Catherine’s Monthly Wrap Up - September 2023
Where did September go? It was still so hot over the month of September in Japan with continuing record temperatures and as I write this, yet another 33 degree day. I guess, when summer finally ends, I will start pining for it to be warm again. This paradox of waiting for summer to be over and when it is, missing summertime, is what I experience every year. One thing I can say is, it is much easier in the warmer months to get up early at 4am and watch the Rugby World Cup games live. I’ve been supporting NZ’s All Blacks and Japan’s “One Team” Brave Blossoms, and it's great to see them still in the competition. This time next month we will know who the winner is!
It was a month of eating and drinking my way round Japan to be honest, as friends descended into Japan and I followed them round mixing work and travel. You can see evidence of this eating and drinking in my photos on this blog.
Here’s a wrap-up of the highlights from my month of September 2023!
Christchurch-Kurashiki celebrate 50 years of the Sister City Relationship
It was fabulous to be in Kurashiki (Okayama prefecture) to celebrate the 50 years of the Christchurch-Kurashiki Sister City Relationship (1973-2023). For over 10 years I was an active member of the Sister City Committee in Christchurch, bringing four student groups to Kurashiki and one Mayoral Exchange.
Following some speeches at City Hall, and the signing of pledges, we headed to Friendship Corner to witness the unveiling of the memorial plaque and the tree planting (A New Zealand Cabbage Tree.). Then followed the celebration banquet and some tear-jerking footage on video of the 50 years of activities.
Kurashki is situated on a canal and the history with old warehouses, converted to shops and eateries, along with the willow trees lining the canal, is just sublime. I especially love the Ohara Museum and seeing the water lilies there in full bloom. These water lilies are taken from the roots of water lilies at Monet’s Garden and one Monet masterpiece is housed inside the Museum. The full moon on 29 September was also a delight to behold. I think I must have visited Kurashiki 30 times in my life!
My blog this time is full of Sister City Celebration photos and Kurashiki scenes which I hope you enjoy.
Mt Fuji Medley Month
I never tire of seeing Mt Fuji. In September I got to see her three times, from the Andaz hotel in Tokyo as the sun was setting, from the beautiful location of Hakone, and on the bullet train rushing my way to Toyota City.
Drinks at Bvlgari Hotel
I was so surprised at the understated elegance of the new Bvlgari hotel bar. It was very hard to find (perhaps that has been done on purpose?) and I fully recommend their Signature Cocktail.
Jade Room at the Tokyo Toranomon Edition Hotel
What a delight to be with Tokyo Tower view while enjoying a 7 course wine-pairing dinner at this amazing restaurant. I visit this hotel’s spa each month but this was a first for the Jade Room. Highly recommended… but bring your credit card!
Indigo Hotels
It was super cool to stay at the brand new Indigo Hotel in Shibuya. It’s got amazing decor and attention to detail on the little things, and if you know Shibuya you know about Hachiko the dog, and he is represented in the hotel in all kinds of ways and discovering him is lots of fun.
I also had Indigo hotel stays in Inuyama and Hakone. Each hotel is sublime in its decor bringing the neighbourhood inside the hotel. The food and staff were wonderful
Lawyer on Air Podcast
My podcasts were back on full power mode over September. I released TWO episodes of the Lawyer on Air Podcast
Yasuko Tanaka featured in Season 6 Episode 4 with the theme of “Creating a Career in Cross Cultural Communication and the IP Legal Industry in Japan”
Sayaka Ohashi revealed The Power of Listening in her Season 6 Episode 5
If you are enjoying my podcast episodes, I would love you to take just a few minutes of your time over this holiday break to leave me a rating on Apple podcasts, and write a short review so more people can hear about the podcast after reading your words to encourage them to do so. Drop us a quick email to tell us which episode you liked and why to: admin@catherineoconnelllaw.com
Jandals in Japan Podcast
Together with co-host Jayne Nakata we released another two new episodes of the Jandals in Japan Podcast.
We interviewed Annette Azuma in New Zealand for Episode 37 “Embracing Cultural Nuances: Insights for Successful Business Between Japan and New Zealand.”
In Episode 38 we got to speak with Fisheries Scholarship recipient Monique Holmes “Diving into Japan’s Aquaculture Landscape through the Global Fisheries Scholarship.”
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Mentoring to get you a Board seat and Women Lawyers Retreat
I continued to receive inquiries in the last month about my coaching/mentoring offering for female lawyers who are aiming for getting on Boards. I also received inquiries about the Women Lawyers Retreat. One space became available for the Autumn retreat in October so if you are interested in joining this or in the mentoring please get in touch with me at admin@catherineoconnelllaw.com.
And finally…
It was a pleasure to be invited to my bar (Dai-Ichi Bar) to deliver a speech at the foreign lawyers x Japanese lawyers international networking evening. I encouraged more of these events to be held, but that not all networking needs to be on a big scale. Smaller “brown bag/bento” gatherings over lunch to exchange ideas is also beneficial.
I didn’t know the Bar had a mascot… and if you know me well, you know I like a mascot and take any opportunity to have a photo with them.
That’s all from me for this month. See you in October.
Catherine