An approaching typhoon brought rain and violent winds on the 7th of October. Luckily, the China Room at the Grand Hyatt hotel was able to offer us warmth, delicious food and yet another interesting presentation. Our guest speaker, Ms Motoko Sakashita of McCann Erickson, shared with us the conclusions of various research and case studies regarding the latest changes in consumption and communication taking place in Japan. During the presentation we were able to see that the Japanese population described that though they are currently experiencing a recession, on a personal level they enjoy much more freedom. Housewives are the happiest among the different consumer categories and many Japanese still see a positive future. This fact was also brought up during the Q&A session, where the link between hard times and happiness was further discussed.

 As many people struggle economically they have become quite creative when shopping; girls decorate clothes bought at UNIQLO in order to save money, families are buying ECO-friendly products that will use less energy thus saving money etc. Although an economic crisis can be devastating for certain people, it can also be considered an ideal time to revise our priorities, consumption behavior and our ecological footprint. As individuality rises in Japan, there are still many community activities bringing people together during these hard times. And what brought the NCCJ members together on the 7th of October was not only the superb Chinese cuisine but also an insightful, well-organized presentation by Ms Sakashita.