Meshida, a former Japanese salaryman turned English language standup comedian, has spent the last ten years crafting his unique brand of comedy, delighting audiences in both Japan and the UK. Alongside his successful career as a standup, he's made a name for himself on YouTube, particularly for his humorous take on Japan's "pink" culture, while also exploring many other "wholesome" cultural topics. In our conversation, we delve into his journey to becoming a full-time comedian, the nuances between Japanese and Western humor, memorable moments from his time on stage, his earnings from viral YouTube videos, the sources of his joke-writing inspiration, and the reactions of his parents and Japanese audiences to his career and content. We also discuss other topics, including:

• First open mic experience at 21
• Why physical humor is popular in Japan
• Turning his insecurities into self deprecating humor
• His 1st successful joke which got a huge laugh
• Is "Manzai" the Japanese equivalent of Western standup?
• Once losing his confidence for 6 months after bombing on stage
• The one question he would ask his favorite comic
• Why its difficult to monetize YouTube even with millions of views and 60k subscribers
• His YouTube strategy to gain more fans and followers
• Meeting other international Japanese standup comedians

Funny Japan Project: https://funnyjapanproject.com/
Standup Comedian Meshida: https://www.youtube.com/channel/

More Now and Zen Japan episodes: https://www.nowandzen.jp/

Grow website traffic = Zo Digital: https://www.zodigital.jp/
Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

Have you ever fantasized about the ultimate luxury vacation in Japan? If so, Alex Debs is your go-to guy. As the founder of Hitotoki, the Luxury Travel Designer, Alex specializes in crafting luxurious travel experiences in Japan. In this episode, you'll get an inside look into the world of luxury travel planning, including the most challenging requests his team has faced. We'll discuss how he navigated the pandemic restrictions, the unique challenges of being a small, specialized agency, and his interactions with Japan's large travel associations. Plus, Alex shares exclusive itinerary suggestions for a 2-3 day trip out of Tokyo and insights into booking a seat at the world-famous Jiro Sushi restaurant.

We'll also explore a range of other fascinating topics, including:

• The role of a "Luxury Travel Designer" and defining "luxury" in travel
• Tips for selecting the best travel guides
• How to handle illegal requests in the luxury travel industry
• Differences in itinerary preferences among nationalities
• Challenges faced by hotels in accommodating foreign luxury guests
• Stories from the "Go-To-Travel" program and insights into Japan's travel associations
• The untapped luxury market potential of Okinawa
• The business opportunity that inspired the creation of HITOTOKI
• A "Free Unsolicited Business Idea" from our conversation

Connect with Alex Debs on LinkedIn and learn more about Hitotoki at hitotoki-travel.com. For more episodes of Now and Zen Japan, visit nowandzen.jp.

It's a truly inspiring chat with the incredibly positive and humble entrepreneur, Anthony Griffin. He's the brains behind Saga Consulting, a company dedicated to helping organizations and individuals share their stories with the world. They specialize in global communications, offering top-notch copywriting, digital marketing, and cross-cultural coaching. Anthony also pens insightful articles for Kokoro Media on LinkedIn, where he shares his passion for Japanese language learning and provides tips for taking your skills to the next level.

In our conversation, Anthony and I both share three essential yet culturally impactful Japanese words that every beginner should learn. We also delve into a variety of topics, including:

• Techniques for acquiring new clients as an entrepreneur
• How Saga Consulting supports Japanese companies in expanding internationally
• Common hurdles Japanese companies face when going global
• Balancing Japanese cultural norms with personal style
• Anthony's expertise in working with "Foreign Curious" companies
• Lessons learned from working for a Japanese company
• Early cultural missteps in Japanese corporate life
• Recommended Japanese language apps for rapid learning
• Simple language tips for fostering better community relations
• Favorite untranslatable Japanese word
• Unique Japanese words beginners should master

You can connect with Anthony Griffin on LinkedIn, learn more about Saga Consulting at consultsaga.com, and read his articles on Kokoro Media. For more episodes of Now and Zen Japan, visit nowandzen.jp. And if you're looking for Japan adventures in a camper van, discover Dream Drive.

Discover the art of mastering public speaking, enhancing your presentation skills, and unraveling the secrets to impactful storytelling. Join Dr. Greg Story, the esteemed president of Dale Carnegie Japan and bestselling author of "Japan Sales Mastery" and "Japan Business Mastery," as he shares invaluable insights into successful sales techniques, post-COVID sales process shifts, and a myriad of topics explored in his books.

In this engaging conversation, we delve into the question of whether Greg's six podcasts might be considered "too much content." He regales us with true-life experiences that beautifully complement his business tips, insights, and advice, drawing from his rich background as a 6th-degree black belt in Karate with 38 years of experience in Japan. The episode unfolds as a captivating discussion on how actions and choices can profoundly impact one's life and career. Other topics covered are:

• The significance of public speaking skills in advancing your career
• Tips to ease nerves before a public presentation
• Strategies to "bullet-proof" yourself against challenging audience questions
• Greg's simplified four elements of a successful presentation
• The rationale behind his decision to "niche-down" with six podcasts instead of one
• Greg's biggest "pet-peeve" when listening to other presenters
• In-depth exploration of the contents and background of his bestselling books
• The transformative influence of Karate on Greg's life, perspective, and career
• The profound meaning behind his favorite untranslatable Japanese word, "Zanshin."

Greg Story: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregstory/
Dale Carnegie Japan: https://www.dalecarnegie.com/ja/locations/japan
Japan Dale Carnegie TV: https://www.youtube.com

Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

More Now and Zen Japan Episodes HERE

Meet a true Hospitality Professional. Mr. Matthias Sutter, the Rep. Director of Shangri-La Hotels Japan and the GM of the Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo. We discuss Japanese customer service, how different nationalities have different hospitality expectations, his two requirements for anyone to succeed in the hotel business, and how starting off in Food & Beverage helped craft his strong sense of hospitality. We also talk Trip Advisor, hotel rankings, and the guest comments he likes the most. If you are curious about how luxury hotel GM's think, practice, and teach customer service and hospitality, this episode is a must-listen. Other topics we cover:

• Why hotels are an "El Dorado" for customer service
• The three topics to never discuss with hotel guests
• Different cultures have different interpretations of hospitality
• Japanese service vs. other Asian countries
• Preparations for the Shangri-La Kyoto opening
• Guest comments which led to innovative and successful promotions
• Hotel "brands" have separate DNA, thus some customer focus differences
• Japanese "guest comment" tendencies
• The Free Unsolicited Business Idea

The Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo: https://www.shangri-la.com/tokyo/shangrila/

Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

More Now and Zen Japan episodes: https://www.nowandzen.jp/

The phrase "Do what you love and you never have to work another day in your life" fits Mac Salman perfectly. Mac left the finance industry and pursued his passions - Travel, Japan, and tasty spirits. We discuss his customized tour business Maction Planet where he has never conducted the same itinerary twice. Then his pivot to Kanpai Planet when the pandemic halted Japan tourism. We discuss these two businesses and life in Tokyo while we sample three "Japan Related" tequilas. Mac is an inimitable and articulate British gentleman who does his homework. He brings insider knowledge and back stories to Shizuku, Cascahuin, and Don Suenos tequilas and their fascinating Japan connections. Even if you are not a big fan of whiskey or tequila, Mac's stories and insight make for a very lively and enjoyable conversation. Other topics we discuss:

• Leaving the lucrative finance industry and pursuing his passion for travel
• The philosophy of changing tour guiding from a "commodity to a profession"
• Maction Planet's 99.6% rating on Trip Advisor and why its not 100%
• 25 straight years of whisky consumption decline in Japan. That all changed in 2008
• Why he can be found at Jingu Stadium up to 50 times a year
• Sample Blanco and Reposado from Shizuku and discover its ties to Fukuoka
• Mac's amazing Sake knowledge and how he applies it to tequila tasting
• The hierarchy of needs and the 5 reasons Tokyo is the "Greatest Metropolis on Earth"
• Taste test the Blanco and an Extra Anejo from Cascahuin created by Japanese "Tetsu" Kageda
• The background of the only Tequila brand owned by a Japanese woman - we try the Reposado and Anejo from Don Suenos

Maction Planet: https://www.mactionplanet.com/
Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com
Kanpai Planet: https://www.youtube.com

More Now and Zen Japan episodes: https://www.nowandzen.jp/

Grow website traffic = Zo Digital: https://www.zodigital.jp/
Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

Deanna Elstrom is a veteran brand marketer, brand strategist, and consumer insights specialist. She started her own consulting business, Somi Insights, three years ago where she combines her love of branding with a fascination of how culture influences human behavior. The Japanese consumer is a key area of Deanna's expertise where she led two major agencies before starting Somi Insights. We discuss the the Japanese name "Somi" which she coined, we learn the big difference between "insights" and "findings", great examples of how culture influences behavior in Japan, a cultural analysis into why Japan is ranked #58 on the Global Happiness Index, and stories of her first experience in Japan as a teenager and how this crafted her Japan journey. Other topics we cover:

• The meaning of "Somi", a made-up Japanese word
• Japan and the dilemma of happiness
• The difference Somi Insights brings to the Japan market
• Findings vs. Insights explanation with examples
• Omotenashi and Sustainability balance
• She questions my Japan kitchenware market "insights"
• Interesting Japan beauty market discoveries
• Her favorite untranslatable Japanese word = Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu
• The Japanese and Western interpretation of what "home" is
• "The researcher is the consumer voice, keep the consumer voice as a superpower"

Somi Insights home page: http://somiinsights.com
Deanna Elstrom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanna-elstrom

Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

• Use the code word "ZEN" to receive discounts

Parissa Haghirian is an internationally renowned expert on Japanese Management and Leadership and a Professor of International Management at Sofia University. She is the author of 12 books on Japanese Management, Cross-Cultural topics, and Consumer Dynamics. We examine these as well as some cultural concepts from her latest book. We also discuss how Japanese management practice is uniquely different, successful Japanese corporate survival strategies and what foreign firms can learn, why cross-cultural business issues are often Japan specific, and her favorite language concept "50 ways to say No in Japanese which don't actually include No". Other topics of interest:

• In-depth explanation on the fundamental differences between Westerns and Japanese management environments
• How "Constant Job Rotation" is a benefit for Japanese management
• Why are cute mascots essential in corporate Japan
• Insight on how Japanese companies are actually very open-minded
• The advantages and disadvantages of the "process driven" nature of Japanese companies
• "Cross-cultural growth is based on mistakes, it's a tough and emotional learning process"
• Consumer dynamics and the challenges facing foreign brands entering Japan
• Explanations of Ganbaru, Gamman, and Enryo from her book "Japanese Business Concepts you should Know"
• "The most interesting question for Japanese is how foreigners manage, and the most interesting for foreigners is how Japanese manage" The advise which led to her dedication of researching Japanese management.
• The question she wishes people had asked her, but has yet had the chance to answer - until now

Parissa Haghirian: https://www.linkedin.com
Japanese Business Concepts You Should Know: https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Business-Concepts

More Now and Zen Japan episodes: https://www.nowandzen.jp/

Grow website traffic = Zo Digital: https://www.zodigital.jp/
Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

• Use the code word "ZEN" to receive discounts