Tim Romero is a Tokyo-based entrepreneur, author, and innovator with a diverse background in startups and technology. He is deeply engaged in Japan's startup ecosystem as a Partner at JERA Ventures, with a focus on sustainability and decarbonization. Previously, he led initiatives at Google for Startups Japan and has founded several companies throughout his career. Tim also hosts the podcast "Disrupting Japan," where he explores the unique stories of Japanese entrepreneurs. His journey...

This past spring, we recorded a live episode of the Business Success Japan Podcast at Tokyo Comedy Bar with three incredible guests: Katheryn Gronauer, Anthony Griffin, and Austin Zeng. During this very special live event, we explored several important topics for navigating business in Japan: Katheryn, an executive coach, shared valuable insights into cross-cultural challenges and the importance of work-life balance. Anthony, a marketing professional, emphasized the significance of...

In this podcast interview, Richard Katz, a special correspondent for Toyo Keizai and author of The Contest for Japan's Economic Future, discusses Japan's economic challenges and potential for recovery. He reflects on Japan's history, the rise of its industrial power, and the current economic stagnation. Katz emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation, arguing that Japan needs to move away from propping up outdated industries and focus more on supporting startups. He explains...

Anastasiia Vydiuk is an expert in social media and influencer marketing who supports influencers in achieving financial freedom. She’s a founder and CEO of an influencer marketing agency promoting inbound tourism in Asia, called PrettyPass. Be sure to keep listening to learn more about her experiences  building influence and a company in Japan. Anastasiia's Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/anastasiiavyy?igsh=cThiMG5hNHp6and6 PrettyPass's Instagram:...

[This interview was originally published on November 29, 2021.] Rosa Aldridge is an American who has had her entire professional career in Japan, and she is passionate about creating sustainable culture practices while promoting Japanese hospitality to the world. At the time of recording, she worked in an environment that dealt with event planning and promoting international understanding, and she has successfully navigated job searching in Japan and has held a variety of positions through...

Anthony Griffin is a marketer and communications coach who helps Japanese companies market to international audiences. Before founding Saga Consulting, he served as the marketing and communications manager for the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. As a communications coach, he has helped Fortune 500 executives earn global-level promotions. Before moving to Japan in 2009, he managed the workflow of over 250 marketing projects a year for the City of Riverside, California. As a marketing...

This episode is a replay of an interview originally published on March 14, 2022. Rochelle Kopp is the founder and managing principal of Japan Intercultural Consulting, an international training and consulting firm focused on Japanese business. Her area of expertise is Japanese culture and business practices, particularly Japanese communication style and organizational behavior and decision-making in Japanese firms. She’s also a prolific writer and actively posts much of her practical and...

BJ Fox is a Tokyo-based British comedian and business-owner. Having first arrived in Japan in a corporate role within the video games industry, he has now written and starred in Japan's first language sitcom, launched Amazon Music's first original podcast and founded Tokyo Comedy Bar, Japan's first stand-up club! BJ's Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-fox-760b032/ Tokyo Comedy Bar: https://www.tokyocomedybar.com/ Urawaza Eigo: https://www.urawazaeigo.com/ Want to support...

[This interview was originally published on January 10th, 2022.] Menya Hinga is an American who immigrated to Japan over a decade ago. He now works as a health and performance coach to high-performers who are struggling to manage stress and weight gain, learn to eat better, move more and stress less in order to transform their health and performance. Some topics covered in this episode include the importance of focusing on providing value as a content creator, the power of small shifts in...

Daniel Nestle, Leader of Communications for LIXIL Americas, is an award-winning global communications and marketing leader with over 20 years of success in the B2B services, manufacturing, finance, and education sectors. His broad areas of expertise include digital communications (CommTech), integrated marketing communications, content marketing, social media strategy, and brand storytelling. Earlier in his career, Daniel spent 16 years living and working in Japan, first as an educator and...

[This interview was originally published on November 11th, 2021.] UPDATE: Richard Katz is publishing a new book on entrepreneurship in Japan. If you're interested in pre-ordering, be sure to subscribe to his substack to get 30% off the hardcover version. It's one of the best ways to support writers, as it signals interest to publishes and encourages them to do larger prints and invest more in advertising:...

A brief update on the podcast publishing schedule in the coming months. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/businesssuccessjapan/message

Kasia Lynch is a trilingual American who spent 8 years in Japan, including high school, college, graduate school, and her professional career. She earned her Bachelor’s from Boston University and Master’s from Tokyo’s Ochanomizu University.  Kasia’s career utilizing Japanese language and cultural skills began in 2003 with concert promotion, and later moved to interpreting/translating, electronics, and the automotive industry. She was able to do this while living in Japan, Poland, Italy, and...

Nicki is a single mother and entrepreneur with one leg firmly planted in Amsterdam and one in Tokyo. Back in 2011 she moved with her then husband to Tokyo as a trailing wife. Unable to find a job and reach her objective to be at a native level in her Japanese ability two years in, she decided to start her own company called “Tokiotours”. 10 years later she’s had a child, is divorced and has her “home base” back in Amsterdam from where she runs her tour guide business together with a business...

Nicki is a single mother and entrepreneur with one leg firmly planted in Amsterdam and one in Tokyo. Back in 2011 she moved with her then husband to Tokyo as a trailing wife. Unable to find a job and reach her objective to be at a native level in her Japanese ability two years in, she decided to start her own company called “Tokiotours”. 10 years later she’s had a child, is divorced and has her “home base” back in Amsterdam from where she runs her tour guide business together with a business...

DC Palter is the author of the mystery novel To Kill a Unicorn about Japanese culture in Silicon Valley, and the Tuttle guidebook on Kansai-ben, Colloquial Kansai Japanese. He's also editor of Japonica, the journal of Japanese culture. He previously lived in Kobe as an engineer at Kobe Steel before founding two tech startups and returns to Japan frequently to visit sake breweries and eat nikuman. Check out part 1 of our conversation here:...

DC Palter is the author of the mystery novel To Kill a Unicorn about Japanese culture in Silicon Valley, and the Tuttle guidebook on Kansai-ben, Colloquial Kansai Japanese. He's also editor of Japonica, the journal of Japanese culture. He previously lived in Kobe as an engineer at Kobe Steel before founding two tech startups and returns to Japan frequently to visit sake breweries and eat nikuman. Topics covered in today's episode include: -how communication still fails even when speaking...

Richard Berger was born and raised in the United States but has spent almost 35 years in Japan, first as a university student in the mid 1980s, and then for work since 1990. He spent 20 years working at Canon’s global headquarters in Tokyo, where he was in charge of global PR, and later moved to Link Global Solution, an intercultural communication training company, where he was director of communications. Richard now works on a freelance basis, doing translation, transcreation, writing, and...

Parissa Haghirian is Professor of International Management at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. She has lived and worked in Japan since 2004 and is an internationally renowned expert in international management practices with a focus on Japan. She has published numerous books, academic papers, and articles on the topic of Japanese management. In addition to academics and research, Professor Haghirian advises major multinational companies on intercultural understanding and cooperation, and...

After a career in hospitality and advertising, Robert co-founded Custom Media, an award-winning, integrated digital marketing and strategic communications agency in Tokyo in 2008. He regularly advises global brands on their market entry and expansion strategies for Japan. He has a passion for high-quality creative work and delivering strategic marketing solutions with a results-driven approach. Robert has an MBA from McGill University and a certificate in Digital Transformation Platform...

Ben Shearon was a university lecturer in Sendai who retired from formal work in March 2022. He has been in Japan since July 2000, and has run the RetireJapan website since 2013. RetireJapan is the best (and quite possibly only) place to find trustworthy information in English on personal finance, investing, and retirement in Japan, with a wealth of free information and a supportive online community. Be sure to keep listening to hear more about his insights into what you can do to improve...

Helen Iwata is known as The Less Effort More Impact Coach. She’s an award-winning bilingual coach based in Tokyo. Helen helps women in business to excel in their work without feeling exhausted, through the power of the Sasuga! Success Cycle. Originally from England, Helen has lived and worked in Japan for over 30 years. After two decades in education, local government, and the corporate world, Helen established her own business in 2013 and is now obsessed with helping overworking women to...

Manabu Goto is a Japanese native and world traveler whose mission is to create a more inclusive world. He's the founder of Helte, which created a unique Japanese conversation platform called Sail to connect Japanese learners with elderly volunteers in Japan. Topics covered in today’s episode include: -how companies can balance a focus on profitability with social contribution -balancing a focus on diversity with a company’s culture in a startup setting -why it’s important to be mindful...

Philippe Khin is the founder of the language exchange app SewaYou. Fluent in Cambodian, French, English, and Japanese with an N1 certification, his app focuses on helping people connect in-person to build stronger language and communication skills. Topics covered in today's episode include:  -How (and why) to speed up your eligibility for permanent residency in Japan. -Time management and avoiding burnout as a solo founder. -Why it’s most effective to focus on addressing people’s pain...