In November, I went to Nagoya for the concert by Mariko Takahashi. It was the first time I saw her at live concert. I have tried to buy ticket here and there, but have not been able to get it until now, as they sold out so quickly. The ticket I was able to buy online happened to be in Nagoya, so I went there.
I took bullet train to Nagoya. The concert was fabulous. It was packed and Mariko Takahashi and her husband Henry, producer and leader of Henry Band were great. They performed over two hours straight and the audience was all very excited.
The first half was very nice and elegant, as she sang songs from her new album, with various arrangement –some jazzy, and some ballad like. The second half was fun and exciting as the band performed (dance like), she danced with the band while singing and the sound was lively. The audience which consisted of middle aged and over (majority) went wild!
The concert had a special meaning for me, as my late husband loved Mariko Takahashi. I felt that he was with me at the concert. It was a nice evening to remember how wonderful to have somebody you love in your life.
Yoko Ishikura is a Professor at Hitotsubashi University ICS in the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy in Japan. She has held positions as a professor at the School of International Politics, Economics and Business of Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, as a consultant at McKinsey and Company Inc. Japan and a visiting professor at Darden School.
Professor Ishikura is a consultant to a number of multinational companies and has been a frequent speaker at management conferences, seminars, and workshops throughout the world. She was a member of the Regulatory Reform Committee for the Japanese government and the International Competitiveness Commission for METI. She is currently a Forum Fellow of the World Economic Forum.
She is the author of Strategic Shift from OR choices to AND paradigm, Building Core Skills of Organization , and the co-author of the following publications: Managing Diversity in the 21st Century, Strategy for Cluster Initiatives in Japan , and Building a Career to the World Class Professionals – all in Japanese. Her books in English include: Asian Advantage, Hitotsubashi on Knowledge Management and Trust and Antitrust in Asian Business Alliances.
Professor Ishikura’s current research interests are focused on global competition, innovation, and knowledge management. She received her BA from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan; MBA from Darden School, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia; and DBA from Harvard Business School.
