Last week I went on holiday with my family
to Okinawa for the first time since living there some 8 years ago. During our stay, we paid a visit to some old friends, the Ts,
who settled on the subtropical island from mainland Japan during the early 2000s. Mr. T, worked at a research center until about two years ago when the center started to
fail. He was then forced to start up his
own company, taking many of his colleagues with him. The company is mainly involved in the research
and development of Okinawan products using kouji
(rice malt), such as awamori (a traditional
alcoholic drink) and tofuyo (a cheese-like
fermented tofu).
Over dinner, Mr. T opened up a bottle of awamori that he’d made several years earlier,
and while we looked out on the turquoise sea, he told me about how only 20% of Japanese
startups survive the first two years. As
with many other remote parts of the nation, Okinawa isn’t the easiest place to
do business, but I believe its resources and strategic position at the heart of maritime East
Asia have much to offer those willing to invest in them. I hope we can sit down again eight years from now and
celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary.
R.M.
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