A student startup supporting influencers wanting to create clothing brands
When Kento Nakabayashi, a 3rd year undergraduate at the School of Social Sciences, interned at a company that provided affiliate marketing services for social media influencers, he noticed that many influencers think about starting their own clothing brands. Kento had a keen sense for apparel due to his parents and grandparents working with sewing or in the apparel industry, and this background ultimately led him to create and manage KOREZO, a Direct-to-Consumer platform that helps influencers start their own apparel brands.
When asked about challenges with KOREZO, Kento mentioned that the initial stage of fund-raising was tough; after some unsuccessful attempts, he had to fall back on options such as using personal funds, creating an e-commerce site on his own, and commissioning parts of the manufacturing process to his parents’ apparel company. Now, a year after the creation of KOREZO, Kento is currently working on developing 4 different brands. Kento looks forward with an ambitious goal: To produce a brand that brings in an annual income of 10 million yen (roughly $73,000 USD). He hopes to do this with his own newly created, original brand “Jugemushisou”, which features a motif of maps of Japanese cities such as Shibuya, Ebisu, and Takadanobaba.
Japanese article: https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/news/2022/12/06/103517/
Learning Icelandic and the value of studying “minor languages”
Two students, both enrolled in “The Culture and Language of Iceland” (taught in Japanese) at Waseda’s Global Education Center (GEC), describe the charm of learning about Iceland’s culture through studying Icelandic. Minami Nakai, a 3rd year undergraduate at the School of Education, explains that through this course she aims to get a better understanding of the country’s culture, history, and values. She mentions the pronunciation is tough, but the teacher, Mr. Miyagi, dedicates time for meticulous pronunciation practice. She had a hard time getting used to the sound of Icelandic at first, but slowly, she found the words started to take on a charming sound.
Haruna Miyazaki, a 3rd year undergraduate at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, shares how during one class, Professor Morita taught the way Vikings would use outdoor terrain such as a long, stony walls to hold public meetings, as voices could be echoed easily for large groups of people to hear. She reflects that it’s lessons like this where you can learn about places and territories that you didn’t even know existed, and that draws out your curiosity and interest for the culture and language. Haruna says that, in a way, these “hidden” classes at Waseda are like windows to unknown worlds!
Japanese article: https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/news/2022/12/08/103202/
World-class entertainment: Nigeria, a leading force in the world of arts
“When you hear the country Nigeria, you might think of its strong, continent-leading soccer team. But when I talk about Nigeria, there’s one thing I absolutely cannot go without mentioning: It’s a country of art. Nigeria is a country that has an outstanding sense in the field of arts, music, and entertainment… did you know that?” In a Weekly article written by Cephas Chiemeka Osigwe, a 1st year masters student at the Graduate School of Social Sciences, Cephas reflects on Nigeria’s accomplishments in the entertainment field on the global level.
Hollywood, Bollywood… and Nollywood? Over 2,000 films are produced in Nigeria per year, and many are readily available to view on Netflix. While many of these films focus on themes of social problems present in Africa, a defining feature is that most conclude in a happy ending with the goal to amuse and entertain audiences. Next, Cephas mentions Afrobeats, a style of music originating from Nigeria, that mixes funk and jazz with bright African percussion. While Nigeria is a land of entertainment, it is also a place that has recently attracted many Japanese-affiliated companies in the high-tech industry. While Cephas was working at the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, he had the chance to work with some of these companies. “Using my experiences, I want to connect Nigeria and Japan and contribute to advancing the potential of both countries; that’s why I chose to study abroad at Waseda.”
Japanese article: https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/news/2022/12/09/103720/
