Japan: the country where life is cheaper

During the economic bubble of the eighties, Japan was the costliest country in the world. Surfing on the upswing mood, companies sold their ware as expensive as possible, playing on brands and fashion. Ten years of economic stagnation followed, with many of them having to struggle for survival. Most reduced their expenditure to the minimum in order to lower prices. Not everything became cheap. Housing is still expensive, and, as it loses most of its value after a few decades, is not an investment. The motorways are very expensive, sometimes twice or thrice the price of already costly French or Italian motorways. However, many goods and services are now offered at a price far lower than in Europe, with far superior service standards.

This story takes as an illustration half a day in the Kansai (関西) area. It regroups in less than 100 kilometers the economic powerhouse of Osaka (大阪), the fashionable port of Kobe (神戸), and the major tourist attractions of Kyoto (京都) and Nara (奈良). This is not countryside, but a region that compares well with Paris, Amsterdam, or Hamburg in population and wealth.

Our day started, quite predictably, in a hotel. We booked a double room in a western style “business hotel” located downtown Osaka. The accommodation was quite new, and perfectly clean. The room was not so large, but included free high-speed Internet, a shaving kit, a toothbrush, and a cotton yukata for the evening. A buffet style breakfast was served in hotel lobby in the morning. The price for a night is around Y8700 (54 Euros) for an advance internet reservation. As a comparison, a room in the central Ibis Hotel in downtown Bristol will set you back £56 (90 Euros). This price does not include internet connection, the shaving kit, and breakfast is extra.

We then left for shopping in downtown Osaka. As my glasses were worn out, I went to the “Alook” shop. Having chosen the frame, the attendant proposed to perform an eye test, or to use lenses identical to my current glasses. After a quick try, the frames left for the workshop, and were ready one hour later. The price of this very efficient service is Y5050 (around 31.5 Euros) for classical organic glasses. The cheaper French glasses shops do not go under 39 Euros.

After shopping, we left for Kyoto. The Keihan (京阪) company has a “limited express” service running on the 50km tracks links the downtown area of both cities. The seats can be oriented in the direction the train is running, and all coaches have air conditioning. The train is always running on time, with an excellent service: there are employees at most stations, and a conductor is on board of the train in addition to the driver. The fare is Y460 (2.80 Euros). In comparison, the very decent Transpennine service between York and Leeds (42 km) is around £9.20 (12 Euro) for a full fare ticket.

In Kyoto, we were in the mood for Tofu, and we headed for the sosoan (爽草庵) restaurant, close to the silver pavilion (銀閣寺), a major tourist spot. A very refined lunch is served every day: starters included a grilled trout fillet, Japanese omelets and a delicious steamed bun. The main dish was a pot of Tofu (豆腐), served with rice and miso soup. The menu also included dessert: a white wine jelly with strawberries. The atmosphere of the restaurant was peaceful, and the service was fast and elegant. As in most places in Japan, guests are welcome with a glass of fresh water and a hot towel, and excellent tea is served at no cost during the whole meal. The menu price is 2500 Yens (15.6 Euros). A decent meal in a parisian « brasserie » will set you back at least 25 Euros.

The examples highlighted here are not the most extreme. We could have spoken about the numerous healthy and cheap fast-food joints, such as the Otoya (大戸屋) chain, with grilled fish menu served in very decent restaurants for around Y700. Yoshinoya (吉野家) is even cheaper, at Y400 for a rice bowl with sliced meat on top. We did not speak here about high tech stuff, such as cameras, often far cheaper in Japan.

Those low prices have many reasons. VAT is only 5% in Japan, and social contributions are far lower than in Europe, especially for student or temporary workers. Competition is often more intense in Japan than in Europe: there are 4 different companies (Keihan, JR, Kintetsu et Hankyu) offering train service between Osaka and Kyoto. This does not explain everything, and one can wonder if France or England would need a few years of recession to get back in touch with reality.

Note : this article does not want to shame European companies chosen here, most of them being amongst the more competitive of their industry, and with very different constraints from their Japanese colleagues.

Sosoan　爽草庵　京都市左京区浄土寺下南田町１２９shimominamidacho jodoji sakyo-ku Tel : 0757713617. Close to Ginkakuji (銀閣寺), and 20 minutes walk from Demachiyanagi (出町柳) station.

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Gathering bamboo shoots

Bamboo thickets (竹) are often found around Japanese temples. The delicate blow of the wind in the leaves and the beautiful light create a peaceful atmosphere well suited to such places. This astonishing plant is also put to less spirirtual uses. It has the fastest growing rate of all species, up to a meter per day. Some people in Asia use it as an awful way of torturing prisoners. Light and strong, bamboo is also used in China as scaffolding for buildings. Also, bamboo shoots (竹の子) are a delicate spring meal in Japan, where they are harvested in April. In this story, we are leaving today for the Boso Peninsula (房総半島) near Tokyo with a spade, a large basket and gloves to pick fresh shoots.

Some species of bamboo only flower every fifty year or so. This is considered of bad omen in traditional agricultural societies with good reasons. The large increase of bamboo fruits means a boom in rodent populations, which will often devastate the harvests. Also, the death of all bamboos after their flowering will leave local cottage industries that use it as a raw material idle. Between two flowerings, bamboo is extending by creating clones. During the spring, each bamboo will create a few of them. Those are linked to their parent by the root at the start of their life. In the first days, only a small green cone 4 centimeters high is appearing out of the ground. The bamboo shoot should be gathered at that time, as it is still tender. When a bigger cone is out of the ground, it is already too late, as the plant has started to solidify.

To harvest a shoot, we should first dig around 30 centimeters deep. It is important not to break the precious shoot when digging. Then, the shoot should be separated from the parent. It is possible to see the direction of the parental root by looking at the leaves at the top of the bamboo shoot. They are curved in the direction of the parent. To separate the shoot, we should hit vigorously with the spade at the base of the shoot in the side of the parent.

An afternoon of gathering will make for a pleasant work-out in the Japanese country-side. Private bamboo plantations will allow visitors to pick bamboo shoots for a few hundred yens. The gathering is quite exhausting, and your hands may suffer a little if you are not used to gardening. A pair of all-purpose gloves (軍手) will come in handy, and can be bought in all gardening or do-it-yourself stores. A big basket will also help you bring back the shoots, and you should plan for a large pan to boil them.

You will find the bamboo shoots in many different Japanese meals. Before cooking, the shoots should be boiled in water during one or two hours, with some rice bran (米ぬか) in the water. The soonest you can boil them, the more tasty the will be. You should leave the shoots in the pan one night after boiling them, and then peel them.

One simple recipe is Bamboo shoot rice. Wash 3 cups of rice (540 ml), and put them in the rice cookers. Add two large spoons each of sake (酒), mirin and soy sauce (醤油), and around one cup of bamboo shoots cut in fine slices. Add two slices of fried tofu (油揚げ) and two large spoons of dashi. Add water up to the level indicated by the rice cooker. After the rice has cooked, stir it gently, and wait for 30 minutes before cooking. It is also possible to cook rice in a pan on very gentle fire with the same volume of water and rice.

Access to a bamboo plantation: “Yamada” park in Yokosuka can be accessed easily by public transport and car from Tokyo. It is open everyday from 10am to 5pm. Entrée fee is 500 Yens per person, and you can use the tools provided by the park for the harvest. Le parc can be accessed from the Keihin Kyuko line (京浜急行), YRP Nobi (野比) station. You can then take the bus bound for TsushinKenkyusho (通信研究所) or YokosukaShiminByoin (横須賀市民病院) et stop at « Sengen Jinja »　(浅間神社). Owner : M Sato Yamada 山田聡 (phone : 090.1530.3576. Address : 6-33-12 Nagesawa, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-0842神奈川県横須賀市長沢6-33-12). Site : http://yasai-jp.com/. There are of course many alternatives that can be searched on the internet.

Warning : Raw bamboo shoots can be poisonous. You should avoid pick them in the wild, and go to a serious bamboo plantation. It is required to cook thoroughly the shoots in boiling water, which destroys the toxic element. Both shoots bought in supermarket and those harvested by yourself should be cooked. It is normal that a slight ammoniac smell is emitted during the boiling, so you should take care to air your kitchen appropriately.

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More tips for a manager in Japan

Most forums and stories about Japan focus on the practicalities of getting a visa, and on areas accessible to foreigners, the most obvious being English conversation teacher. Expat Managers in Japan have a smoother way into the country. The paperwork is taken care of. A nice apartment is already booked for them in downtown Tokyo, and they have a position waiting in the Japanese subsidiary of their company. This does not mean they have it easy, and Japan can be a career graveyard, especially for very bright and successful people in the west. I published last month a few tips about working in Japan. This story gives more of them.

Lesson 6: Leverage on your expertise areas

Once in Japan, you will probably lose some of the strengths you leverage at home. You may be an eloquent and convincing speaker, but this will be lost through translations. Japanese people are also more likely to want to review the details than to buy a brilliant theory. Obviously, your carefully crafted network in the company will be of almost no use in Japan. You may be brilliant in motivating your team, but this will also not translate well in Japanese due to language and way of working. One of the only leverage you can still use in Japan is your expertise. A well-written computer program is well-written in all languages. A precise planning also stays a precise planning. Stress Calculation for Mechanical parts is the same in the west and Japan. A skilled chef remains a skilled chef whatever the country. My experience is that Japanese people respect expertise far more than they do of important, but harder to define, ‘managerial skills’. If your position in Japan is in line with your expertise and experience, it will be a powerful base you can build your position on.

Lesson 7: Forget about abstraction and concepts

The most brilliant, or supposedly brilliant, managers in the West love abstraction and concepts. Every year, business schools and consulting companies produce new concepts that are supposed to provide answers to company issues. Communication around those concepts is usually very sophisticated, as the organizations producing them have to justify their high fee. Hours of meetings can be wasted by rival managers fighting over their favourite ideas. Sceptics will say that most of those concepts are useless or even dangerous, and those that are not usually boil down to a two-line sentence when the hot air is removed. Whatever your opinion on this topic, you are likely to have a hard time using your favourite concepts in Japan, as they probably are not so popular here. Your Japanese employees, customers and suppliers are also likely to be very sceptical about abstract reasoning. My personal opinion is that there may be deep cultural reasons for that, but this is off-topic. You will have no choice but to elaborate your favourite idea down to concrete things like productivity improvement, better sales, reduced cost and better quality. For each of those topics, you will then be able to discuss productively with your Japanese counterparts about concrete improvements. This is actually a way of working that you may want to bring back home as most people find it more efficient.

Lesson 8: Do not play with the truth

Many managers, not to mention politicians, have the temptation to play with the truth. There may be good intentions behind. Making a good dossier even better can speed-up decisions. Hiding the pain in a change can help make it accept, sometimes for the own interest of the people “cheated”. However, the decision cycle is going to be very long in Japan, and your propositions will be explored in detail by all your Japanese colleagues and partners. You may find yourself in a very delicate situation explaining them the points where you “massaged” the truth. At worst, you will lose your credibility, and the goodwill you started to build with your counterparts. By being honest, you will build trust with your colleagues. You may also be better prepared to address the risks in the plan you present. As a common example, moving offshore or outsourcing looks nice to reduce cost, but how do you address quality issues and make sure the experience of the in-house employees is not lost? Did you account for the full cost of firing the people concerned, including loss of morale for the employees remaining? In the end, considering everything, is it really worth it? Would not you be better starting on a small scale and see how it goes? I believe you may also want to bring this habit back home.

Lesson 9: Negociate in the backroom

In theory, the most important meetings should be the ones where decisions are taken, as all the stakeholders in the company are present, and a lively debate can take place. In the end, one opinion, or a compromise, is agreed as the company decision. This decision may be in contradiction with the suggestion of one or several stake-holders. It means the company thinks those people were wrong, or their concern were not the most pressing ones for the company. This can be understood as the normal course of business in anglo-saxon culture. However, in many other cultures, this can be resented as a public humiliation for the people whose opinion was disregarded, and the different opinions expressed may just be seen as a “mess”. Of course, there are very different opinions in a company in Japan as everywhere else, but Japanese people think it is worth reaching a consensus before the “big meeting” by conducting bilateral discussions between all stake-holders to reach the best decision for the company. By doing this, everybody saves face, and the harmony inside the company is preserved. Of course, this has a drawback, as it is extremely time consuming. But it is probably better than the alternative. If you do not take time to build consensus, you will hold the big meeting and tell your opinion. Most likely, the Japanese guys will politely say “yes” to express the fact they have understood your opinion, not that they agree. They may not realize the decision has been taken. When they do, they will fight by all possible means to have the decision reversed, or to make it meaningless. One example is a company that set an amount (let’s say $1M) above which projects need to be approved centrally, in order to control spending. Most Japanese people just ended-up splitting their projects into $995K packages that they could continue as before.

To conclude this short series, I would like to point to a quite interesting book telling the story of the Nissan take-over by Renault, and how his president, Carlos Gohn, managed it. While the magic has worn off a little bit, he still managed to transform a struggling traditional Japanese company into a profitable one. I wished all my colleagues in Japan read the book.

Turnaround: How Carlos Gohn rescued Nissan, from David Magee. Edited by Collins, ISBN 978-0060514853

Note: the buildings appearing on the pictures of this story have been chosen for esthetic reasons only. I did not conduct business with companies located in those buildings, and none of my stories is based on them.

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On the tracks of the Izu Dancer

I may not be the only one to have been introduced to Japanese literature by the short “Izu Dancer” (伊豆の踊り子) novel. It tells the story of a young high-school student going on a vacation trip to the Izu Peninsula (伊豆半島) in the early 1900s. He starts the trip alone and sad. Later, he meets a group of entertainers and travels with them down to Shimoda(下田). His mood gets a lot better, thanks to his cheerful company and especially the attraction he feels for a young dancer. The young age of the girl and the gap in social status will not allow him to have an affair, but our hero leaves for Tokyo from Shimoda by boat with much lighter feelings. The story is gracefully told by Kawabata’s elegant prose.

During my first trip to Japan, I ran into Izu Peninsula again when I looked for a quick “onsen experience” outside Tokyo. This brought me to Atami (熱海), the gateway to the Peninsula, and a popular modern resort. Being on budget, I did not go there by the aptly name “Odoriko” (Dancer) Express, and restricted myself to a cheap but pleasant onsen afternoon in a modern hotel, before going back to Tokyo by the regular commuter train and eating cheap ramen noodles again for dinner.

A few years later, I could at least discover more of the Peninsula. The orange and green regular train brought me from Tokyo to Ito(伊東), a small fishing town and a Hot Spring (温泉) resort. I was quite disappointed by the outside aspect of the onsen ryokan (旅館) I booked, which looked more like a Tokyo suburb building than a holiday resort. However, the experience was unforgettable, as the staff was extremely helpful, and I could enjoy a relaxing tatami room. Food in ryokan is also great, with an elaborated dinner and breakfast served in the room. In Izu coast, it almost always includes raw fish, whereas boar (猪) is more common in the mountains. The best of an onsen trip is of course the long evening when there is plenty of time to enjoy the hot and sulphurous water, and to sleep with the whole body relaxed. Some ryokans are also set in old traditional house, with a great atmosphere. Old Japanese buildings however sometimes lack the sound isolation that would be suited in such a favourite date spot.

The coastal road south of Ito is interesting enough for an afternoon stroll, and offers beautiful views of Oshima(大島) islands. However, it is worth taking the train south to Jogasaki Kaigan (城ヶ埼海岸) Station. Nearby is the beautiful shoreline of Jogasaki (城ヶ埼), with its lava cliffs surrounded by pine trees and going straight into the see. The shoreline is beautifully preserved, and offers several kilometres of hikes. Nearby is also the surprising Mount Omura (大室山), a now sleepy small volcano that can be climbed by a chairlift. It offers nice views over the Izu Peninsula, nearby islands, and Mount Fuji. After climbing down the volcano, you could continue to Shimoda, at the southern end of the peninsula, by train. This historical port is where the famous American “black ships” landed in 1858, putting an end to two centuries of almost full isolation for Japan.On the way, you could stop on the famous “Shirahama” (白浜) beach, a popular swimming spot in summer, and a surf spot all year round.

It is however possible to reach Shimoda via the mountain road. This is the way taken by the party in the Izu dancer novel. Your trip will start in Mishima (三島), and should definitely include an Unagi (うなぎ) meal. The eel is grilled over a charcoal fire, with the sauce giving it a sweet flavour. You may also enjoy near Mishima the beautiful Kakitagawa (柿田川) springs. The very pure deep blue water is said to come from Mount Fuji, and the surrounding wetlands are very pleasant.

Back in Mishima, the train will bring you to Shuzenji (修善寺) town in central Izu peninsula. The nearby “Shuzenji onsen” (修善寺温泉) resort is home to some of the most renowned ryokan in Japan. There are also more affordable options, and It is a good place for staying overnight. From Shuzenji, you can travel by bus through the central road that goes down to Shimoda. The Joren waterfalls (浄連の
滝) are certainly impressive, but the best is probably a hike in the Amagi Toge (天城峠) road, now closed to cars. I was lucky enough to hike it during a misty afternoon, and the fog gave a touch of mystery to the forest. I would not have been surprised if the travelling party of the Izu dancer just came out of the fog in front of me. Also impressive was the completely dark tunnel one has to cross at the top of the road. Travelling further down to Shimoda, the road crosses twice a weird loop-shaped bridge, an original and supposedly earthquake-proof way of climbing the mountains.

Another way to travel to Izu from Nagoya or Osaka is the ferry connecting Shimizu (清水) to Toi (土肥). It crosses the Suruga-bay with beautiful views on mount fuji on clear time. A reasonably frequent bus links the small town of Ooi to Shuzenji. Of course, it is possible to board the ferry with a car, and you may avoid the frequent traffic jams around Numazu on week-ends

Practical information:

Access to Atami: Tokaido Shinkansen Kodama(Y4288 - 27 Euro, 46min from Tokyo), Special ‘Odoriko’ Service (Y3900 - 24 Euro, 80min from Tokyo) or Tokaido main line (111 min, Y1890 - 12 Euro from Tokyo). The Odoriko service continues to Ito (Y4420, 104min) and Shimoda (Y6290, 164min). There are also local train services between Atami and Ito (JR Ito line), and between Ito and Shimoda (Izu express line).

Access to Mishima: Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari (Y4600 - 28 Euro, 44min from Tokyo), or Tokaido main line (119 min, Y2210 from Tokyo, train change in Atami)

Access to Shuzenji: Izu Hakone line from Mishima to Shuzenji (33 minutes, 500 - 3 Euro) Frequent buses from Shuzenji station (every 15 minutes) to Shuzenji Onsen resort (Izu Hakone bus or Tokai bus). There are around 20 buses a day between Shuzenji and Toi. Buses bound for Matsuzaki (松崎) stop in Toi.

Access to Joren Fall and Amagi Toge: bus from Shuzenji bound to Kawazu. Approximately one bus every 30 minutes. 30 minutes, Y800 - 5 Euro to reach Joren Fall, Y1060 - 7 Euros, 45 minutes to reach Amani Toge

Access to Toi from Ferry. Dream Ferry from Shimizu. Around 65 minutes, between 4 and 7 return trips a day. The first ferry leaves Shimizu at 8am, and Toi at 9.20 am. The last ferry leaves Shimizu at 4pm and Toi at 5.20 pm. One way trip is Y2000 - 12 Euro per person, and Y4300 - 25 Euro per individual car (less than 3m long).

Izu Hakone bus: http://www.izuhakone.co.jp/bus/rosen/index.htm (In Japanese)
Tokai Bus: http://www.tokaibus.jp/mainroot.html (In Japanese)
Toi bus schedule: http://www.toi-annai.com/access/basu.html (In Japanese)
Toi <-> Shimizu Ferry: http://www.dream-ferry.co.jp/

Unagi Restaurant in Mishima : sakuraya (桜家) 三島市広小路町13-2 hirokoji-cho Mishima. Tel 055-975-4520. Open from 11am to 8pm or when sold-out. Meals from Y2620 - 16 Euros. Closed on Wednesday and holidays.

Booking an onsen hotel or ryokan: Yahoo Japan (http://www.yahoo.co.jp/ offers comprehensive accommodation booking service under the category ‘travel’. The secret Japan (http://www.secret-japan.com/) site offers independent advice in English and in French on Onsen destination, and also includes a guide to west Izu coast.

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Foreign manager in Japan

I had the opportunity to work on a large-scale project in the Japanese subsidiary of an Anglo-Saxon multinational. Things did not turn out according to plan, and the project soon became a huge power struggle between the western managers and the Japanese employees. Being a “latine” European, and almost the only foreigner speaking Japanese, I was somehow considered “neutral”, and alternatively the confident of westerners and Japanese alike. This was the ideal position to ”make sense of it all”. I have tried to boil-down my thoughts into a few key lessons that will help me next time and may be of interest to other western managers assigned to Japan.

Lesson 1: Have realistic expectations

You may be a very efficient manager in the west. However, the odds are you will spend much time here convincing Japanese people that your ideas are right, and then, things may work-out much slower than what you are used to, if they progress at all. Unless the situation is critical, Japanese people are very unlikely to accept radical change in their way of working. They may also consider that your assignment is only for a few years, and they will stay longer, so they would better please their Japanese colleagues and customers than yourself. Those are reasons why you should you take as a baseline for your assignment objectives what your predecessor in Japan has achieved, not what you have achieved in another country. In most situations, it is probably safer to promise that you will implement consensual and incremental change, correct obvious flows, and give visibility to your management.

Lesson 2: Only accept a position with power attached

Western and Japanese people seldom work together efficiently, as the way of thinking and background are quite different. Also, communication is usually poor due to translation. Quite rationally, most Japanese employees would rather leave you idle on the side, and continue managing the day to day business themselves. They believe they will lose more time engaging you than they will gain, and they sometimes fear you will break all the relationships and organization they put in place. You may enjoy a two years holiday in Japan with all the perks of an expat. However, if your idea is to get real work done, you should make sure your position is designed so that you stay in the loop of most decisions: a good idea would be to have control over the budget, or to have strategic technical knowledge that is positively necessary for your Japanese colleagues. By doing so, you will not have to convince your Japanese colleagues to keep you in the loop, as they anyways need you.

Lesson 3: Do not expect to be trusted just because you are a westerner

Anglo-saxon companies are amongst the most efficient and well-organized. As a result, western managers, especially American ones, often think their way of working is the best, and expect Japanese people just to admit it, listen and adopt their way. This feeling is especially true as most Japanese employees may not master well the English language, and will not be able to explain eloquently their ideas in English. If you hear about the other side, Japanese people are justly proud of their achievements: they have built the second world economy on a narrow piece of land (thirty times smaller than the USA), managed the most efficient and fastest transition from the feudal world to a modern country. Japanese people also often think that their society is more harmonious. We could spend hours comparing Japan and the West, but there are for sure areas where Japan is very competitive with the west, the most obvious example being the automobile industry. Your subordinates will not take your statement as face value and always challenge them. So, to succeed, you will have to listen to your employees, prove them that your ideas are right, and, especially, that they are suited to the Japanese environment.

Lesson 4: Adapt to the Japanese environment

While local people tend to exaggerate the specificities of Japan, there are some objective differences between the “West” and Japan that usually boil down to the following ones:

• Houses are small and land is scarce, so the people have an adapted lifestyle. Obvious examples are that people buy food on a daily basis, as they do not have room to store a week’s worth of supply, and buy small cars to adapt to the narrow roads.
• Japanese people are very sophisticated in their taste and lifestyle: Tokyo compares well with the most elegant cities in the west such as Milan, Paris, New-York or London, for fashion, food and nightlife. You may not find a market here for second-rate products.
• Standards of service are also very high in Japan. While expats often take the example of the ATM closed on Sunday to show Japan has poor service, this is in my opinion more the rule than the exception. I had the chance to live in several countries in Europe, the USA, and Japan, and I found service consistently better in Japan. This is true as an individual customer to restaurants, hotels, travel agencies, moving companies, phone companies, real estate agents. But it also applies to internal services in most companies I worked with. I regret every single day the extremely efficient Japanese assistant that helped me sort small issues on the project. The dark side is of course that processes and products often have to be over-engineered to provide the required quality of service. This may not be always cost effective, but it may be the only way to do business in Japan.

Lesson 5: Work hard

There is a general feeling in the west, especially in Anglo-Saxon culture, that spending long nights in the office is a proof of poor personal productivity, as brilliant people will organize themselves better and finish their work early. This is certainly often true, but there is also a dark side. Dig a little bit, and behind a self-declared productive person leaving the office at 5pm, there is often a hard-working subordinate or subcontractor making long days to compensate, or a fine-tuned rhetoric to push difficult work to other people. Japanese people generally respect hard work and long hours. During my experience in Japan, I could observe the relative success of two dozen western executives, and the hardest working people were consistently and significantly the most successful, even if they were not always the most knowledgeable or experienced. By spending long hours at work, they gained respect from their colleagues, they had time to put attention to details, and they were in the office when decisions were taken late at night. The most effective meeting I experienced was an infamous 14 hours session that started at 4pm and finished at 6 am the following morning having worked through all the details of a complex contract. This is somehow extreme, but you should expect to finish work regularly between 9 and 11pm. To be successful, you would be wise to forget about evenings in the American club and regular dates with your wife on weekdays. A good compromise is probably to work intensely on weekdays, but keep your week-end to yourself and your family.

In a following story, I will share with you other lessons I got out of my experience in Japan.

Note: the buildings appearing on the pictures of this story have been chosen for esthetic reasons only. I did not conduct business with companies located in those buildings, and none of my stories is based on them.

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