Gateway: The "Japanese Lifestyle" Mall in Ekamai

The enormous new "Japanese Lifestyle Mall" opens on Wed in Ekamai. Quite a large mall, it is designed to look like an enormous wave, and one has to hope that design plan was finalized before last year's enormous wave. Otherwise, the "wave look" would be more perverse than ironic.

There is something of an exodus underway from Japan at the moment. I doubt this is going unnoticed to some TDers. Not just big Japanese companies such as Toyota, which I think in the near future will have operations here rivaling those it maintains in Japan (I work on their AR every year), but a great many SMEs are moving manufacturing and in some cases entire operations here. While the floods of last year took a number of companies by surprise and did have a major impact on supply chains, I think for most Japanese individuals and companies Thailand is still the most attractive option, with Japanese companies starting to get cold feet about China for a number of reasons and, despite an appreciation for the Vietnamese work ethic not really finding what they need infrastructure-wise in Vietnam (not to mention finding even more corruption). Japanese feel welcome in Thailand for a number of cultural and historical reasons. They bitch about the corruption and stupidity at least as much as farangs, but unlike many farangs I think they rather appreciate the (comparatively) polite, arm's-length attitude of the Thais toward foreigners with money, because it mirrors their own.

Thought I'd post this to see what others on here are hearing about the influx of Japanese to Thailand.

About us | GATEWAY EKAMAI
ABOUT GATEWAY EKAMAI
Gateway Ekamai, a new lifestyle shopping mall distinctive from other community malls sprouting around town. Distinct with remarkable ambience of Japanese lifestyle an extraordinary new experience for clients; coupled with remarkable location right in the heart of Ekamai, a junction of business and residential area.
Commanding an area more over 93,000 sq. m. The main concept are including the culture and lifestyle of the Japanese. The main selling point is the Japan Town zone with the original recipe’s Japanese restaurants that opened the first store in Thailand.

Furthermore, Gateway Ekamai is divided into 8 floors. Complete with shops and services such as variety of authentic Japanese restaurants, choices of international cuisines, supermarket, lifestyle fashion outlets, beauty and health shops, IT store and edutainment center.
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They definitely get the Enganese (or, if you prefer, Japlish) right.

Sounds good

My Japanese sister-in-law announced her intention to move to Chiang Mai in a couple of years when she retires. She always said she would never leave Tokyo, but now has become frightened of earthquakes and radiation.

^My friends in Japan want to meet my kid, but they all tell me not to bring him now (my gaijin friends tend to be much more nanchalant). The mommies I meet at the park with him here in Bangkok say the same thing- not safe for little kids. It's depressing.

Also depressing is this is just giving more impetus to Japanese companies to move operations, especially manufacturing overseas. There is a hollowing out going on now in Japan that I think will be regretted one day, and would not be necessary were there a bit more flexibility. I think Japan is at a crossroads now, having spent most of the past 20 years running in place. There is probably a lot to be said for a sustainable low-but-positive growth economy with a good median wages and improving productivity, but the mood is intensely negative now. The general anger might be enough to shake the Japanese out of their tendency toward gloomy resignation and apathy.

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Originally Posted by robuzo

The enormous new "Japanese Lifestyle Mall" opens on Wed in Ekamai.

Gateway Ekamai, a new lifestyle shopping mall distinctive from other community malls sprouting around town. Distinct with remarkable ambience of Japanese lifestyle an extraordinary new experience for clients; coupled with remarkable location right in the heart of Ekamai, a junction of business and residential area.

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About once a week while they were constructing the foundation for the building I would watch while waiting for the Sky-train.

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2012/07/1746.jpg

Never knew it would have a theme to it. If it was filled with female Japanese saleswomen it might attract more visitors.

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2012/07/1747.jpg

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Originally Posted by robuzo

Thought I'd post this to see what others on here are hearing about the influx of Japanese to Thailand.

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What’s the saying? The more the merrier :)

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Originally Posted by robuzo

There is something of an exodus underway from Japan at the moment.

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I don’t think I would want to live there either,……..

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...6069/cloud.JPG

In Tokyo itself, the radiation was 22 times higher than usual, the television station NHK reported on Tuesday (old news): Wind blows radioactive cloud toward Tokyo

^If the cooling system fails for the hundreds of tons of spent fuel, or if, say, the structure holding 130+ tons of spent fuel at No. 4 comes a-tumblin' down in an earthquake, wind direction is going to be on the minds of everyone in Tokyo.

Gateway is supposed to open on Wednesday, and I'll probably go have a look around. Not looking too promising from the outside, although it is an attractive structure (wave irony notwithstanding).

Is this place gonna be full of sexy Japanese women wanting to meet an old, fat, ugly Englishman with a very limited personality? If so, I'm there!

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Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Is this place gonna be full of sexy Japanese women wanting to meet an old, fat, ugly Englishman with a very limited personality? If so, I'm there!

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Definitely. It's every sexy young Japanese woman's dream. In Japan, old=venerable, fat=godlike sumo wrestler, "very limited personality"=what they are already used to in Japanese males.Meanwhile, until it opens you'll have to be satisfied with trolling the Starbucks and Au Bon Pain outlets in the Prom Phong/Thonglor area; if bored, sexually-deprived Japanese mommies suffice you just might get lucky- remember, they pay over 1000/hour for "English conversation lessons," whatever those might be.:bananaman:

^ I like your thinking - I might green you just for the 'twitch'...

Visited Gateway last night for the grand opening. Quite attractive displays inside, a number of Japanese restaurants and the biggest Max Valu in town in the basement (run by AEON, which provides ATMs without the ridiculous Chai bank fees), and an IT center on the top floor like the one at Fortune Town (not completed). Decorations very nice, and all in all reminiscent of the new malls one finds in suburban Tokyo. Worth a look.