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My professional interest is in applying recommenders to travel planning and reservation. So it is natural that I’ll keep up with books on both technical implementation and those that dissect the cultural influences of recommendation systems. After finishing the book Computing Taste, which charted the change of recommendation systems in the music/movie industry, I want to extend what was discussed in the book to changes in software development paradigm, as well as societal views on mistakes or criteria for finished products....

In the book “100 basics of life”, the Japanese essayist Matsuura Yataro has proposed writing down your kihon - the core basics, or guiding principles of your life. It not only acts as your anchor and guidance, but also becomes a living document for reflection during uncertain times. With it, you can also trace your important changes as you continue to learn and evolve, something akin to a changelog. Kihons...

It’s often said that traveling offers atypical experiences that sharpen our senses and train us to be more adaptive with creative improvision. Far removed from our usual dwellings, we have no choice but to observe our environment more keenly for both survival and enjoyment. Our usual status quo no longer applies, and our eyes begin to take into things that might be deemed too bland or extreme at home. Specifically, the time you spent before, during and after a trip can be a valuable training ground for product planning and management skills....

Ask any traveler to Japan and they will tell you mouthwatering tales of what they found in convenience stores (called konbini in Japan) no matter where they go. In fact, tons of posts have been written about konbini food selections and how different they are from convenient stores elsewhere. These konbinis have, huge variety of products, from over 20 flavors of rice balls, sushi, noodles, salad, bento, sandwiches, mixed drinks, fried food, chips and cup noodles to fancy desserts, to daily essentials such as soap, shampoo, toothbrush, magazines, to emergency needs such as underwear and umbrella (I have bought so many transparent umbrellas over the years)....

Try envisioning design as water. Water is indispensable to human life, connecting us to our environments in visible and invisible ways. It can cause disasters like tsunamis (and so can design when it is uncalled for or when it tries to add nonexistent value), but it can also materialize as a rainbow, radiant in the light of the sun. Just as water makes every phenomenon possible, design is an essential component of every human endeavor....

The hospitality industry is making a strong rebound after the pandemic, and many hotel chains are now creating new sub-brands targeting a very diverse band of travelers. Recently I came across a new hotel brand B4T owned by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). In addition to the highly efficient train system they operate, JR East also runs shopping malls and hotels at train stations. Utilizing contactless self-checkin and checkout machine becomes a norm in Japanese business hotels these days, but what strikes me the most is how much farther the B4T chain goes by introducing cloud reception....

Who are temple carpenters and what do they do? If you have travelled to Japan, you must have visited a traditonal temple or two that was built several hundred years ago. And if you ventured into ancient capitals such as Nara or Kyoto, chances are that you’ve shared ground with a wooden structure that have stood over a millenium. The book Ki no ichi Ki no kokoro ( 木の...

2022 has passed and it’s time to do some cleaning up and recap. Since I’ve implemented my book tracker system, I’ve been taking a more structural approach to manage my learnings (notes, to-do-next, rating, time spent on each book, time-to-revisit, etc). Here’s a quick glance at what I enjoyed most last year. Time is medicine Time is medicine is written by Hiruma Eiko, a Guiness-certified oldest pharmacist to prescribe advice...

Why am I here? What should I do now? These questions come to our minds from time to time, regardless of what stage of life we are in. We play many roles every day. We may be students, looking forward to improving our studies and securing a good job after graduation. We may be children, trying to live in harmony with our parents. We may also be team members, working jointly to finish a project on time to satisfy our boss or client....

“The Drowned and the Saved” is the last book from Holocaust survior and writer Primo Levi, published shortly before his suicide in 1987. In this book, he attempted to address the questions “why atrocities happened” and “how to prevent them from happening again”. In different chapters, he distilled his experiences in the camp to explore the fluidity (he termed it “the grey zone”) in human characters, the fragility of perceived memory as well as the state of mind of those in the camps....