Jandals in Japan®

Jessica Gerrity is one of our most recognised Kiwi faces in Japan, a regular on Japanese TV shows as well as a PR ambassador for her Japan home province of Saitama Prefecture. She does not stop there, because she has found a niche place in the world of the traditional martial art of archery or Kyudo. We hear from Jess, how Japan is now opening up the martial arts world to invite more people from a...

Jamie Joseph, Head Coach of the Japanese rugby team, made time to speak with us about how he manages to bring the the team to higher and higher levels of success. As we approach the 2023 Rugby World Cup, it was great to hear Jamie’s insights into what makes a successful coach and player here. If you’ve ever wondered how he got to be where he is today, then this is the episode for you. Subscribe to...

Wayne Shennen is not only a top class sommelier but also incredibly knowledgeable about sake. Jayne and Catherine pepper him with questions about food matches and how to best order sake when you are starting out. Wayne has started to build bridges between New Zealand and Japan in his area of the hospitality industry, which we think is fantastic and an inspiration for other New Zealanders in Japan....

Tim Harvey has negotiated over 1000 contracts including 500 rugby players into Japan over his time at one of the leading sports agencies in Japan. We ask Tim how he has been so successful and what he’s up to now, and how you can work with Tim to fast track your entry to the Japanese market. Subscribe to our list so you never miss an episode of Jandals in Japan  If you enjoyed this episode and...

New Zealand has a burgeoning space industry and in this episode with Dr Aglietti, Director of the Space Institute, Te Pūnaha Ātea, at the University of Auckland, we find out how New Zealand actually has a lot of the goods to be a great collaborative partner in space ventures. Dr Aglietti also recently travelled to Japan to attend the JNZBC conference in Beppu so make sure you listen for Catherine...

Do you want to be part of the up and coming professional rugby scene here in Japan? Jess Souchon, Performance Analyst for the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars shares her story of how she not only became a performance analyst but was offered a position of a lifetime here in Japan. Jess shares how she overcame initial frustration to accept and embrace the cultural challenges of working in Japan and f...

Jayden Toa-Maxwell filled out a questionnaire for a TV show and then found his life turned around when he was one of 17 men selected for the reality show: The Bachelorette Japan - Season 2. We hear from Jayden what it’s like when you become famous in Japan and how he is managing this as well as his rugby career. You’ll love this holiday episode of Jandals. Thank you to Jess Tisch at NZTE for the i...

The Japan New Zealand Business Council (JNZBC) is an organisation with a wealth of connections and knowledge in the New Zealand and Japanese business environment. Catherine and Jayne were able to attend the 48th conference held in Beppu, (Kyushu) Japan in November 2022. If you are wondering about joining the JNZBC or attending the Christchurch, New Zealand conference in 2023, this is the episode f...

Not all businesses in Japan have to be a physical product. Licensing your IP (Intellectual Property) can be another way to do business in Japan and in this episode we hear from Les Mills Japan, Managing Director, Ly Nguyen on what it’s been like growing the market in Japan around licensing exercise and training programmes.   Subscribe to our list so you never miss an episode of Jandals i...

Iconic 30 year old Kiwi brand ecostore joins us on Jandals and they go above and beyond to share the story of their journey of entering the Japan market. Now becoming known as a leading brand in the refill market in all of Japan, ecostore is encouraging Japanese consumers to put their growing interest in SDGs into practice and making an effort to help consumers understand how their products suppor...

Heiden Bedwell-Curtis plays for the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries rugby team “Mitsubishi Dynaboars”, a division one team, in Japan. Heiden shares his transition from Super Rugby in New Zealand, to becoming captain of his team, and now finding other opportunities in business in Japan in addition to his rugby career. Many of his observations are relevant off the rugby field too.   Subscribe...

Carbon emissions are on everyone’s minds right now and in Japan, the commitment is to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Kiwi company Cogo is already starting to help Japan reach its goals. 785 local governments including Tokyo, Kyoto, and Yokohama announced their commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. These local governments represent 119 million people (94.3% of Japan's population). Co...

We have a true expert on the agriculture industry and food and beverage market in Japan in this episode, Chisa Ogura of Meros Consulting. It’s great to find specialist advisors in organisations who can guide you through entering the Japanese market so you don’t waste your time or funds in the process. Make sure you check out the guides for exporters.  Subscribe to our list so you never miss a...

If you are coming back to Japan on business in the near future, you will want to study up on what to do, who to talk to and how to act. Greg Cross has many years of experience representing New Zealand fresh produce in Japan and shares his takeaways from his recent visit to Japan. Check out our other episodes for loads of great information about preparing well before you come to Japan on business.&...

Selling New Zealand in Japan might not necessarily be a stand-alone product, it could also be combined with an atmosphere or a Kiwi style sense of community. We had such a great first “Jandals in iki”meet up recently and now we are thrilled to bring you Kim Harase, co-owner and co-creator of iki Espresso. Iki Espresso are coffee and cafe specialists with many years of experience in both New Zealan...

Guardians of the brand of New Zealand, New Zealand Story Group CEO David Downs shares the latest information about how New Zealand and its people are perceived in Japan and what New Zealand Story is doing to help move the brand forward. If you are a Jandal in Japan you are a brand ambassador for New Zealand and along with that honour, you have a part to play in how our country is perceived so this...

What if you could create a single origin brand for mānuka honey, much like Central Otago pinot noir? We learnt that was absolutely possible and has actually happened, from our guest Adam Hall’s work in the Japanese market. He’s a seller extraordinaire having sold premium NZ wine, brand-name barbeques and now mānuka honey.  We loved hearing about how his focus is on leaving the New Zealand bra...

We are thrilled to bring former New Zealand Ambassador to Japan, Ian Kennedy to you today who is sharing ALL the golden jandals he has learnt during his more than 40 year history with Japan. We are very much looking forward to seeing so many Jandals on the ground in Beppu, Kyushu in November 2022 for the first face to face conference of the Japan New Zealand Business Council (JNZBC) to be held in...

Hold onto your jandals, Dave Mair is on the show talking about why Japan is so good at what it does and how Kiwi companies can connect and work more effectively with Japanese business partners. He has some great anecdotes from his time in Japan and how he took that learning back to Aotearoa New Zealand to generate great success at Skellerup. We all know of Skellerup as the iconic NZ maker of Red B...

Greg Lane has proved over many years in Japan that it’s possible for a foreign company to be successful. Despite the challenges of Covid Tokyo Cheapo and Japan Cheapo are still serving the local community and tourists visiting Japan wanting to find good value. Greg shares his insider knowledge of how to tackle the bureaucracy of Japan like water off a duck’s back, and how he actually doesn’t mind...

As an exchange student at Kapiti College at 14 years old, Mayu Suzuki helped her family to start what is now a successful business exporting high quality mānuka honey to Japan. Mayu shares how she is influenced by Māori culture and the care of future generations in driving  how her business operates on its three pillars: care, kindness (“mariri”) and honesty If you enjoyed this episode and it...

Welcome to our first Jandals in Japan "Mini" episode, where we share some of the great parts of our interview with our guest that we weren't able to put into our main episode. Listen to the full episode here. You'll hear: How being an international student changed Mayu's life Her message to young people considering a working holiday in New Zealand or an "OE" How Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has i...

If you haven’t visited Japan for a while due to the Covid-19 pandemic then you might find Japan to be quite different from when you were here last. Our guest is Louise George Kittaka, a writer and cross cultural trainer. Louise has been a proud supporter of Kiwis in Japan for many years and we wanted to introduce her to our growing Jandals community!  If you enjoyed this episode and it inspir...

Some of our most passionate Jandals are also originally from Japan. Makoto Kinjo has a wealth of experience in bringing New Zealand products to Japan. From ice cream to tomato paste, and even dog food, Makoto is now creating a premium brand of new kinds of New Zealand meat products in the Japanese market. Leveraging Japan’s world class delivery network, almost anything can arrive in the hands of c...

Cookie Time is a loved brand in New Zealand for nearly 40 years and we are thrilled that guest, Jason Allen, is on the show with us to share his insights into bringing an iconic Kiwi brand to Japan. As Kiwis far from home, being able to reconnect with New Zealand by finding a Cookie Time in a huge chain store in Japan really has been a gift through these last few years of not being able to get bac...