Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-05-18
Why Japan’s First Guns Were Called “Tanegashima” The Story of Technology Adaptation Many people do not realize that the Japanese word for early firearms, Tanegashima (種子島), actually comes from the na...
2026-05-17
One Train for One Student — The Kyu-Shirataki StoryKyu-Shirataki Station in Hokkaido became famous because of a story that touched people around the world. The rural station had almost no passenger...
2026-05-17
More Than QR Codes: The Story Behind DENSO Many people know DENSO because of the invention of the QR Code. Today, QR Codes are everywhere — on restaurant menus, airline tickets, payment systems, ad...
2026-05-17
I Learned a Story About the Mitsubishi Zero I recently learned something interesting about the Mitsubishi Zero fighter from World War II. For many years, I heard the story that Mitsubishi continued...
2026-05-17
Did You Know? “Short, Small, Light, and Thin” Was Once Japan’s Manufacturing Philosophy Did you know there was once a Japanese manufacturing philosophy called “短小軽薄” (Tansho Keihaku)? The phrase ...
2026-05-17
Groundbreaking Ceremony for a Data Center Even when building a modern data center in Japan, one of the very first steps may be a traditional Jichinsai — a Shinto groundbreaking ceremony. It may sou...
2026-05-16
This is Kenichi Uchikura, and I would like to personally invite you to join us at PSPINC for a special networking event co-hosted with the Japan-America Society of Washington. I am especially excit...
2026-05-16
Seattle Is Finally Getting National Attention For many years, Seattle and Washington State stayed mostly out of the national political spotlight. New York and California usually attracted the attenti...
2026-05-16
“Ame ni mo Makezu” — A Japanese Way of Thinking One of the most famous poems in Japan is Ame ni mo Makezu (“Be Not Defeated by the Rain”) written by Kenji Miyazawa in 1931. Even today, many Japanes...
2026-05-15
The Pain of Changing Hospital Computer Systems My hospital, Virginia Mason, is currently switching its computer system to Epic. I went in for a regular check-up this morning, and I had to wait in lin...