Insights & Expertise

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Cross-Cultural Training

Amae: The Japanese Concept of Dependency, and Its Limits

Amae is usually rendered in English as dependency, the expectation of being looked after inside a relationship. A short reference on what the term is used for in Japanese marketing, where it came from, and why its standing in the scholarship is contested.

International Business

Keiretsu: How Japanese Business Groups Work

A keiretsu is a close-knit collaboration of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and banks. A short reference on what the term covers, how the distribution form controlled Japanese retail, and what it means for a European company trying to enter a market where the channel is already spoken for.

japanese business groups

+3 more

Cross-Cultural Training

Meishi: The Japanese Business Card Exchange, Explained

Meishi is the Japanese word for a business card, and the exchange is a structured ritual that opens a meeting rather than an administrative step at the end of it. A short reference: what the card stands for, the handling rules and where they come from, and what a European should actually do.

japanese business cards

meishi koukan

+3 more

Cross-Cultural Training

Omotenashi: Japanese Hospitality as a Service Standard

Omotenashi is hospitality that anticipates a need before it is expressed and expects nothing visible in return. A short reference on what the term means, where it came from, how Japanese companies use it commercially, and what standard it sets for a European firm selling into Japan.

japanese service culture

+3 more

International Business

The SIB Subsidy: 50% Back on Japan Training and Market-Entry Help for Dutch SMEs

RVO's Support International Business scheme refunds a Dutch SME half the cost of an export training, a market-entry expert or an export coach, up to EUR 6,500 a year. There is no register of approved providers. This is what the published criteria actually say, and what you need from a provider before you apply.

support international business

+3 more

Cross-Cultural Training

Uchi and Soto: The Japanese In-Group Boundary

Uchi and soto mark who is inside and who is outside the group, and the assignment moves with the situation rather than attaching to people. A short reference on how the boundary works, what it explains about register and candour, and how far the concept can honestly be pushed.

International Business

Doing Business With the Japanese: How the Deal Actually Moves

Who decides in a Japanese deal, how long it takes, what a yes and a soft no sound like, and why European sellers misread silence. The deal process, not etiquette.

Aug 24, 2026

Patric Sawada

11 min read

doing business with japanese

japanese business deals

selling to japan

+4 more

Growth Marketing

Fractional CMO Cost: What Moves the Price, and What We Charge

What drives fractional CMO cost, how the engagement shapes compare, and our published rates: EUR 3,800 a month for one day a week, EUR 7,500 for two.

fractional cmo pricing

+3 more

International Business

Japan Joint Venture, Distributor or Subsidiary: Choosing a Route to Market

Distributor, joint venture, branch or subsidiary, and KK versus GK: how European companies choose a Japan route to market by revenue stage and control appetite.

Cross-Cultural Training

Japanese Business Attire: The Dress Code, Decoded

What to wear to a business meeting in Japan: the suit default, colour and formality signals, the summer Cool Biz shift, women's attire, and visitor mistakes.

Aug 24, 2026

Patric Sawada

9 min read

japanese business attire

japanese business dress code

what to wear business meeting japan

+3 more

Cross-Cultural Training

Japanese Business Gift Giving: Occasions, Protocol and What to Avoid

When a gift is expected in Japan, what to bring, how to present it, wrapping, the two formal seasons, reciprocity, and the compliance limits visitors miss.

Aug 24, 2026

Patric Sawada

11 min read

japanese business gift giving

business gifts japan

ochugen

+4 more

Cross-Cultural Training

Japanese Management Style: What the Manager Opposite You Actually Does

Japanese management style is hierarchical and consensual at once. What a title licenses, why consensus is the manager's output, and what European managers unlearn.

Aug 24, 2026

Patric Sawada

10 min read

japanese management style

japanese management

managing japanese employees

+5 more

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