Osaka, Japan's second largest city, is undergoing a major transformation, revitalising its urban landscape and economy. Historically a prominent trading hub and industrial powerhouse, Osaka experienced a decline after Japan's economic bubble burst. However, recent developments like the Grand Green Osaka project, the upcoming 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, and a planned integrated resort are injecting new life into the city.  

As an American intern in Japan, navigating the complexity of the Japanese language is no easy task. Aside from understanding three separate scripts—hiragana, katakana, and kanji—the subtle balance of politeness and cultural etiquette in communicating adds an additional layer of difficulty. However, with time, immersion, and the groundbreaking assistance of AI technologies such as ChatGPT, breaking over this barrier becomes not only achievable, but also tremendously enriching. ChatGPT goes beyond simple translation by capturing cultural nuances, facilitating real-time cooperation, and guaranteeing that communications are authentically received by local speakers. Embracing AI is a journey toward deeper cultural understanding, transforming possible misunderstandings into possibilities for mutual enjoyment.

A notable marketing divide separates Japan and the US. Japan heavily relies on human billboards and street promotions to attract customers, while the US excels in digital marketing, leveraging social media, e-commerce, and online strategies to reach a wider audience. Despite Japan's reputation for technological advancement, its marketing techniques seem to lag behind, prompting the question of why the country has been slow to embrace the digital marketing revolution observed in the US.

Sewer systems are vital yet often overlooked in cities worldwide, functioning like efficient subway networks. They hold untapped potential for energy conservation by utilizing retained heat from flowing water for sustainable purposes. The unique climate allows for road heating using sewer heat in regions like Niigata Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall.

Doing business in Japan can be challenging for foreign companies due to the unique business culture and market conditions of the country. It is often advisable to seek the help of a Japanese company to facilitate trade, as Japanese culture places a strong emphasis on relationships and trust and working with a local company can help establish these crucial connections.

Japan is one of the largest developed economy, but the main language is still Japanese. When I attended an AI exhibition and I talked to business people of large international companies to ask informations in English many people looked very disoriented, and a mixture of distress, upset and insecurity crossed their faces. We tried to understand better why English language is not used so that you will not come unprepared.

It is no easy task to predict the fault of electricity-powered equipment. Until now, the human eyes have carried out routine inspections to avoid potential downtime. Panasonic’s AI monitoring system examines the wave pattern of harmonics to do the task. Users do not have to attach a physical device to the machine; the sensor device is on the electricity cable. The cloud-based system detects unusual wave patterns which have been classified as a sign of fault.

Freezing water pipes is a daily problem in the winter season in Northern Japan and in mountain regions. You may let the water flowing or turn an anti-freeze heater all the time; both solutions lead to the higher consumption of resources. Temco Corporation produces a sensor for freeze protection heater that effectively reduces electricity cost by 90%. The patented technology calculates the thermal equilibrium point to turn the device on in consideration of the heat of solidification.

Japanese fresh fruits are well-known for its exquisite quality. It is a sort of craft. Japan’s agricultural output is the world 9th largest, but the country’s export is ranked around 60th. There are problems in the sector. Productivity is low, each production unit small and the entry barrier to become a producer high.

Yet it has advantages in production control and R&D. Agriculture is a good place to observe how Japanese society shapes its business and to think how to locate hidden assets in Japan.

Distribution in Japan is said to be very complex. The proportion of small-scale retailers and manufacturers with less than 10 employees is very high. Wholesalers, or intermediaries, therefore play a major role in the distribution system.

Wholesalers are important not only for purchasing, storage and logistics, but it also serve as a hub of information. Knowledge to navigate your way through the complex layers of primary, secondary and tertiary wholesalers is the key to success.

In March 2022, the Yen weakened significantly against almost all major currencies. Now, Japanese currency is in its weakest level in 20 years. The fear for ‘cheaper Yen’ and inevitable inflation has become another staple for the local media along with the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The current development reminds me how we started exporting Japanese fresh fruits to Hong Kong and China in 2015. Back then, the trigger was also the swift depreciation, orchestrated by the government.