Now and Zen Japan

Have you ever thought about working for a Japanese company in Japan, but were turned off by all the stories of long hours, low pay, slow career path, no incentives for performance, archaic hierarchy rule setting, social drinking requirements and more? Then this episode is for you. Alvin Tan is here to discuss his recent  controversial article on Medium titled “Why More Foreigners in Japan Should W...

This episode we deep-dive into well-know, but often misunderstood Japanese culture topics with Kiyoshi Matsumoto. Kiyoshi is the author of the  book “Japan Unmasked, Understanding Japan and its people”.  Kiyoshi is Japanese but has lived outside Japan for 33 years working in the travel industry. During this time he has spend countless hours explaining Japanese culture to his foreign guests and rea...

Drinking wine should be a relaxing event and lifestyle enhancer, at least this is how Swirl co-founder Federico Fanelli views it. Originally from Italy, Federico came to Japan on a mission to introduce the wine lifestyle to Japanese. After a few years selling wine B2B, he together with his co-founder started Swirl, an online wine subscription service. Swirl is a very user friendly website incorpor...

This episode you will hear from Dominic Carter, an expert on Japan market entry, market research, and branding. Dominic shares great insight, knowledge, and current research results, for anyone working in Japan or looking to expand into Japan needs to hear.  You will learn the 3 Golden Rules for Japan market entry success, the 4 Marco Trends shaping modern Japan, as well as numerous great quotes a...

Sean Nichols has been an entertainer on Japanese TV,  a Manzai stand-up comedian, the global representative for Japan's biggest YouTuber,  went on tour with Aerosmith, but is most famous for his starring role in the Ultraman series - the only foreigner to ever appear in the 40 year history of the franchise. This episode he discusses the dream journey from watching Ultraman on TV as a child, t...

This updated and re-released episode we get into Hospitality and Retail with professional sales and leadership trainer Masako Yamamura.  We discuss Omotenashi possibly leading to world peace,  Bartenders are the most fun hospitality people, Commissions and culturally why Japanese avoid the system , Fortune-tellers, and the numerous differences and similarities between the retail and hospitality in...

Have you ever considered opening your own bar, cafe, or restaurant in Japan?  It seems daunting and bureaucratic doesn't it? On this episode you will hear just how simple it can be. I speak with William Ryan, the founder of Japan Hospitality Consultants (JHC), and the owner of the An Solas Irish Pub in Yoyogi.  William has been running Irish pubs in Tokyo for over 20 years and started his own...

A topic near and dear to my interests and business: Retail in Japan. Specifically the Outlet Mall industry.  This episode we hear from Julien Rey, the Leasing Director for the Outlet! Company.  Japan already has numerous outlet malls and Julien explains how his company is differentiating and innovating in this competitive market. The fascinating quantitative and psychological factors behind mall l...

This is a deep-dive into those mystifying Japanese business practices foreigners in Japan often struggle with. Intercultural Facilitator Masafumi Otsuka explains the frustrating Japanese business practice of "Why Japanese mangers change jobs every 3 years", and "Why they always see the glass as half empty". The periodic job rotation system and the risk adverse decision process ...

Connecting International Curiosity with Japanese Content with 34-year Japan entrepreneur Ruth Jarman. She is the founder of Jarman International and the author of six books in Japanese. We talk about these books, this content, and where her passion for Japan comes from. We also discuss "Reading the Air" and other non-verbal conversation traits in Japan, her top 3 cultural reasons Japanes...

It's passionate travel stories from rural Japan, fascinating historical story-telling, and insightful cultural observations with Diane Tincher.  Diane has been in Japan for 35 years, lived in Kagoshima for 26 years, has 8 children, and is the owner of the must-see website "More than Tokyo".  She is a prolific writer of little known historical stories she has researched in Japanese,...

Serial entrepreneur Tyson Batino, founder of three businesses in Japan including the successful English school chain One Coin English, is the guest this episode. His latest business is  'Scaling Your Company' where he advises and coaches small business owners how to scale their business 5x to 100x!  We talk about his start in Japan, how three mentors changed his career and his business l...

If you are a regular listener to Now and Zen, you'll know many of my fascinating guests are non-Japanese living in Japan. So it's always fun to have a bi-cultural Japanese guest on the show and hear their insights and perspectives.  This episode I speak with Yuko Tamura, she is an award-winning writer on the Medium platform and the editor of Japonica - the publication for everything Japa...

This episode I step outside my comfort zone and talk about investing with Alternative Investment Specialist Frank Packard.  Specifically we discuss Passion Investing, things like art, watches, and fine wine. What are the opportunities and what are the risks.  Do you have a collection of something which might be worth a lot of money?  Then you know It's not just about portfolio diversification...

A very entertaining conversation all about the Italian pasta business in Japan.  This episode you meet Nikhil Gupte the Managing Director for Barilla Japan.  Barilla is a 145 year old family owned Italian food company and Nikhil is responsible for introducing their traditions, values, and world famous pasta to the Japanese market. What happens when Italian authenticity comes up against Japanese Wa...

I thought it might be a challenge to interview my old friend David Clement. After-all we both grew up in the same small town and have known each other in Japan for over 20 years. However, his wisdom, Japan insight, and most of all, his entertaining stories make this a very fascinating episode.  22 years in B2B sales working with the biggest names in Japan and now the country manager for a "pe...

Fascinating innovations are happening in the food & beverage industry around the world and Ugo Bataillard is introducing them to Japan.  Ugo is the Founder and CEO of GourmetPro, a startup which began as a Japan market-entry consulting company for foreign food and beverage companies. After a successful 1st year of having too much business, GourmetPro shifted their business model to focus more...

Cynthia Usui becomes the 1st ever return guest to the podcast. Less than a year ago, Cynthia was surviving as a part-time supermarket cashier after losing her high profile job, and now, she is the Japan Country manager for a new chain of small hotels in Tokyo! LOF Hotels. Once again  Cynthia has reinvented herself.  This episode you will hear this amazing story, why she initially turned down the h...

Now and Zen Japan welcomes Mr. Ed Thompson, a Marketing Consultant and the founder of Concept Design. This episode we share beers and talk about his 20+ years in Japan and professional career in marketing, branding, advertising, and academia. He has also been a lecturer at Temple University for over 15 years. Ed is a straight talker and has strong opinions when it comes to the business of marketin...

This episode is an entertaining and stimulating conversation with a  forward-thinking, self-described "Evangelist" for for Digital Transformation in Japan, Mr. Evan Berkosky.  Before you decide to tune-out because "Digital Transformation" sounds unexciting,  Hold On!  Evan makes this topic both insightful and relevant and shares his ideas on how he would initiate quick wins to...

This episode I have an entertaining conversation with an old friend of mine. Yukie Kito is an award winning movie producer with over 20 films to her credit.  This is really an "insiders" episode where we talk about her life, challenges, and successes as an independent producer and really gain a lot of insight into the Japanese film industry: What has happened to creativity and how some m...

It's time to get your motor running and head out to the highway. This episode I speak with the president of Ducati Japan Mr. Mats Lindstrom.  You do not need to be a "bike guy" or a "gear-head" to enjoy this conversation with Mats. We chat about "Empowerment" in Japan, his unique strategy and reasons for conducting management meetings in English, and his biggest...

This episode we are treated to a wonderful conversation with an amazing woman who continues to have a fascinating life.  Karen Hill Anton discusses her memoir "The View from Breast Pocket Mountain". Published in late 2020 the book has received numerous literary awards and has a 5 start rating from Amazon. We talk about her motivation behind writing her 1st book, she offers solid advise f...

The phrase "Do what you love and you never have to work another day in your life" fits Mac Salman perfectly. Mac left the finance  industry and pursued his passions - Travel, Japan, and tasty spirits. We discuss his customized tour business Maction Planet where he has never conducted the same itinerary twice. Then his pivot to Kanpai Planet when the pandemic halted Japan tourism. We disc...

Meshida is an ex-Japanese salaryman turned English language standup comedian. For the past eight years Meshida has been performing his style of comedy in both Japan and the UK. In addition he is a successful YouTuber, mostly known for his comedic commentary on Japan's "pink" culture despite his many other "wholesome" cultural topics. We discuss why he decided to become a f...