My name is Michi Tohma.
I’ve been creating content for web and print media in Japan for the past 15 years. My titles include “editor,” “content director,” “book writer,” and “SEO consultant.” I’ve produced all of my media in Japanese, including a large portion of business-related media and content.
Why did someone like me start an English-language media outlet? You may be wondering about that later, but first, I’d like to explain the meaning of the word “OHYASHIMA,” which I’ve chosen as the title of my media outlet.
The Meaning of “OHYASHIMA” as a Word
Even if you’re interested in Japan, you may not know where it is. Japan is an island nation located on the eastern side of the Eurasian continent. If you’d like, please take a look at Google Maps.
Now that you know the location and shape of Japan, let’s explain the meaning of OHYASHIMA: “eight large islands.” “OH” is the large one, “YA” is the eighth, and “SHIMA” is the island.
In the Japanese mythology of the Kojiki, OHYASHIMA refers to the eight islands created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami. It’s a combination of Honshu, where present-day Tokyo and Kyoto are located, Shikoku and Kyushu in western Japan, and other islands like Awaji, Iki, Tsushima, Oki, and Sado. All of these islands exist (though this doesn’t include Hokkaido and Okinawa, but that’s a topic for another time).
OHYASHIMA is an elegant name for Japan. Other elegant names for Japan include Yamato and Fuso.
While many people are familiar with the word JAPAN, few outside of Japan know that the word OHYASHIMA refers to Japan. I want to share this side of Japan that people outside of Japan don’t know—that’s why I started OHYASHIMA.
Why a Japanese-language media creator is taking on the challenge of English-language media
As mentioned above, I often create business-related content, and I hope to share Japanese business news and business practices with OHYASHIMA.
However, some readers may be thinking that I should just continue working in Japan in Japanese as before.
As many of you may know, while the Japanese economy is transitioning from a growth phase to maturity, the current situation is that business models and people’s thinking have not changed smoothly. As part of a strategy to escape this situation, both the government and the business community are aiming to encourage Japanese companies to further expand overseas.
This includes small and medium-sized enterprises that have not previously expanded overseas. As I am self-employed, I would fall into the category of small and medium-sized enterprises.
So, if I were to expand overseas, how would I do it? Creating content would be the right way to go.
If I were to communicate something to people overseas through content, I think Japanese culture related to Japanese business, business practices, and business news would be good topics. I believe this would be useful for people at overseas companies doing business in Japan and for people considering entering the Japanese market.
It would also be great if OHYASHIMA somehow inspires Japanese people to do business overseas.
In this way, I hope to make this a media outlet that is a win-win for both people outside of Japan and the Japanese people.
What OHYASHIMA Covers
OHYASHIMA reports on daily economic and business news from the perspective of how it is viewed by Japanese people. We also cover Japan’s economic policies and business practices in a way that is as understandable as possible to overseas readers. We also cover Japan’s regional economies and technology.
As mentioned above, our target audience is companies currently operating in Japan or considering doing so. Therefore, most of the news we cover is Japan-related. If you’re looking for this kind of news, please subscribe.
