Where Mt. Fuji meets Matterhorn

10 year anniversary of living in Japan

sibylleito — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:08:27 +0000

Ten years ago I hopped on a plane heading to Tokyo to start my life again on a different continent for the second time. Today 10 years later looking back is simply wonderful, because in no way I regret the decision to choose Tokyo as my home. After living in Los Angeles (California, United States of America) for about 6 years, plus being exposed to how much the US society is changing after the 911 incident, the time felt right to follow my heart and move to the city I was so badly homesick for: Tokyo.
As it was not my first trans-continental move, I felt better prepared on what I might have to face. As my preparation I got a place to live and a job lined up, but after having given notice to my then employer that I will not extend the yearly contract, the company I was supposed to work for in Tokyo decided not to hire me at the last second. Here I was in Los Angeles without a job in Japan or my present location, having sold off or given away as much as possible of my possessions: Should I take the risk and jump into the unknown or try to re-establish myself in a known environment???
As you can guess, I took the risk and jumped into an unknown future. Getting a job and rebuilding my life in Japan was not easy at all, but worthwhile to do. For sure I learned my lesson that although I had adjusted to a different culture in the past, redoing it in Japan does not mean that I am better prepared for or that I can speed up the process. Adjusting to a local culture takes at least a year, no matter what.
Looking back now, let me list the top 3 best and worst experiences of living in Japan:

Best memories/plus points:

1. Found a home with heartful friends and even the best hubby on the planet (!), a place where I feel accepted as a foreigner, plus Japan is giving me much freedom to be myself without too many questions asked
2. Although I complain from time to time about the climate, having so much sunshine in Tokyo is just wonderful. I cannot help but feel happy and optimistic.
3. Actually a constant process: Being forced to reconsider my viewpoints or perception on what I perceive as “correct” daily. There is not a day going by when I am not learning from Japan or the Japanese society to keep my mind open and consider a totally different viewpoint as “correct”, even though it might be completely incompatible with my own view of what is “correct”.

Worst memories/minus points:

1. Realizing how naive I have been about personal safety and health, because I expected someone to look out for me in a worst case scenario (March 11, 2011). Lesson learned: There are limits on what a country or society can do to protect its citizens, I have to do my own share as well. Safety and health protection of myself and the loved ones is my job!
2. Being laid off overnight from my dream job, exactly 2 days before moving in with my partner, now hubby, facing the situation of ZERO income for the near future. Lesson learned: Being truly grateful for having had the chance to experience my dream job. Looking back now, although the “plusses” of my dream job were great, considering all the drive needed to make it work, plus the responsibilities took a toll on my personality and health. I had paid my price to fulfill a dream of mine, but learned it is not worth for me. Further being forced to live off your savings solely has changed my approach to financial security.
3. Sometimes it can be hard to remind myself that I am a visitor in a foreign country and that unless I am a citizen of the country, there are topics or viewpoints that can be only discussed as local nationals. What I can say in our own four walls is not always appropriate outside.

Overall I am very happy for the 10 year anniversary in Japan. Tokyo is my home and a lot of Japanese culture got permanently absorbed in my heart. For sure I am open and curious what the future will bring.

Brought to you from a very happy Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

Filed under: Japan

Tokyo saw its share of snow, plus suprises!

sibylleito — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:08:21 +0000

For me a huge reason why I enjoy living in Tokyo is that winters are comfortable. The temperatures go during the cold season below a truly comfortable level – personally I prefer the range of 20-30 degrees Celsius – but I never have to deal with the long periods of grey sky and no sun, lots of snow that melts easily letting your feet feel inside the shoes like a ice block. For sure the Swiss winter I will never miss! Rather seldom it snows in Tokyo and yesterday evening looking outside felt like being in mid Advent waiting for the Holiday Season to start.
I truly enjoyed being inside, not being exposed to the weather and then suddenly a long, noisy explosion sound that seemed to much very much like a roar of a dragon! What happened? What kind of explosion could be? Looking outside of the window showed no difference to the usual, apart from lots of snow falling. Strange sound, but because I could not figure it out, I went back to work. “Wham” again, this time shorter and less intensive. I truly had no clue what is going on.
Later on talking to others, plus then on twitter from the wonderful twitter buddy “@kbrmct” I have learned that actually thunder can occur during snow storms. Moreover looking at the data provided by a nice Twitter buddy, I have learned that actually in Niigata (an area famous for lots of snow) more thunders occur in winter than in summer. Have a look at the graph below, which compared Niigata and Maebashi (city in Kanto area).

In blue Niigata shows the highest number of thunder in December and then Maebashi in the hot summer month of August. More details can be found under chapter 4 on this link from Niigata Local Meteorogical Observatory. For sure I had never expected to hear such a majestic dragon thunder in Tokyo in the winter. I guess it was just perfect timing for the Chinese New Year.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (伊藤　シビル)

Filed under: environment, Japan

A darker Chinese New Year for Tokyo?

sibylleito — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:31:46 +0000

Since late December I wonder what is going on with the local economy. As a simple example I am surprised that this year at my local supermarket Aeon I cannot find any surprising great deals. A year earlier, I had noticed several offers of clothes or food so amazing, even though I did not really need to buy these goods then, the quality/price offer caused me to buy for stock. This year I have observed some sales promotions, but the price ranges are at least 20% higher compare to a year ago. I wonder when prices will drop again, because customers are not buying and the clothes on the racks are still the same since late November. I am speechless, because I have not seen such a slow moving consumer market in Japan so far.
Based on the information from Nikkei Shimbun sales at supermarkets have dropped 0.6% on the year in December to 1.25 trillion yen (fifth straight monthly fall). Or then even worse, sales for all of 2011 fell 0.8% to 12.7 trillion yen, down for the 15th consecutive year. Are we now at a point in time, when no more further costs can be cut and have reached rock bottom in pricing?
The last few years is forcing many Japanese to rethink their viewpoint on their neighbors. Although historically the relationship of Japanese and Chinese has not been so smooth, recently cash rich Chinese came to Ginza to buy an amazing amount of Japanese goods. As a consequence the local economy could profit quite a bit. So far only few local businesses focused their marketing strategy on the present ongoing Chinese New Year. VenusFort in Odaiba has launched an intensive sales campaign targeting Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year holidays. Quick actions for Eastern Japan is needed, because according to Yomiuri Shimbun the tour routes for Chinese tourists, which were previously concentrated around the Tokyo area, are moving towards the west. It seems that before the nuclear crisis, 70 percent of tour destinations were in eastern Japan and 30 percent in western Japan. Contrary now since the latter half of 2011, these numbers switched so 30 percent were in eastern Japan and 70 percent were in western Japan.
I can only wonder what the near future will bring, because corporate saving rates are up like never before, while I have never seen such a shopping hesitant Japan. When will movements in the market start again?

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: business practice, government, Japan, Japanese society, trend setters

Nostalgie is in!

sibylleito — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:29:16 +0000

Recently it seems to me that goods related to good old times, like the picture on the side of the promotional flyer of 150 Japanese folk songs (懐かしき日本の歌・第一集), are the new trend. From personal observations I see more products being promoted recently that help to connect to a feeling in the past, when everything seemed fine, less concerns perceived or every day life was much simpler. For those curious to see more details about this example of a unique deal of 7 CDs for a total of JPY 19,000 (additionally promoted with “convenient” 10 times payment of JPY 1980) or then want to see the actual CM shown on Japanese TV, please check out this link. Interestingly the company behind is known for long distance learning: U-can. With an in place well-functioning distribution system, adding products like the one above is a great marketing strategy I can only admire.
For your info the good old times in Japan most commonly refer to the Showa period (December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989): A period in Japanese history known for the economic boom related to the rebuilding (The Japanese Miracle), close-knit community that let Tokyo even feel like a small town or then a strong “let’s try/we can do it” feeling.
Why this boom now? I see two reasons. In the words of a professional Japanese friend: “Japanese society is getting older on average and at the same time the country is becoming more conservative”. Increasingly products for an older generation definitely makes sense, when the manga related younger population in contrast is decreasing, plus they have less and less spendable income in comparison. Secondly, starting last year with the earthquake/disaster the unexpected became a part of daily life. A large society was exposed to uncertainty and concerns about the future. Over time this resulting stress is best resolved with connecting to times, when life had been easy and simple.
Although I have not known the Showa Period myself in Japan, I have to confess my heart gets warm and tears are flowing, when I am exposed to the Showa mood. Rather seldom Showa goods have this effect on me, but movies like ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日 get to my heart. With the third part of this series, I guess I will not be the only one in the cinema with teary eyes and wishing to be sent back to the warmhearted city of Tokyo.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

P.S. I have seen in the meantime the movie ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日64 (reflecting this time the period during the Olympics in Tokyo). For sure it was a heart warming movie and I shed some tears, but I guess it will be more interesting for men than for women. In the movie the classical Japanese gender roles were shown, plus the viewpoint from a child to a young adult had shifted. Men were presented as tight-lipped during critical discussions, when the women were silently in the background.
I am not into souvenirs, but my addiction for the series took over and I needed the clear file as below.

Filed under: business practice, culture, history, Japan, Japanese society

Why is “Japanese High School students” such a highly researched topic?

sibylleito — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:31:49 +0000

Although I have never set any focus on the topic of Japanese High School students in my blog, the review tools of WordPress (the used software tool for this blog) shows me that daily at least 7 people come to visit this blog based on their google research topic related Japanese High School students. To be honest with you I cannot understand why. Furthermore after checking what really pops up when looking this topic up on google, I cannot find any connections to my blog on the first few pages. This cannot be and I continued to check for my blog. Guess what on page 38 (!!!) the first link to my blog is found. Most likely it will be as unbelievable for you as for me, have a look below on the search result found on January 17th:

Can you image or understand why someone would bother to go through more than 37 pages of google research pages related to the topic of Japanese High School students? I am flabbergasted. 7 or more people are daily in search of more information on such a topic? Why bother to go to through so many pages and not give up after a few minutes? Getting to google research page 38 takes time! I can only wonder what kind of information seems to be missing on the previous pages. Contact me, if you are curious or have questions in regard to anything related to Japanese High School students. Otherwise, if you have any idea on why the topic of Japanese High School students is such a highly researched topic, please do comment. I honestly have no clue.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

Filed under: culture, environment, Japan, Japanese society

How important is it to obey rules in Japan?

sibylleito — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:53:16 +0000

Yes, the picture on the side is shaky and not very clear, partially because it was early morning for me when I took the picture, plus this man riding on the subway is just one example of a more and more common sight in Tokyo. There is no need nor importance to actually recognize the shown salary man.
Officially on the line shown in the picture the seats in the car at the back of the train are reserved solely for women from 07:30 to 09:40 in the morning and then after 22:30 in the evening again. The goal is to have a safer environment on trains, so that women are protected from chikan (痴漢, or チカン), simply because groping is still quite common in Japan in packed trains. Let me point out the man depicted on the train has no connection with the topic of groping, contrary he is just an example of a Japanese, who has become less strict about following given rules.
Another example is the increase of the illegal parking in the streets, although stricter rules have been in place the last few years and police in combination with private companies try to track down all the parking offenders, I have not seen much of a change. Potentially main streets have become less crowded on the side, but the picture below shows a typical back street of Tokyo full of illegally parked cars.

I wonder whether the issue is really about breaking a law, but more about trying to make the best out of their own lives. If the other train compartments are too crowded, why not sneak into a women’s car? If you cannot find a quiet spot to park your car for a while so you can sleep, why not doing it in a back street? Moving one step further to a bigger topic: Olympus and Woodford. Where there actually rules broken or simply managers tried their best to keep a company alive with their perceived most suitable approach? While you might have read a lot of other articles, take your time to review the excellent article by Sophie Knight, when talking to Chris Berthelsen, because unlike other articles the Japanese business culture is taken into consideration.

http://thekishicut.com/2012/01/09/was-woodford-tripped-up-by-cultural-misunderstandings/

The more I know and have learned about Japan, now after 10 years I begin to wonder what is more important: Stability and harmony in life and do whatever it takes for the larger share of the company/society to protect it, or follow what is perceived as the “right” rules, even if it negatively affects some innocent bystanders? Is it correct to save hundreds of jobs to keep the economy going even though the law might not be followed properly? Where do you draw the line in a society that has extensive experience in working grey zones. I must say a part of me appreciates life in Japan without the strict Western black and white – right and wrong – approach, but there are times when I get lost in the grey.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

Filed under: business practice, Japan, Japanese society, Japanese women, salaryman

Here we go again…

sibylleito — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:20:48 +0000

Today around lunchtime we were jousted up again with fear like many times last year. Honestly I did not expect to hear the same sound again this year… Mobile phones gave this wailing warning signal that a bigger earthquake is expected to hit in the next few seconds. At the end the ground shook less than expected – most likely barely a 2 in Tokyo, but the panic, alert level has not changed compared to last year.
According to the Mainichi Shinbun the earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 jolted northeastern Japan (based on the Japan Meteorological Agency) took place at 12:20 p.m. with a focus off the coast of Fukushima at a depth of about 20 kilometers. More details then otherwise about the location can be found on the link below:

http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/20120112122000.html?c=3

Everything is fine and I have no reason to complain. Sometimes I simply wish all the memories related to March 11 2011 would never pop up again.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

Filed under: environment, Japan, Japanese society

How do you keep good business relationships in Japan?

sibylleito — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:13:51 +0000

With the start of the New Year you might consider to add some resolutions as well on how to improve your business relationships with your Japanese counter partners. Nikkei Shimbun had asked 1000 Japanese (half female, half male) about their recommendations. From my perspecive some of the top 10 suggestions in Japan are different from the what I have encountered outside of Japan. While I find the importance of saying thank you globally as a top priority, I have to remind myself while being abroad that excusing myself too much can be a hinderance in global business. I realize that after living now 10 years in Japan, I have gotten too used to apologize for too many things: “I am sorry for have kept you waiting.” “I am sorry for getting back again to the main purpose of the discussion.” “I am sorry for not truly understanding your viewpoint…” Apologizing has become a part of my communication tools. When I grew up in Switzerland it took quite a lot of courage to apologize as I sensed that I had to overcome my internal pride. Then in the US adding sorry to my vocabulary was not such a big deal, but truly apologizing was still hard. Now in Japan saying sorry or apologizing myself has become my second nature.
Let’s have a look at the top 10 recommendations:

1. Say “thank you” and “I am sorry”
2. Show a happy face and smile while greeting others
3. Keep promises
4. Don’t tell lies
5. Don’t do to others what you don’t like yourself
6. Let others important information know as well
7. When dealing with others consider their stand point as well
8. While listening to others, look into other people’s eyes
9. Don’t talk bad about others when they are not present
10. Keep polite manners even with good friends

I am surprised that sharing eye contact has made the top 10 list. Personally I remind myself each time at the airport, when going abroad to increase my eye contact and not get confused when people actually are looking at me. Then on the way back home, I subdue my eye contact. Could it be that sharing more closeness has become more important in Japan?
On the other hand, what do you do at work when you have to deal with a person you cannot stand. According to the Nikkei review most people with 56% recommend to keep a friendly greeting as a good communication tool. Only 6% suggested to avoid any direct communication.

Positive, proactive greeting: 56%
Focus on business related topics: 26%
Try to keep an upbeat style of communication: 9%
Avoid communcation: 6%
Others: 3%

Many times I have been surprised about the importance that is laid on proper greeting in Japan. Keep it in mind when you meet your Japanese business partner next time. Oooops, I realize I have made a big fauxpas already. Especially now with the new year starting, let me apologize that I had not wished you earlier 明けましておめでとうございます。今年も宜しくおねがいします。(All the best for the start of this year and please take good care of me this year as well). I definitely need to brush up on my greeting behavior in Japan.

Wishing you all the best for 2012, no matter where you are!

Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

Filed under: business practice, culture, Japan, Japanese society, salaryman

Do you match the common Japanese saving goals for 2012?

sibylleito — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:32:01 +0000

New Year has started, all the “Nengachos” (New Years Card, mine shown on the side) are read and work has started again. We are back to business as usual, but are we really? I would like to argue that this year-end had been different in an economic sense. Of course, in Ginza the lines were as long as usual for the fukubukuro (福袋, lucky bag sold on New Year’s Day), but observing the consumer behavior at the larger department store Aeon nearby, this year was rather slow. The store was crowed as usually during weekends and holidays, but this time I had noticed that apart from food and basic household goods other products were not purchased. Special sales with great deals on winter jackets, bags or dieting goods were left on the side. Even on January 4th specially set up tables with fukubukuro were still full. I can tell you the deals were great, but it seems that the general public was simply not interested to buy more than the most basic needs.
I had wondered why, when with today’s Nikkei Shimbun the answer was shown to me. Based on their questionnaire of 618 Japanese I was amazed to find the high savings goal for 2012 with more than JPY 1,500,000 for 16% of the people asked! Although at the same time 34% had no set goal for savings, only 2% of the respondents had no plans to increase their savings. See the actual savings goals for 2012:

No savings planned: 2%
Have not set a savings goal: 34%
Savings goal of at least JPY 300,000: 9%
Savings goal of at least JPY 500,000: 12%
Savings goal of at least JPY 1,000,000: 15%
Savings goal of at least JPY 1,500,000: 12%
Savings goal of more than JPY 1,500,000: 16%

Looking at the amount expected to be saved by many Japanese it is not surprising for me that people are staying away from not absolutely necessary purchases. I guess an additional reason to save is the upcoming social security reform report (IH 12/01/11). Based on the info from Mercer the legislation should reach the Diet in March. Japanese residents are is facing higher costs in the near and long-term future:

- The consumption tax hike is moving forward with the 5% levy now due to hit 8% in April 2014 and 10% in October 2015.
- New medical co-payments for people ages 70-74 and a pension premium hike for people above a certain income threshold were included in some previews, but reportedly might not make the final cut.
- Tax deduction cuts on large pensions and for people who continue to work while they collect their pensions have not been ruled out.
- A 2003 law that halved the 20% capital gains tax will be allowed to lapse at the end of 2013 to help fund social security.

Even though based on the Mainichi Shimbun news the most recent BOJ easing policy is effecting Japanese economy, but still it is unlikely that the common Japanese consumers can have a positive impact on the total Japanese economy. I guess the time has come for me as well to review my budget and my spending.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

Filed under: business practice, culture, government, Japan, Japanese society, Japanese women

I have been thinking…

sibylleito — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:18:03 +0000

Yes, I have been quiet for a long time. My sincere apology and “mea culpa”. As the title says last few weeks I have been thinking a lot. All simply because more and more news confirmed what I had assumed earlier, but because I could not prove it myself, I had disregarded it. So how should I react when for me inexcusable actions come to the light? Accept it as a unique trait of Japan? Or is now Japan following a global trend? Chances are by disregarding the potential of a worst case scenario, I had unknowingly still my pink glasses on in regard to Japan.

- I have heard about “creative accounting” at bigger companies in Japan, but I never could confirm it myself. Therefore I saw the likelihood as being true small or very few cases in Japan. I have heard from several company employees that some were forced to create fake purchase order to manufacture an increased sales turnover… At the end now the actions taken by the management at Olympus or Daio Paper have shown the limited respect towards shareholders and employees. Can we expect better accounting practices in the future from 2017 onwards with the Japanese adjustment to the global accounting standard? I doubt so.

- Thank goodness we had an earth quake? For sure certain priorities in life have changed since March for me as well. The most recent JWT Japan Anxiety report (http://anxietyindex.com/japan/) shows that in September, 94% of respondents believed that, recovery aside, Japan has many other serious problems to address before returning to prosperity, and 84% felt the disaster brought many of these to the surface. Does this mean we should be grateful for the disaster experienced, because it allows us to create a better Japan? Looking at the data provided from JWT it does not look bright at all.

“Only 56% felt the disaster has acted as a catalyst to positive change, and 40% felt the country would be prosperous again relatively soon. Much of the blame for this pessimism seems to fall on the shoulders of the government and Japanese businesses, with nearly 80% believing the political system has eroded and 60% believing Japanese companies are becoming less globally competitive. As mentioned before, there is a yearning for political vision and leadership, now more than ever—and this sense of lack of vision, leadership and direction is spilling over to domestic companies.”

Yes, on a social level I see and hear many people wanting to create a better future for Japan. Then in reality according to the JWT data solely 28% perceive their life as back to normal. In business I have yet to see a company that is using the disaster earlier this year as a chance to turn around their business approach to become more effective and increase their productivity.

- I wonder how much of the news I have heard earlier but dismissed is actually true? How about news of the increasingly popular cosmetics brand mainly found at convenient stores and large supermarkets? Could it be that this Japanese company had actually fired all employees who did not show up the first Monday after the disaster happened? The reason for the dismissal was that they did not show up on time at work.
Or what about the news that the radium dealt on the Tokyo black market after WWII is now simply popping up at certain sites in Tokyo, because radioactivity meters have become popular?

At the end I have to say, I am facing an even bigger question now: Why are these Japanese weaknesses exposed now. Is it really just because the earthquake shook the present system and the perception of the people? With seemingly now more exposed in Japan, who at the end actually profits from all this exposure? I have learned this year that news is promoted for a certain reason, because it is in the best interest/most profitable for someone. Who is this now? I do not have the answer and I will continue to think…

Brought to you Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

Filed under: business practice, culture, government, history, Japan, trend setters

The heat is on!

sibylleito — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:47:55 +0000

It seems to me this summer the heat is on in many ways. On the weather front: Japan is experiencing higher than usual summer temperatures, which puts a strain on the limited available electric resources. While the area in Kanto with all the “setsuden” activities (individual and company wide energy-saving, company wide change of work time pattern), the previously devastated areas have to face an even tighter energy supply, because their demand seems to hover daily around 95% of the available electricity.
At the same time the heat is on the local smartphone makers as well. They have realized that they need urgently expand their activities to abroad, because within Japan foreign producers are taking a rather high share (according to Nikkei Shimbun Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. sharing 46.8% of domestic smartphone shipments in fiscal 2010). Although Japan is usually rather efficient in creating barriers for foreign firms to succeed locally by promoting functions that are unique to the local market (e-money systems and television broadcasts for mobile phones), this time it did not seem to work well. In order to become more competitive cost structures are very important, when presently compared to foreign manufacturers Japanese models are too expensive. Japanese firms have no choice but need gain sales volume by expanding overseas, but they have been slow to do so. For example Sharp Corp. moved into China in 2008 and India last year, but annually it sells only 1.19 million units abroad. It seems overall the challenge is to differentiate their smartphones compared to the global competition. Options with high-resolution LCDs, thin phones as well as water- and dust-resistant models might help, but honestly I doubt whether these features can really boost sales.
On the other hand, some local companies like Horiba are under heavy pressure to keep up with the demand. Before the disaster hand-held radioactivity meters were sold about 100 per year, but recently the orders have jumped up to 1000 units per week according to the Asahi Shimbun. Seeing Japanese companies thriving usually warms my heart, but in this case I have mixed feelings. Having this unusual demand for individual radioactivity meter in mind, it is not surprising that the purchasing behavior of every day users has changed. I am sure many families had to reorganize their household spending, when after the disaster new basic needs were created.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: Japan

Japan moving in and out of the global limelight

sibylleito — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:25:36 +0000

For sure this year had been very interesting for Japan especially looking from the perspective how Japan had been presented in the media abroad. Observing the foreign media commenting about the disaster had been on front pages with many true, fictious and not proper researched topics. In many ways it had been a PR nightmare for Japan. Now after time has passed, while being on a business trip it is interesting for me to see how few people still remember abroad the disaster. It seems that time has moved on and Japan has moved out of the limelight.
Do you remember about all those stories of fleeing foreigners en masse, plus Tokyo being deserted and no food available? Now after the actual numbers of the so called “flyjin” came up, we can see that it was just a hype. According to the Japan Times the number of foreigners declined 1.9 percent nationwide during the period of December 2010 and March 2011. Yes, in some areas effects can be seen, because the number of foreign residents in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures has dropped 10.5 percent to 30,092 in the same period (all data based on the Justice Ministry). In the following period of end of March to end of June the number decreased further by 944. Personally I believe this makes sense, simply because in the affected areas business is not yet back to usual. If the factory is damaged or even gone, consequently it is not surprising that the number of foreign trainees at companies and other entities at the end of June decreased by 67.9 percent in Miyagi Prefecture from the end of December. The figure dropped 18.5 percent in Iwate and 19.2 percent in Fukushima. I agree that there is a certain amount of foreigners who have left Japan, but I don’t see the numbers as high as promoted previously in the foreign media. Sadly, who is actually now interested to hear the truth, when media abroad has moved on to other hotter topics?
Although I got tired of all the bad news in the media in Japan following the disaster, I guess then locally we need to be constantly informed about the ongoing consequences of the disaster. We need to keep in mind constantly that actually recovery has not started much yet, plus the economic consequences will be felt for a rather long period to come. All of this simply let me wonder how fickle I have become personally about global news?

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: business practice, culture, government, Japan, Japanese society

On another business trip to the US for two weeks

sibylleito — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:19:49 +0000

Before you get jealous about the picture on the side and see my relaxing for the next two weeks, I have to tell you my days will be packed from very early morning (just imagine 07:00 in the morning!) until late evening dinners. I will do my best to keep an alert mind through meetings and trainings, while I wish you the best in the hot Setsuden Japan.

Stay with this blog and we will see each other again soon,

Sibylle Ito

Filed under: Japan

Cultural gaps on a Shinkansen

sibylleito — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 03:07:31 +0000

Once in a while I experience some smaller scales of a culture shock. After more than nine years I should be used to most aspects of the Japanese culture, but from time to time I really feel like an outsider. On a recent business trip to Osaka on the Shinkansen I had some unusual experiences.
Did you know that criminal juveniles seem to be moved from one location to the next on a Shinkansen? Did you know that special fabric covers are used in Japan to hide the handcuffs while riding on the train? Although I travel quite often by Shinkansen, I was surprised this week how full the train was. First I assumed that the summer vacation season had started, but not so many travelers looked like on vacation. Could there be another high school baseball tournament going on? Hmmm, these guys look too old for high school, but they have all similar 3mm long hair cut. Buddhist monks? No I don’t think so, although they did not move much, some energy could be felt, but a different kind of energy: Some seemed very excited to travel. Then it hit me, there were always 2 young guys with some bands at their hands and one older guy holding some ropes! It seems that I was truly lucky to be surrounded by a bunch of juvenile criminals, who are transported to their new location.
Riding on the Shinkansen is for me the time that allows me to catch up with work, because the “airline” seating allows comfortable use of the PC. Honestly I am jealous of most of the traveling business men I see. How come that they can simply doze off or snore for two to three hours? According to Japanese labor law travel time is still consider working time. Could it be that reading a manga, drinking loads of beer is work related? I don’t think so. I am wondering whether their work load is so different from mine. Personally I have to give my best that I can finish my share of work within 9-10 hours, dozing off would simply extend my working hours for the day. It hurts my heart for the Japanese economy that there is so little sense of urgency, considering the weak status of the economy which got hurt even more after the disaster. Maybe I should adjust by simply thinking “the devil may care”, but it is very unlikely, because I care about the future of Japan.
On the way back to Tokyo, I had a good time, because I could overhear from time to time direct effects of cultural and language barriers. It seems a foreign manufacturer wanted to get ready to expand their local business by increasing their staff now to two people. The new person should be in an engineering position and traveling quite a bit. The issue was on how to decide on a suitable PC. The Japanese side showed his local compact PC, but the foreigner pointed out that this PC is too small: “A good engineers pride is a big PC to work on while traveling, plus good at customer side!” Ooops, another cultural gap. The Japanese side did not respond and try to address a different issue. Considering that Japan has small desks, limited space on trains or airplanes, furthermore meeting tables are only big for employees or end-user contacts on higher manager levels, but not actually on the working floors, I guess the new hire will be sweating and complaining in the future about the heavy, big PC he has to carry around.
I am curious what down the road in five or ten years will still pop up from time to time as being so different in Japan from what I am used to.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: business practice, culture, Japan, Japanese society, salaryman, trend setters

If you splurge at lunch in Japan…

sibylleito — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:49:55 +0000

How much are you willing to spend? A recent survey with 618 Japanese questioned (half male/female) at the Nikkei Shimbun showed that the typical range is from JPY 2000-3000. Considering that the monthly allowance for the salarymen has decreased quite a bit recently, plus most likely a typical lunch in the middle of Tokyo is around JPY 1000, the given answers do not sound to me as an expensive luxury.

JPY 500-1000: 2 percent
JPY 1001-2000: 27 percent
JPY 2001-3000: 30 percent
JPY 3001-5000: 19 percent
more than JPY 5001: 20 percent
I don’t eat out lunch: 2 percent

One of the comment of a male participant was that considering the offered lunch menus compared to the pricier dinner selection, it makes sense to enjoy the good deals around lunch time. Another response of a woman was that she enjoys the special feeling of being treated special and enjoying good food during daytime. According to her having a glass of wine allows a nice break.
Personally I like to splurge for a good lunch from time to time and I think I end up as well in the popular bracket. On the other hand I have to say these days with the warm temperature I don’t feel like eating much until the temperature goes down in the evening.

I hope you can enjoy a special lunch,

Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: business practice, Japanese society, Japanese women

My recommendation for a hot summer day in Tokyo

sibylleito — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:02:57 +0000

Although summer has just started in Tokyo, due to all the power saving I am already longing very badly for cooler, more comfortable temperature. Last week I spent an afternoon in my neighborhood visiting the Aquarium in Shinagawa. No matter how you think about animals being cached up, I have to say I truly enjoyed the afternoon. For sure the cooler temperatures inside and around the outside pools was such a nice break from the heat. Furthermore, you can do a good deed in regard to other sufferers of the Tohoku Earthquake: Inhabitants of many zoos and aquariums.
Honestly I did not spend much thought so far about the consequences for all the damaged zoos and aquariums in the affected areas. Lifelines like electricity, water and distribution of food and materials had been interrupted due to the earthquake. Some animals died due to the sudden shifts in temperature or environment and in some cases the animals had to be transported as quickly as possible to other sites.
Thinking back to my childhood, I truly loved to go to the zoo, because it was a place where I could admire the animals I truly care about. Taking it a step further, I am sure the children now in the affected areas in the north of Japan must enjoy to have an opportunity to see animals in their local zoos as well. Don’t forget to support the Japanese zoos!

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: environment, Japan, Japanese kids

Let’s get married? Let’s get married! Recent trends in Japan

sibylleito — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 04:34:25 +0000

It seems to me that there are two trends ongoing at the same time in Japan: Since the March disaster we can find an increase of people, who want to have more meaningful connections, when at the same time looking at the long-term data, more people do not to get married at all.
Based on a recent Nikkei Shimbun article the 2010 census by the Internal Affairs Ministry shows that 46.5% of men aged 30-34 are single. In contrast then in 1950, a mere 8% were unmarried, steadily increasing by 1980 to 20%. Japanese women are not different, when in the 1980′s just 9.1% of women aged 30-34 were unwed, but the figure has risen now to 33.3%. Amazingly all this shift has occurred in just 20 years. According to Nikkei Shimbun demographically, the average of the percentage of unmarried people aged 45-49 and 50-54 is known as the lifetime-unmarried rate. For men in 2010, it was up to 19.4%, compared to women the rate was 9.8%. This high rate does not reflect that people prefer to be alone. It seems that 90% of the single men and women want to marry (survey by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research), but the challenge seems to be in finding a suitable partner, or then marriage seems to risky due to unstable employment or income.
Since the March 11 disaster more Japanese are ready to take the big step. According to the Asahi Shimbun there is a sharp rise in wedding-related goods and services. In the months of March and April, sales of engagement rings were 40 percent higher than they were for the same period last year; with sales of wedding rings 25 percent higher. Personally I can only hope that everyone takes the selection for the right partner for life serious, because no one should get married simply because they otherwise feel lonely. A single Japanese woman in her 30s told the Asahi Shimbun that she realized she wanted a life partner after she spent six hours walking home to an empty apartment on the night of March 11.
For me it is still surprising to see how much the salary of the potential Japanese husband plays a role in the decision for a partner for live. In May the Cabinet Office released the results of a survey on marriage and income, which showed that only 9 percent of men in their 20s and 30s, who make less than JPY Mio 3 a year are married, while the percentage goes up to 26 percent for men in that age group who make between JPY Mio 3-4. The portion increases then again for men in their 30s (30 percent) or 20s (40 percent!), who make at least JPY Mio 6 a year. Personally I am shocked that according to Japan Times in most surveys of women who are looking to marry, JPY Mio 3 is considered the minimum desired for a potential partner. Since when is a matter of the heart related to the salary of the partner? I guess my approach to partnership is still too foreign: A partnership is build on trust, love and support for each other no matter what.

Brought to you by Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: culture, government, Japan, Japanese society, Japanese women, salaryman, trend setters

Saving electricity is great, but do it right!

sibylleito — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:26:31 +0000

For sure saving electricity is a hot topic these days. While you might get annoyed that I am talking again about power saving, let me tell you this is for me a daily concern. I have to say although Tokyo has become smellier, I am amazed how much is done everywhere. As previously demanded by the governor of Tokyo the vending machines are now during the humid summer in the energy saving mode. I even heard in some cased that the cooling of the drinks is cut so much, that the drinks are now lukewarm. While there are many actions taken that help to decrease the energy consumption, recently Asahi TV showed that some of the commonly known tricks to reduce energy consumption might not have the effect as expected.

Pouring water on concrete entry/balcony: The temperature of the wetted surrounding actually goes down, but one needs to be careful that the high humid temperature does not enter any air-conditioned environment. It takes much more energy to cool down highly humid air than dry air.

Light sequencing: Almost everywhere in stores, underground walkways, offices you can find light bulbs taken out in sequence. Only if a light chain is completely switched off, the electricity consumption goes down. If within a power loop some light bulbs are taken out, still these sockets can emit some electricity, plus to make matters worse can become a potential danger spot.

Summer time: Starting to work earlier than usual can have a positive effect on the electricity consumption at the office, but at the same time if everyone is going home soon after work to the hot home and then switching on their individual air-conditioning, in total we can only observe increased energy consumption.

Although first voices are heard that so much electricity saving is not necessary as it seems to be just a trick to push for more nuclear power plants to be built, personally I see no disadvantage in cutting down my personal total energy consumption (not just electricity). At the end becoming more conscious about the direct effects of our electricity consumption is a great first step that moves everyone into action to demand a more sustainable energy scenario for the future.

Having a big smile on my face because the sky is cloudy and grey, which promised cooler temperature today,

Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: business practice, environment, government, Japan, Japanese society

When is hierarchy important? Example of Matsumoto Ryu

sibylleito — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:19:18 +0000

The last few days has shown to me that Japan is actually changing. Most likely the disaster is pushing local governments into a proactive mood focusing on getting things done, instead of relying on the “proper” Japanese business etiquette. According to Reuters, Japan’s newly appointed reconstruction minister is expected to resign after being cut short in expected mannerism based on hierarchy last weekend, after being solely a week in the job. Matsumoto Ryu was appointed to the newly created post of reconstruction minister at the end of June, when he become famous due to his expectations of the proper etiquette towards him as a governmental official.
According to the Wall Street Journal Japan (quoting the communication directly from the Wall Street Journal Japan website) everything started when the disaster affected Governor of Miyagi Murai Yoshihiro dared to keep Matsumoto san waiting for a meeting (weekend tour for the region by the minister Matsumoto). The goal of the meeting was to update the minister about the status of the local recovery efforts, plus then pointing out the further needed assistance for Miyagi prefecture. To make matters worse Murai san’s entry into the meeting room then showed limited respect in his body language, when Murai san was seeking a handshake. The 60-year-old Matsumoto san pointed out before the governor arrived: “It’s a matter of good manners that a host of the meeting should be present in the room to welcome a guest (when he arrives)”. Matsumoto san seemed to be rather tense after waiting and furthermore being expected to shake hands with a subordinate let him to lecture Murai san: “When you are expecting a guest, make sure to be in the room first, understood?” In a rather aggressive voice he continued: “I’m sure that Japan’s military, which understands the order of elderly and young, would do it.” As Miyagi prefecture is still debating internal about the most suitable quake reconstruction-related request, Matsumoto san seem to me even more caught up in his hurt price. “You be sure to get a consensus on it. Otherwise we won’t do anything.” To make matters worse, media had been present for the whole conversation, so Matsumoto san was trying to get everything now to have happened off the record and threatened the present reporters: “By the way, the conversation the just happened is off the record. OK? Understand? You write this up, and it’ll be the end for you.”
So that you can make up your own mind, see below the TV broadcasted version with English subtitles.

Honestly personally I am happy to see the public outcry. For me it is a good sign that Japan values being proactive and getting things done in a difficult environment as more valuable than keeping the still rather common hierarchical based business Japanese manner. Japan needs to get back on its feet as soon as possible. Let’s get things done quickly and not prolong it any further simply based on individual pride.

Brought to Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: business practice, culture, government, Japan, Japanese society, trend setters

Setsuden stinks!

sibylleito — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:30:43 +0000

Yes, you heard me right. I truly think that power saving – Setsuden – stinks! Since the power saving actions have started latest last Friday, I am experiencing a new Japan. It stinks on the train of sweat and other body odors, the exhibition last week was full of people having their own unique “natural” perfume trail behind them and a friend of mine wrote that her office stinks. Although I have known a Japan where cleanliness of the body, taking a daily bath or shower is common, the recent increases in room temperatures show that still some, especially elder men, are not yet used to the daily use of a deodorant to keep the smell of sweat down. Honestly I prepared myself that this summer will be hot, but I had not thought it through, that this summer might really stink.
Understand me right keeping the electricity use down is very much-needed, but make sure it is a win situation for everyone involved.

Doing my best not to melt in a rather stinky Tokyo,

Sibylle Ito (シビル伊藤)

Filed under: business practice, environment, government, Japan, Japanese society, trend setters