Japanese Sense of Humor on Business
Japanese Sense of Humor on Business Suzuki, one of my Japanese clients, was making an emergency visit to his company’s US subsidiary. Something had gone very wrong with one of their suppliers, and there were two days of meetings to discuss possible solutions. “I get so frustrated when the Americans start joking around. This is […]
Japanese Value Societal Harmony and Fitting One’s Role
Japanese Value Societal Harmony and Fitting One’s Role Japanese value societal harmony. Every person should fit their appropriate role. This is more important than individual freedom of choice. In Japan, there is a strong sense of what are appropriate activities according to a person’s age and gender. In business, the typical Japanese career lifecycle is […]
Stephane Danton: A French takes on Japanese tea
A French takes on Japanese tea Frenchman Stephane Danton is trying to remake Japanese attitudes to tea. That might seem a little presumptuous. After all, Japan has turned drinking tea into an art form, and surely needs little help from a Westerner to understand its national drink. Well, maybe. Danton, 44, persuasively argues that the […]
Turning Agriculture into Industry— Rising Above Environmental Dependence
Plant Factories – Their Potential for Improving Food Availability Within Agricultural Industrialization & Constraint of Resources Developments involving the industrialization of agriculture are again showing new life. New production systems called “factory production” or “plant factories” are becoming established as heightened consumer concerns about food safety and security add to the background of increased instability […]
Successful Small Talk in Japan and “Nominication”
Small talk with customers is a great way to break the ice and get to know one another. It provides a lubricant for the give-and-take of the sales negotiation. Unfortunately the wrong topic can upset Japanese customers and make the negotiation harder, not easier. No matter where you go in the world, doing business is […]
Staple-free Stapler in Japan
With the ongoing campaign to sort waste for more efficient recycling --- as well as wider utilization of paper shredders --- more people are opting not to use metal stables when fastening sheets of paper. Now “Harinacs” from stationery maker KOKUYO has introduced a new system that enables neat fastening of papers using the paper […]
What do you do on a commuter train?
The coronavirus has led to a culture of telecommuting, but now that the virus has stopped spreading, people are starting to go to work again. It is not unusual for people living in the suburbs of Tokyo to spend an hour each way to work. So what are they doing on the train? Read a […]
What do you worry about most when thinking about nursing your elderly parents?
Psychological burden Physical burden Elderly care service fees Finding a good elderly care facility Not knowing much about elderly care Having to consult with strangers about the care Administrative procedures The potential negative effects on my own career or job Reputation of my family Others Source: HUMA CORP. (Conducted among Japanese of all ages)
What is Monjayaki?
Monjayaki and Its History Monjayaki a Specialty of Tokyo’s Shitamachi Has Its Roots in Monjiyaki Monjayaki is mostly eaten in the Kanto region where Tokyo is situated. Of the monjayaki, the most well known is probably the monjayaki in the Tsukishima district of Tokyo’s shitamachi (traditional shopping and entertaining district). (See its official Tsukishima Monja […]
Japan’s Newly Made Innovative Products
Move It! “Hakobunder,” an eco-friendly Cycle Trailer from Aichi Prefecture-based Belair Systems, features a gutterless joint (patent applied for) designed to attach to the seat post of most bicycles. The noise-free joint has been specially designed to guard against lateral tipping over. The manufacturer foresees such applications as transporting waste for discarding, working home vegetable […]