Why Tokyo is the New Paris

*In-person program

​When economics blogger Noah Smith announced last year that he thinks ​Tokyo is the world’s greatest city, similar to what Paris was for past generations, many people took notice. He’s joining us to talk about what he likes best about Tokyo and what factors he thinks contribute to its success as a huge, dynamic city that manages to remain safe and livable. He will also share his thoughts on the potential economic implications of more people from around the world discovering Tokyo’s charms and wanting to live there.

​Join us for what promises to be a fun conversation that will make you want to visit Tokyo again soon!

近年、経済ブロガーのノア・スミスが「東京は世界一の都市だと思う」と発表したブログが話題になりました。観光で人気なだけでなく、住んでみたい街としての注目が高まっています。ダイナミックな巨大都市としての成功の要因、潜在的な経済効果について解説します。

Event Details
Date & Time:
Friday, August 9th from 5:30 – 7:00 PM PDT
*Registration starts at 5:00 PM

Venue:
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP | 525 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301
*Located on the 14 floor

Agenda:
5:00-5:30 PM  Registration
5:30-6:30 PM  Program
6:30-7:00 PM  Networking

Price:
FREE!

Our Amazing Speakers

Noah Smith | Econ Blogger (@noahpinion)_

Noah Smith is the owner and writer of Noahpinion, a Substack newsletter covering economics and related topics. Before that, he was an opinion columnist at Bloomberg Opinion, and an assistant professor of finance at Stony Brook University. He did his economics PhD at the University of Michigan, where he studied behavioral finance and macroeconomics. He has also lived in Japan for four years, including three years in Osaka and one in Tokyo, and he goes back for a significant amount of time every year. He is currently writing a book for the Japanese market, about how Japan can reintegrate itself into global supply chains. Although Noah’s current main topic of interest is industrial policy, he also has a long-running interest in comparative urbanism, and Japanese cities have always fascinated him.

Stephen Katayama | Japan Airlines Managing Director, Global Sales, Western Regional Sales Office

Steve is a travel industry veteran having spent 30 years in various management capacities in Sales, Research & Marketing, and as General Manager with two leading Japanese corporate travel agencies. Steve joined Japan Airlines in 2018 and leads the Western Regional Sales Team at four JAL stations from SEA, SFO, LAX to SAN, covering twelve western states.

Steve grew up in Los Angeles, has lived overseas in Tokyo, Japan and on the Gold Coast of Australia, and has called San Mateo his home for the past 25 years. He enjoys listening to music, spending time with family and rooting for his favorite sports teams, LA Dodgers, Lakers and UCLA.

Chikahiro Honda | Japan Airlines Director, Administration, Western Regional

Chikahiro Honda has been working as the administrative Manager of JAL’s San Francisco Branch since October 2022. In addition to budget planning and personnel planning and hiring new staff to support daily Tokyo-San Francisco flight operations, Chikahiro is also involved in JAL’s promotional activities within the U.S. region.

Moderator, Rochelle Kopp | Founder & Managing Principal, Japan Intercultural Consulting & Board Member, Japan Society of Northern California

Rochelle Kopp is a board member of the Japan Society of Northern California and Managing Principal of Japan Intercultural Consulting. She moved back to Tokyo in 2021, her third time living in the city.

Venue is generously provided by