisky lovers, travelers, and history buffs will all find something fascinating within these pages, including: Tasting notes and scores of every major Japanese whisky brand A complete account of the unique production methods and ingredients Information about visiting distilleries in Japan Hundreds of color photos documenting the history and modern practices of Japanese whisky Exclusive interviews and previously unpublished personal accounts from leading industry figures Japanese Whisky not only explains how the country's award-winning whiskies are made, but also the complete whisky history and culture, so readers can truly appreciate the subtle Japanese whiskies they're drinking and buying. Kanpai!

THE CLASSIC BESTSELLING GUIDE TO LAUNCHING AND MAKING YOUR NEW PRODUCT, SERVICE OR IDEA A SUCCESS. 'The ultimate entrepreneurship handbook' - Arianna Huffington Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, small-business owner, intrapreneur, or not-for-profit leader, there's no shortage of advice on topics such as innovating, recruiting, fund raising, and branding. In fact, there are so many books, articles, websites, blogs, webinars, and conferences that many startups focus on the wrong priorities and go broke before they succeed. The Art of the Start 2.0 solves that problem by distilling Guy Kawasaki's decades of experience as one of the most hardworking and irreverent strategists in the business world. Guy understands the seismic changes in business over the last decade: Once-invulnerable market leaders are struggling. Many of the basics of getting established have become easier, cheaper, and more democratic. Business plans are no longer necessary. Social media has replaced PR and advertising as the key method of promotion. Crowdfunding is now a viable alternative to investors. The cloud makes basic infrastructure affordable for almost any new venture. The Art of the Start 2.0 will show you how to effectively deploy all these tools. It will help you master the fundamental challenges that have not changed: building a strong team, creating an awesome product or service, and facing down your competition.

Chio's wacky commute takes it up another notch when Chio and Manana--a duo with questionable morals--come upon a lost wallet en route to school. Will the two friends take the high road and turn it in to the police? Probably...not. Later, track team star Hosokawa, the normie queen, reveals her true nature! Is she just as weird as the rest of them?!

This book describes active illumination techniques in computer vision. We can classify computer vision techniques into two classes: passive and active techniques. Passive techniques observe the scene statically and analyse it as is. Active techniques give the scene some actions and try to facilitate the analysis. In particular, active illumination techniques project specific light, for which the characteristics are known beforehand, to a target scene to enable stable and accurate analysis of the scene. Traditional passive techniques have a fundamental limitation. The external world surrounding us is three-dimensional; the image projected on a retina or an imaging device is two-dimensional. That is, reduction of one dimension has occurred. Active illumination techniques compensate for the dimensional reduction by actively controlling the illumination. The demand for reliable vision sensors is rapidly increasing in many application areas, such as robotics and medical image analysis. This book explains this new endeavour to explore the augmentation of reduced dimensions in computer vision. This book consists of three parts: basic concepts, techniques, and applications. The first part explains the basic concepts for understanding active illumination techniques. In particular, the basic concepts of optics are explained so that researchers and engineers outside the field can understand the later chapters. The second part explains currently available active illumination techniques, covering many techniques developed by the authors. The final part shows how such active illumination techniques can be applied to various domains, describing the issue to be overcome by active illumination techniques and the advantages of using these techniques. This book is primarily aimed at 4th year undergraduate and 1st year graduate students, and will also help engineers from fields beyond computer vision to use active illumination techniques. Additionally, the book is suitable as course material for technical seminars.

Chiharu vs. Kushitori! Manana and Chio vs. a police officer! And...Chio vs. Andou! Let the battles begin in Volume 8 of Chio's School Road!

This book describes active illumination techniques in computer vision. We can classify computer vision techniques into two classes: passive and active techniques. Passive techniques observe the scene statically and analyse it as is. Active techniques give the scene some actions and try to facilitate the analysis. In particular, active illumination techniques project specific light, for which the characteristics are known beforehand, to a target scene to enable stable and accurate analysis of the scene. Traditional passive techniques have a fundamental limitation. The external world surrounding us is three-dimensional; the image projected on a retina or an imaging device is two-dimensional. That is, reduction of one dimension has occurred. Active illumination techniques compensate for the dimensional reduction by actively controlling the illumination. The demand for reliable vision sensors is rapidly increasing in many application areas, such as robotics and medical image analysis. This book explains this new endeavour to explore the augmentation of reduced dimensions in computer vision. This book consists of three parts: basic concepts, techniques, and applications. The first part explains the basic concepts for understanding active illumination techniques. In particular, the basic concepts of optics are explained so that researchers and engineers outside the field can understand the later chapters. The second part explains currently available active illumination techniques, covering many techniques developed by the authors. The final part shows how such active illumination techniques can be applied to various domains, describing the issue to be overcome by active illumination techniques and the advantages of using these techniques. This book is primarily aimed at 4th year undergraduate and 1st year graduate students, and will also help engineers from fields beyond computer vision to use active illumination techniques. Additionally, the book is suitable as course material for technical seminars.

This collection covers a variety of materials science topics and has contributions from leading scientists and engineers representing 8 countries and 9 international materials, metals, and minerals societies. Papers are organized into the following sections:Advanced BiomaterialsAdvanced ManufacturingMaterials for Green Energy Materials for Infrastructure Materials for the Oil and Gas Industry Materials for Transportation and LightweightingMinerals Extraction and ProcessingNanocrystalline and Ultra-fine Grain Materials and Bulk Metallic Glasses Steels