Negotiating With Japanese Companies

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング Negotiating With Japanese Companies Written by Erich Ahorner During my time as an employee in the corporate world and afterward as a consultant working for my clients’ interests, I had the opportunity to participate in various negotiation meetings. Usually, when you sit across the table from the Japanese side (or nowadays rather see them […]

The Japanese Expatriate

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング The Japanese Expatriate Written by Erich Ahorner When I was working in the Japanese corporate world I quickly found out that the Japanese colleagues present on a 3-5 year assignment to the overseas operation, were not all the same. Besides the different seniority levels and responsibilities depending on the department, there are 4 different […]

How to Get Paid in Japan

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング How to Get Paid in Japan Written by Erich Ahorner If you are a business owner, or work in sales, you know for sure that nothing really happens in business without a sale being made. Although it is always great to make a sale it is still not a guarantee to get paid. In […]

The Importance of Formality in Japan

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング The Importance of Formality in Japan Written by Erich Ahorner Formality is linked very closely to what is perceived as politeness. Those from European countries may feel more familiar with Japanese-style formality, but in countries such as the United States, Canada or Australia this level of formality is not the norm. In Japan, there […]

Change in Japan

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング Change in Japan Written by Erich Ahorner Initiating change anywhere in business (or in life) is usually a challenging process, but Japan is a very special case. Usually the foreign company or individual represents the change. We are the potential new business partner and that means a change. They might have been doing business […]

The Japanese Model of a Good Employee

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング The Japanese Model of a Good Employee Written by Erich Ahorner While I was mostly working in Europe in my corporate career, the majority of managers I was working with were Japanese. In the beginning I knew very little about what their expectations in terms of how an ideal employee should act in the […]

How to Adapt to Japanese Style Decision Making

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング How to Adapt to Japanese Style Decision Making Written by Erich Ahorner One thing I have learned when working, especially with Japanese, is that you need to know the details of the decision making process to be more successful. Here are a few tips that will help to guide you in the right direction: […]

The Tea Ceremony

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング The Tea Ceremony Written by Sophia Amador In Japanese, 茶道 (chadō, or sadō) is the ceremonial ritual of preparing and serving traditional Japanese green tea. Precious elements of Japan’s cultural history and traditions, matcha, powdered green tea, and the tea ceremony remain prevalent in the modern culture of Japanese society. The history of the […]

eCommerce in Japan

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング eCommerce in Japan Written by Erich Ahorner Did you know that Japan is #4 in eCommerce sales globally (behind China, the US and UK)? The major Japanese eCommerce platforms in Japan are Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo! Japan Shopping (yes, Yahoo is still a big name in Japan). Japanese consumers are more open to foreign […]

How to find your Purpose in Life

ジャパン・ビジネス・コンサルティング How to find your Purpose in Life Written by Erich Ahorner Have you heard about the Japanese concept of Ikigai? The Japanese word Ikigai (生き甲斐) means “reason for being”, and was developed as a form of self-awareness or self-coaching to help you find your personal meaning of life or your true purpose. As a […]