Hello everyone.
The weather is refreshing, isn't it?
Let me tell you a little about my trip abroad from October 1st through 10th.
The country was Vietnam.
Actually, my daughter's family is stationed there. They moved from the Philippines.
I went to see that they were settling in well and reliably making a living there.
I myself have had countless short business trips to US and Europe, lasting up to a month at longest, but I haven't been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be stationed overseas.
Therefore, I envy my daughter's family, and at the same time, I respect them for overcoming numerous difficulties, and I wanted to help them in any way I could.
Now, about Vietnam, this was my first time going there.
My daughter's family lives in Hanoi.
They took me to various famous places in the city, and also to Ha Long Bay.
I'll write more about it if I have the chance, but Vietnam is "hot" in many ways right now.
I myself am interested in the Vietnam War, and how they defeated that great power, how guerrilla warfare like the Viet Cong troubled the American soldiers, and I would like to visit places like the underground tunnels in the south, but I couldn't go that far this time, so I'll leave that for a future opportunity.
This time, I visited the military museum and the ethnological museum in Hanoi. That alone was incredibly impressive.
The lifestyle of an ethnic group in Vietnam. They seem to have more diversity than the various lifestyles in Japan.
On October 18th the Hakone Ekiden qualifying race was held.
Among the various events throughout the year, it's one of the most interesting for me.
I myself used to run in ekiden races (not at a competitive level, but as a citizen runner).
This time of year, with the Izumo Ekiden starting and the Hakone qualifying race... it's the beginning of the full-fledged ekiden season, and it's an exciting time.
Now, about the qualifying race this time.
As always, there were some highlights. Personally, I was happy that the "three universities of concern" all qualified for the main race.
The three universities of concern?
First, Tokyo University of Agriculture, which narrowly missed qualifying for the main race last year by just one second in the qualifying round.
This time, they proudly secured their place in the main race in 6th place. That's impressive.
After all, the New Year's Hakone Ekiden race wouldn't be the same without their daikon radish dance.
Tokyo University of Agriculture also has an excellent track record in biotechnology research and education, so I'm rooting for them.
Then there's Juntendo University.
Last year, they beat Tokyo University of Agriculture by one second in the qualifying round to secure their place in the main race, but in this year's main race, they narrowly missed securing a seeded position by just 7 seconds.
And in this year's qualifying round, they came in a respectable 2nd place.
And then there's Tokai University.
The biggest misfortune in last year's qualifying round wasn't Tokyo University of Agriculture, but actually Tokai University.
One of their runners collapsed due to the heat just 15 meters before the finish line. If he had finished, Tokai University would have qualified for the main race instead of Juntendo University. (Although "if" is forbidden in sports results)
This time, that runner who collapsed also participated again and brilliantly secured their place in the main race in 5th place.
Another topic is that Nippon Sport Science University has qualified for the main race for an incredible 78 consecutive years.
Although it was a close call, finishing in 9th place.
Kudos to the runners who upheld this tremendous tradition.
And while it was great that Rikkyo University narrowly qualified in 10th place, there were also mixed feelings this year, with traditional universities like Hosei, Meiji, and Senshu failing to qualify.
Personally, I was rooting for the University of Tsukuba, but unfortunately, they didn't make it.
There are also some very good runners at the University of Tokyo.
Now, the introduction of this article has become too much.
I'll briefly talk about my work.
I have a contract with a company, and I'm supporting their cutting-edge technology research through external outsourcing.
I'm doing this based on that company's business model. Therefore, while my research itself reflects my individuality, the way I conduct my work adheres to the company's way of thinking.
In such a circumstance, with the recent rise of AI, AI is increasingly encroaching on cutting-edge technology research, and is steadily taking over the work of this company.
Therefore, since my personal business is providing value as a research and development support service, I thought I would not only align with the company's business model but also try making counter-proposals.
This kind of thing is easier said than done; actually making things happen successfully is extremely difficult.
I've tried and failed at this kind of thing many times before.
So, this time, I tried to approach someone in the company's general affairs department.
This person was someone I had a good relationship with and who was quite open with me.
And when I contacted the person, saying something like, "I've reviewed your company's investor presentation materials and learned about the situation and future challenges. I was wondering if there's any way I could assist your company...", she actually arranged a meeting with the president.
This was incredibly fortunate.
Although it was only a 30-minute online meeting, I sent him my personal business introduction materials beforehand, and on the day of the meeting, I gave a presentation based on a simple material.
The meeting went quite well.
I received an indication that he would consider using my consulting services in a certain area.
I hope that this will develop into a fruitful relationship in the future.
The weather is refreshing, isn't it?
Let me tell you a little about my trip abroad from October 1st through 10th.
The country was Vietnam.
Actually, my daughter's family is stationed there. They moved from the Philippines.
I went to see that they were settling in well and reliably making a living there.
I myself have had countless short business trips to US and Europe, lasting up to a month at longest, but I haven't been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be stationed overseas.
Therefore, I envy my daughter's family, and at the same time, I respect them for overcoming numerous difficulties, and I wanted to help them in any way I could.
Now, about Vietnam, this was my first time going there.
My daughter's family lives in Hanoi.
They took me to various famous places in the city, and also to Ha Long Bay.
I'll write more about it if I have the chance, but Vietnam is "hot" in many ways right now.
I myself am interested in the Vietnam War, and how they defeated that great power, how guerrilla warfare like the Viet Cong troubled the American soldiers, and I would like to visit places like the underground tunnels in the south, but I couldn't go that far this time, so I'll leave that for a future opportunity.
This time, I visited the military museum and the ethnological museum in Hanoi. That alone was incredibly impressive.
The lifestyle of an ethnic group in Vietnam. They seem to have more diversity than the various lifestyles in Japan.
On October 18th the Hakone Ekiden qualifying race was held.
Among the various events throughout the year, it's one of the most interesting for me.
I myself used to run in ekiden races (not at a competitive level, but as a citizen runner).
This time of year, with the Izumo Ekiden starting and the Hakone qualifying race... it's the beginning of the full-fledged ekiden season, and it's an exciting time.
Now, about the qualifying race this time.
As always, there were some highlights. Personally, I was happy that the "three universities of concern" all qualified for the main race.
The three universities of concern?
First, Tokyo University of Agriculture, which narrowly missed qualifying for the main race last year by just one second in the qualifying round.
This time, they proudly secured their place in the main race in 6th place. That's impressive.
After all, the New Year's Hakone Ekiden race wouldn't be the same without their daikon radish dance.
Tokyo University of Agriculture also has an excellent track record in biotechnology research and education, so I'm rooting for them.
Then there's Juntendo University.
Last year, they beat Tokyo University of Agriculture by one second in the qualifying round to secure their place in the main race, but in this year's main race, they narrowly missed securing a seeded position by just 7 seconds.
And in this year's qualifying round, they came in a respectable 2nd place.
And then there's Tokai University.
The biggest misfortune in last year's qualifying round wasn't Tokyo University of Agriculture, but actually Tokai University.
One of their runners collapsed due to the heat just 15 meters before the finish line. If he had finished, Tokai University would have qualified for the main race instead of Juntendo University. (Although "if" is forbidden in sports results)
This time, that runner who collapsed also participated again and brilliantly secured their place in the main race in 5th place.
Another topic is that Nippon Sport Science University has qualified for the main race for an incredible 78 consecutive years.
Although it was a close call, finishing in 9th place.
Kudos to the runners who upheld this tremendous tradition.
And while it was great that Rikkyo University narrowly qualified in 10th place, there were also mixed feelings this year, with traditional universities like Hosei, Meiji, and Senshu failing to qualify.
Personally, I was rooting for the University of Tsukuba, but unfortunately, they didn't make it.
There are also some very good runners at the University of Tokyo.
Now, the introduction of this article has become too much.
I'll briefly talk about my work.
I have a contract with a company, and I'm supporting their cutting-edge technology research through external outsourcing.
I'm doing this based on that company's business model. Therefore, while my research itself reflects my individuality, the way I conduct my work adheres to the company's way of thinking.
In such a circumstance, with the recent rise of AI, AI is increasingly encroaching on cutting-edge technology research, and is steadily taking over the work of this company.
Therefore, since my personal business is providing value as a research and development support service, I thought I would not only align with the company's business model but also try making counter-proposals.
This kind of thing is easier said than done; actually making things happen successfully is extremely difficult.
I've tried and failed at this kind of thing many times before.
So, this time, I tried to approach someone in the company's general affairs department.
This person was someone I had a good relationship with and who was quite open with me.
And when I contacted the person, saying something like, "I've reviewed your company's investor presentation materials and learned about the situation and future challenges. I was wondering if there's any way I could assist your company...", she actually arranged a meeting with the president.
This was incredibly fortunate.
Although it was only a 30-minute online meeting, I sent him my personal business introduction materials beforehand, and on the day of the meeting, I gave a presentation based on a simple material.
The meeting went quite well.
I received an indication that he would consider using my consulting services in a certain area.
I hope that this will develop into a fruitful relationship in the future.
