The award ceremony was held at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), followed by an audience with His Majesty Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Born in Australia and with over three decades living in Japan, Melanie is an interpreter, translator, consultant, and CEO Melanie Brock Advisory. Her work combines practical commercial business leadership with language skills to consistently deliver business, regulatory, and partnership outcomes for Japanese and foreign corporations. Melanie is on the board of Mitsubishi Estate, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Asahi Group Holdings, and previously served for six years as chair of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan.

Alongside her business achievements, Melanie supported reconstruction efforts following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and is a strong advocate for women in Japanese business and society. 

Melanie commented to the Financial Review: “Japan has been my world. This kind of public recognition feels like the culmination of a lot of private moments. It’s a bit of an endurance race, making a life in Japan, but when they recognise something, they really do it, and the outpouring of kindness from people I’ve met along the way has been amazing.”

First established in 1875, the Order of the Rising Sun recognizes distinguished service to Japan in various fields. Jarman International offers its warm congratulations to Melanie on her award!

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An expert on Japanese swords and a published author, Paul was the first international recognized as a sword specialist by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Tourism and Transport. He previously worked as a curator at the British Museum and is also a three-time English Karate Champion.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to Her Imperial Highness and The Order of the Scottish Samurai,” Paul, who has lived in Japan for over two decades, posted on Facebook. 

Based in Aberdeen, Scotland, OSS is an awarding body founded in 1994 by Scottish karate master Ronald Stewart Watt, who in 2010 was presented with the Order of the Rising Sun, an honor recognizing distinguished service to Japan. In their own awarding work, OSS recognizes “excellence, character and respect in alignment with the ancient spirit of budo [martial way],” and aims for its community to contribute to “a closer and more peaceful global future,” according to the OSS website.

Regarding his favorite things about living in Japan, Paul wrote for JI that “I get to do what I love as my career, while being totally immersed in the culture and feeling very close to its history. I love meeting the descendants of famous samurai, it makes it all feel so recent.”

Paul also explained his journey to Japan and the origin of his love for Japanese swords in an article for Deep Japan.

Congratulations again to Paul on his OSS Award!

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Substack is a platform that provides both a webpage where anyone can access articles and an email newsletter to deliver said articles straight to subscribers’ inboxes. (There’s also a Substack app.) To receive Deep Japan articles via email, you can enter your email here or click the maroon “subscribe” button on Deep Japan’s Substack page. Subscribing also includes an option, at the subscriber’s discretion, to support Deep Japan financially. 

Aiming to illuminate and foster an appreciation for life in Japan, Deep Japan offers authentic insights into Japanese traditions, travel, and everyday living from a diverse community of writers. If you have lived in Japan for at least three years and are interested in writing for Deep Japan, we invite you to sign up! 

Deep Japan Editor-in-Chief Hana Shiraishi plans to share a curated selection of Deep Japan articles via weekly Substack posts. So far, featured articles have included “The Golden Madeleine: Baking kindness into every bite,” “Inside Kakujoro ryokan: Learning the elegant language of a traditional Japanese room,” and “The appeal of Japanese swords might not be what you think.”

“I am so proud of the stories our writers have shared on Deep Japan, and publishing them on our Substack is another way they can reach and inspire people who share a love of and curiosity about all that Japan has to offer,” Hana says.

“Whether you’re visiting Japan for the first time or have called it home for years, I am really excited to share some of my favorite Deep Japan stories — from the charm of a century-old hidden ryokan in Aichi Prefecture, to one writer’s journey of finding a sense of belonging through his passion for Japanese baseball, and so much more! Stay tuned!”

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Charles serves as a Research Collaborator for the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and conducts research on AI and capacity building for government agencies. He also offers courses in the Asia-Pacific region on the use of AI for disaster response, negotiations, and strategic leadership. In addition, Charles founded Japan’s first food bank, Second Harvest, which JI donates to via our JI Golf Cups at EastWood Country Club. 

JI deeply appreciates Charles sharing his time to discuss AI best practices with our team. To date, seminar topics have included how to use AI effectively and efficiently in JI’s key tasks, including translation, editing, project proposals, and preparing for client meetings. 

We believe that ensuring our team is well-versed in AI — utilizing its strengths while remaining cognizant of its limitations — is essential for providing the highest-quality work for our clients. 

“AI is not a magic bullet,” Charles commented on a Real Gaijin AMA Podcast appearance in 2025.  “But it certainly can be a multiplier for resource-strapped organizations and people who are thinking about doing things differently.”

“I would encourage people to explore using AI so that you understand what it can’t do,” he added, citing authentic relationship building as something AI cannot and should not replace. Conversely, tasks such as compiling vast amounts of information and helping users gain awareness of their own biases are among its strengths.

“The JI team boasts several incredible writers and creators who feel conflicted about adopting AI into our work strategy. Learning from Charles about the nuts and bolts of AI, i.e., that it is token-based, etc., reminded us that AI is not a person trying to take over our work but a valuable tool for making our work better. Charles has a pragmatic and very practical, not overly positive, approach to AI use and I thought this was extremely helpful for us as we try to implement new tools without having anything come even close to smothering our creative spirit and unique, human-led JI business,” says JI CEO Ruth Marie Jarman.

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JI’s team collaborated to put together a proposal before the fast-approaching deadline. Their proposal showcased the company’s achievements over the years in other tourism-promotion projects for local governments.

Utilizing its network of writers from its online media Deep Japan, JI’s proposal assembled a team of experienced writers based in Kyoto to produce 10 articles for the Kyoto Travel website over the course of the 10-month project. The articles — written in English and with an international perspective — will cover the three focus areas: travel inspiration, hidden gems of Kyoto, and sample itineraries. 

The Kyoto Travel website provides accurate and up-to-date information for international tourists.  Lately redesigned in 2025, it also aims to clearly convey important tourism-related news and guidelines, as well as help promote sustainable tourism — a key challenge for the historic city.

Jarman’s project team will also perform a monthly analysis of the Kyoto Travel website and offer suggestions on how to further improve it, as well as translate and adapt five articles from Kyoto Travel’s partner outlets.

JI is honored to be entrusted with this project, and the whole team looks forward to producing content and sharing insights that can support sustainable tourism in one of Japan’s most iconic cities.

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In her article — published on May 25, 2026, and titled “Finding Wa on the Tokyo Train: Thirty Six Years of Commuting in Japan” — Ruth reflects on her experience adjusting to life in Tokyo after moving to Japan from the US. Although she was surrounded by crowds on packed commuter trains, she still felt isolated because strangers avoided eye contact and did not exchange smiles, as people commonly do in the US.

Over time, though, Ruth came to see Tokyo’s trains as places of connection and consideration — a manifestation of the Japanese concept of wa (group harmony). She noticed quiet acts of cooperation, such as making room for others, helping people board and exit crowded trains, and assisting those who are tired or feeling unwell. 

To close her article, Ruth adds that, in recent years, she has noticed a change in Tokyites: more direct friendliness and smiles between strangers. Although it’s still possible to feel isolated and lost in Tokyo’s crowds, a close observer of daily life can find both traditional expressions of wa and new warmth.

In addition to Ruth’s own contribution, Jarman International helps coordinate freelance writers of various international backgrounds to conduct interviews and write articles for Tokyo Updates. Jarman International is honored to be able to help the Tokyo government share what makes the metropolis special.

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The Moralogy Foundation is an organization that conducts studies of morality and ethics as well as promotes social education activities. Through its magazine, it aims to help people to build spiritually rich lives and a livable society. 

The theme of the magazine’s December 2025 edition was “Reflecting on Japan’s identity.” Its feature article examined how Japan should consider and preserve its identity as the country’s population becomes increasingly international and the number of overseas tourists visiting Japan continues to grow. The article highlighted behaviors such as attention to detail, hospitality, cleanliness, and consideration of others as valuable aspects of Japanese society.

It is these habits and attitudes, no less than famous sight-seeing spots, that are so attractive to international visitors and residents alike, Ruth commented in the article. She emphasized that values such as sincerity, kindness, and safety should continue being handed down to future generations, no matter how Japan or the world may evolve. 

As for the increasing number of international visitors to Japan, Ruth noted that the country should not only focus on economic growth through inbound tourism — a major goal of the government and related stakeholders — but that said tourism should also be utilized to preserve communities and cultural heritage.

Jarman International appreciates the opportunity to discuss these important topics with the Morality Foundation and hopes that the article helped readers reflect on them as well.

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Jarman International’s team consisted of CEO Ruth Marie Jarman, as well as JI Core 50 consultants Lila Klopfenstein, Chiara Terzuolo, and Paul Walsh.

The name “Sagiryu Kyogen” denotes the Sagiryu school of Kyogen comic theater, which today can only be seen in Yamaguchi Prefecture and a few other places. Often paired with longer, more serious Noh dramas, the short Kyogen plays aim to make audiences laugh. Although Sagiryu Kyogen flourished in Yamaguchi during the Meiji period (1868–1912), it later began to decline, and a local preservation association was formed in the 1950s. 

Jarman International submitted a photo taken during the consulting trip — depicting the team trying on Sagiryu Kyogen costumes — to the Times Gallery, a photo feature published by The Japan Times. The photo was included in the Gallery’s March 2026 edition.

“All of us were laughing so hard we were literally crying! The two sensei, Taro-san and his father, did such a great job depicting a daimyo lord on a visit to a large town who is missing his wife but at the same time quite afraid of her. It was a joy to experience Kyogen for the very first time,” Jarman says.

Jarman International is honored to be able to learn about this rare traditional art form and contribute to its preservation.

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Led by the Kanto District Transport Bureau, Edo Shogun Roads is an English-language version of the Bureau’s Edo Kaido project and an extension of its Greater Tokyo initiative. The historical routes to Tokyo that the project is named for contain numerous points of interest, “including Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, historical attractions, lush greenery, relaxing hot springs (onsen), and local food and sake,” according to the project’s website, which introduces over 250 attractions and activities. Many modern transportation routes follow these Edo-period roads, making them easily accessible for tourists.

The Japanese government aims to make international tourism a key revenue stream and targets 60 million annual visitors by 2030. Tokyo, with its two international airports and worldwide recognition, is a natural first destination for the inbound. The Edo Shogun Roads project aims to draw visitors into the surrounding prefectures as well, to boost local economies while easing pressures related to over-tourism in the metropolis — and, of course, to share the historical, natural, and traditional charms these locations have to offer. Excitement for welcoming international visitors was certainly palpable at the kick-off ceremony highlighted in the Times Gallery.

Jarman International CEO Ruth Marie Jarman is an architect of and Advisory Council Member for Edo Shogun Roads, and Jarman International has consistently helped promote the project through various media.

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In his article, Sébastien introduced the history of the five Edo-period (1603–1868) highways which give the tourism initiative its name, touching on their role in maintaining social order as well as how they helped facilitate developments in domestic travel, art, and hospitality traditions. 

He also explained the background behind the current “Edo Shogun Roads” tourism promotion initiative, led by the Kanto Transport Bureau and which mobilizes local governments, destination management organizations (DMOs), and tourism-related businesses. Edo Shogun Roads’ suggested activities and itineraries focus on experiential tourism, and Sébastien notes how this can help visitors form a deeper connection to the rich history and traditions found along the old Edo highways.

“The project offers a coherent interpretation of the territory, structured by thematic itineraries and site-specific experiences,” he writes (automatic translation by Google Chrome).

Sébastien, who is originally from Marseille, has also written for the Jarman-owned online media Deep Japan, where he has explored topics including film, ukiyo-e art, and navigating the professional world in Japan.

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