This episode I sit down with one of the sharpest Japan inter-culturally minded people I've ever met. Rochelle Kopp is a Japanese business culture expert and cross-cultural communications specialist and is the founder and Managing Principal of Japan Intercultural Consulting. We share drinks and eye-(ear)-opening facts and stories about Japanese business norms. Its another podcast from the Grand Hyatt's Oak Door bar. Just give the first 5min a listen, I'm sure you will want to continue to the end. Other topics we dive into: 

• The reason Japan loves cute mascots for nearly everything
• Why Ikebana (flower arrangement) is analogous for Japanese on-the-job-training
• The reason Employee engagement in Japan is one of the lowest in the world
• "Periodic Personnel Rotations" a typical corporate tradition which holds back Japanese business
• Why a large number of Japanese are in jobs they have no motivation for and how this results in the low labor productivity
• Discuss the article "30% of Japanese managers feel stress when dealing with foreign employees"
• The Japanese government's efforts to improve employees work-life balance
• Rocelle's take on the future of Japan
• How the Japanese generation-gap is changing the way people work in Japan

gugu Sleep Company https://gugu.jp
Japan Intercultural Consulting https://www.japanintercultural.com
Rochelle Kopp https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochellekopp/
The Rice-Paper Ceiling, Valley Speak, The Lowdown, and other books from Rochelle Kopp
https://www.amazon.com/Rochelle-Kopp
The Japan Times articles https://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/rochelle-kopp/