On December 27th I went to a seminar organized by “ Tra 3” http://tra3.jp. This company has been organizing many interesting events to introduce Ginza’s past and present. Have you been to Ginza ? What comes to your mind when you hear the word “ Ginza” ? It has a 400-year history. The Edo Bakufu was established by Ieyasu Tokugawa in 1603. Since then Ginza has been one of the centers of culture. Originally “ Ginza “ was the place where coins were minted. At that seminar, the main speaker was Mr. Iehiro Tokugawa who is 19th generation descendent of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa. I’ve heard his name before since he is a translator and writer and translated a book by George Soros. His own book has been released recently. I was very interested in his speech. He talked about the future of Japan and the world. He seems to know a lot about history, politics and economics. He also talked about The Tokugawas, mentioning some specific shoguns and giving his own comments about the persons. I really enjoyed it. If he talked on something about his ancestors in history class at school, many students would become interested in history. About economics and politics, it’s not easy for me to know what’s really happening in the world only by watching TV or reading newspapers.But listening to someone like Mr.Tokugawa might help me to open my eyes or make decisions. Later, Mr. Sawakami who is said to be a pioneer of a new type of mutual fund in Japan joined with some shop owners in Ginza joined to talk about the future of Japan’s economy. Many of them lamented the bad economy. Or they talked about the changing trends. They are all distinguished business people but things aren’t always easy. Personally I like Ginza. Things may be a little expensive but you can get something you feel like cherishing for long time. You might use it or keep it for a long time so eventually it won’t be expensive for you. People in Ginza are friendly and helpful. Why don’t you visit Ginza.