Japan Omotenachi Hospitality Yamato Transportation Services Exported to Malaysia

Year-end or December in Japan is when we often give / send / exchange gifts called Oseibo (お歳暮 in Japanese) to express gratitude, similarly to Ochugen (お中元 in Japanese) in summer of July – August.  We often send foods and beverages i.e. things that need to be handled with care in a certain temperature as well as household goods such as soap and towels. 

This works thanks to transportation companies including Yamato Transport Co., ltd. the Japan leading company in the realm that developed and created Delivery Service (Takkyu-bin or 宅急便in Japanese) business which became quite popular in Japan.  Their takkyuubin services, outlined in this article below, are so to speak the condensation of hospitality or omotenashi spirits explained in the previous articles provided by Japanese companies to winning customer satisfaction of demanding Japanese consumers.

According to a TV programme that went on air a few months ago, the company started their business in Malaysia and their services are extremely well accepted in the country, transforming the transportation and business environment to improve lives of the people. 

1. Can ask to be delivered again at the date and time requested by the recipient

One thing about receiving things from transportation companies they want to deliver to the recipient is that the recipient may well be absent then they came with the delivery and cannot be 100% certain to receive the delivery.

What happens is that in such a case the delivery person will fill in a Form (不在票 in Japanese) stating his name, when he came, tracking number of the delivery, what type of delivery it is (e.g. “Cool Delivery” or クール便 in Japanese mentioned in #2 below) and from whom, then puts the form in the post of the recipient. 

The recipient would then either contact by phone or by the Internet to say when s/he wants it to be delivered again within a week as instructed in the form (e.g. date and time such as morning, 12:00-14:00 / 14:00-16:00 / 16:00-18:00 / 18:00-20:00 / 20:00-21:00).  The recipient can also pick up at the specified office of the transportation company with the form and seal.

This service is so popular now in Japan that we all take it for granted; however, in a Japanese TV programme they said this is something specific to Japan.  This service is very convenient when many of us are working or busy and thus not necessarily at home or in the office all day, and this is why the company is extremely successful when started their business in Malaysia. 

This service is actually good also for the company although it is not easy to provide this kind of service because the delivery p erson has better probability of successful delivery and not re-visiting the recipient without vain.

2. Can send temperature-sensitive products including perishables in cool temperature with “Cool Delivery”

Often, Oseibo gifts are perishables such as ham, fish, crabs and the like.  Delivering such products at room temperature would not be good, degrading the gift quality during the delivery. 

To meet this needs, the company developed “Cool Delivery” services that enable perishables to be delivered in low temperature.  The goods are put in a foam cooler (in the case of fish ice and the like are put in it together), and delivered by a truck whose temperature is of refrigerator.  Of course the goods are stored in the similar temperature environment in the warehouse.

It is with this that we can enjoy goods including perishables delivered from far away.  And it is with this that drastically changed transportation and distribution channel of Malaysia especially in food industry.  Retailers and consumers are now able to obtain foods including perishables from cities in other parts of the country.

3. Can pay or receive cash upon delivery, a handy service for e-commerce and mail order business

Some delivery of goods requires cash payment of products delivered, such as the delivery of e-commerce and mail order businesses.  The buyer/customer could either make payment by bank transfer or by online payment (e.g. PayPal, credit card) then after the supplier confirms the payment send the products. 

However, this is not necessarily convenience; it takes additional procedures meaning more time, and customers may well not like paying before the delivery.  They may want to pay upon delivery similarly to how they buy at shops.

Yamato Transport has developed Payment on Delivery service.  The delivery person will receive the cash upon delivery, and the cash will be transferred to the sender (e.g. e-commerce and mail order company).  With this service, the company has become one of the popular transportation company designated by the e-commerce and online shopping companies of the country.

4. Key to business success is talent and their training

The above services (maybe Payment on Delivery in particular) are realized through thorough training to delivery staff members.  Series of training is provided to upgrade not only their hard skills but also soft skills including hospitality manners (e.g. greeting, smile, bow), morale and philosophy of “customer-first”. 

Together with meeting needs of local employees such as creating a system/environment to allow them to pray for their Islamic culture as well as paying higher salary than many other competitors, the company has been successful in attracting and engaging high talents, the requirement for successful business exporting Japanese service to abroad.

3 Tips for Successful Communication and Business with Japanese Clients

When multi-national service providers or small business owners outside Japan try to enter and penetrate the Japanese market regardless of the types of services, it seems they often find Japanese clients quite different and unique as well as the market, and find it difficult to approach and get along with them.

 

There is some truth in it; however, always remembering the key things when approaching and interacting with Japanese clients will allow you to successfully getting know the Japanese clients and starting business with them.

 

It might be a challenge to first start interaction with them and get the very first business from them, but it is worth the try because Japanese clients rarely betray you once they say “yes”. 

 

Although Japanese clients tend to regard outsource service providers as “vendor they use” rather than “partner” unlike in the west, in many cases turn out to be loyal customers once you start doing business with them.  They tend to build long relationship with their business partners rather than “changing partners or vendors by short-term evaluation or for no good reason”.

 

1. They want products, services and communication all in their own language

 

Language is probably the first and one of the largest obstacles for multi-nationals and small business owners outside Japan starting/doing business in Japan, whether they are service provider or manufacturer.

 

Majority of the Japanese people are not fluent in English so services needs to be provided in Japanese, so are the labels, instructions and documents of products sold in Japan. 

 

Japanese native with business level English fluency is still limited in Japan, a homogenous country, so coordinator or project manager or the like fluent in English while truly knowing Japanese business culture need to be the contact person of the Japanese clients.

 

One example of Japanese language being an obstacle is in the case of new product development and gaining approval for the Japanese market.  If you do not have a Japan office and appropriate team/individual, not only do you require an organization or an individual in Japan with Japan address to submit approval to PMDA (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Device Agency = an equivalent of FDA in the US) on your behalf.  And all the documents submitted needs to be in Japanese, as specified in GCP (Good Clinical Practice) Article 15. 

 

This is why pharmaceutical companies rely on CROs (Contract Research Organization) operating in Japan with global and local expertise plus language competency such as Quintiles to overcome the language issue as well as knowledge and know how issue.

 

2. They do not want to be the first to try something new

 

One of the characteristics of Japanese people and their culture is collectivism verses individualism of the west.  That is why we often say “nail that sticks out is hammered down” in Japan.  With this background, Japanese people usually do not want to stand out from the crowd but want to be the same with the rest of the group.

 

What this means is that Japanese clients usually do not want to be the first in adopting or trying something new, whether it is product or service.  They would usually ask “How are others.  Is there any other company/individual who already tried this?  If yes, what is their comment?” 

 

This is why getting the very first business in the Japanese market is a challenge.  However, what this also means is that once you manage to win a business, especially from a key opinion leader in the industry, majority of the others would likely to follow that key opinion leader and you are more likely to be successful in winning more business.

 

This is the strategy that Kiyotaka Fujii adopted and succeeded when he was the country manager of SAP Japan 2000-2005 and drastically improved their business and market penetration in Japan. 

 

3. They want frequent updates in their communication style

 

There is a saying “No news is good news” and there also is a Japanese equivalent; however, that does not seem to apply in doing business with Japanese clients.  They want to be informed of the status regularly even if there are no substantial updates from the service provider side.  If they are not informed they become very worried, and start to question if the service provide is really appropriate, is it good for them to continue working with the service provider and so forth.

 

This is why frequent communication such as keeping Japanese clients in the communication loop is one of the key success factors for a service provider in proceeding with a project with or of the Japanese client.  That is the communication style preference of the majority of the Japanese clients.

 

Of course, as often said, Japan is of politeness and honorific culture, which needs to be taken into account in communicating and working with them.  In Japanese there is honorific language and appropriate use of such is a minimum requirement.  Being polite also comes in the situation such as where to sit in a meeting room or in a taxi, who speaks first in meeting etc. as making bow when greetings.

 

In addition, since Japanese are usually not so open or straight forward in their communication thus there is a saying オブラートに包む whose literal translation is “wrap up in oblate”, whose real meaning is “beat around the bush / use indirect speech” as opposed to “come to the point”.  This is probably the “trickiest” for foreigners communicating with typical Japanese people but something to always bear in mind.

Amazing Transportation Services in Japan for Ultimate Customer Satisfaction (2)

Following the previous article Amazing Transportation Services in Japan for Ultimate Customer Satisfaction (1) this article outlines train/underground services in Tokyo, Japan that impressed the inspectorate members from the UK and France, the professionals in underground train operations, in a recent TV programme. 

 

There are also a few points added by the author from commuting everyday by trains and from taking trains at weekends that she finds useful.

 

Similarly for bus services, the key words of the underground train services for maximum customer satisfaction are “Omotenashi おもてなし” in Japanese, for comfort as well as speed and safety.

 

1. Accurate information about “time” on platforms

 

These help people to make a move with minimum time, which can be paraphrased as providing speedy services.

 

 

1) Detailed timetable

 

The inspectorate member from the UK immediately pointed out something quite different from the ones in his home country.  He said the timetables in the UK indicate the time of the first and the last train of the day, and others are simply stated “every 10 minutes” for example. 

 

In the case of Japan, all information is clearly indicated, just like the timetables of buses.  One reason for this is that there are more trains in rush hours than other time of the day.  The inspectorate members found this very easy to understand and customer-centric.

 

2) Estimated time to arrive and which car is the “best”

 

There are two things that the author finds it helpful though it was not mentioned by the inspectorate members.

 

One is that there are usually a poster on many platforms which has station names and how many minutes it is estimated to arrive at each station.  This is good in Japan when people are always on the move with tight schedule.

 

Another is the poster with list of station names, chart of train cars indicating which cars are nearest to exit/lift for which station.  This is extremely useful to minimize time to get out of the station or change trains, especially when there are as many as 10 cars or more for a train in Japan to accommodate as many passengers in a train far more cars than the trains in other countries.

 

2. Multi-functional electronic video display in train cars

 

In each car of trains just above the doors, there are electronic video displays that provide variety of information, accompanying the train announcements, one after another.

 

1) Information about the next station

 

Usually the video first shows all the names of the station in that line with number of minutes required to get to each station for some line like JR (Japan Railway) Loop Line in Tokyo, the name of the next station (usually in Japanese then English) then which trains to change there if any, then which door will be open when the train arrives at the next station (this door or door on the opposite side).

 

Also, should there be any delays even by a few minutes for some reason, it is displayed accompanying the train announcements.

 

2) Information about other lines

 

In addition, some displays also provide information such as which other line(s) is/are delayed for what reason.  This is very useful when people take multiple trains to get to the destination and the delayed train is one of the trains they need to take – they can immediately plan what alternate route to take.

 

3. Initiatives for ultimate safety of the passengers

 

These might be a little “too much” from western standard but relevant in Japan.

 

 

1) Thorough inspection of tunnels

Decrepit tunnels may result in concrete waste falling down, leading to disastrous accidents.  Thus, they would conduct thorough inspection of tunnels taking as long as 1 year each, and do maintenance as appropriate.

 

2) Thorough checking of loose bolts

 

They would check each bolt by hitting it by a hammer and the sound it makes one by one.  This used to be done also in the west but not anymore because with today’s technology bolts rarely get loosened.  So, the inspectorate members were astonished and asked why.  The answer was “we want to be 100% perfect for 100% safety for our passengers.”

 

3) Continuous training

 

Trains not in service are used for training drivers.  Training menu includes hiding eyes of the trainee and drive at a specified speed, and stopping the train at the specified place at the platform with 100% preciseness.

 

4. Last but not least – for ultimate hospitality

 

These might be very Japanese, ofおもてなし hospitality sprit.

 

 

1) For comfortable ride

 

The inspectorate members first could not understand why they would shave the metal wheels because that is never done in their countries, but understood and was impressed.  When this was complete, they were fascinated at the “beauty” of the wheels as if they are brand new. 

 

The true reason of this is to minimize the risk of making the ride bumpy – the Japanese train staff explained that should they leave the wheels with slight scratches, the scratches may get worse and make the ride bumpy.  This means they would not be providing comfortable rides to passengers.

 

2) To be connected online underground

 

Similarly to free wi-fi- services on Shinkansen Bullet Trains between Tokyo and Osaka, free wi-fi services are provided in platforms of key stations of underground trains. 

Amazing Transportation Services in Japan for Ultimate Customer Satisfaction (1)

In a recent Japanese TV programme they had a group of bus professionals from the US, the UK and France inspecting bus services in Japan, who were so much impressed, saying “there are so many things for us to learn from”. 

The things the inspectorate members were impressed with are all for customer satisfaction, with three keywords – speed, safety and hospitality or “Omotenashi おもてなし” in Japanese which was the key word used in the presentation to win Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

To the author, these show what kinds of services are required to win customer satisfaction in the Japan market for service companies but on the other hand some might be a little “too much”.  What do you think?

1. For maximum hospitality

The inspectorate members were amazed at the hospitality provided to the passengers through the bus announcements

1) Bus announcements providing ample information

When buses in many other countries do not necessarily have bus announcements, the inspectorate members were overwhelmed with the quality and quantity of information provided with this service.  These announcements are usually in woman’s voice.

The announcements not only provide what the next stop is but also what key places are near the next stop (e.g. school, hospital) as well as transfer information.

2) Bus announcements providing reminders

There are even announcements to remind passengers such as “the bus is to turn right thus will make a rocking motion, so please hold on to straps or hand rails.” 

And, to distinguish such announcement from those providing information about the bus stop, these announcements are in a man’s voice.

2. For speedy services

The inspectorate members were amazed to see the time schedule of the busses because especially at the rush hours buses arrive at a bus stop every 2 or 3 minutes, when it is something like every 10 or 15 minutes in their country.

Such operation is feasible in Japan with speedy services enabled by the following.

1) Multi-functional fare payment machine

An extremely smart, multi-functional fare payment machine is located next to the driver.  This is to provide speedy services even when Japanese buses are run by only one driver similarly to those of many other countries in a very tight time schedule.

The machine can offer change as soon as when the passenger puts coins in it, just like the vending machines of train tickets and drinks.  The machine also can change money when the passenger does not have coins.

It can handle for the fare just for one passenger each.  It can do so for up to 60 passengers at a time; therefore, if there is a group of passengers the payment can be done with minimum time.

The machine also has another unique function, which is explained in the next section.

2) IC card reader

IC card has been quite popular in Japan when riding trains and subways for years now, and the same IC card can be used in riding buses today.

So when a passenger gets on the bus from the back door and wants to pay by IC, she/he simply touches the IC on the IC reader just like she/he does so when getting on the train.  She/he again touches the IC reader on the multi-functional fare payment machine when getting off the bus from the front door near the bus driver.

3. For passenger safety

The inspectorate members were amazed at some systems they learned from first-hand experience they would not find in their country, all for safety of the passengers, which are the below.

1) So many buttons to inform “getting off at the next stop”

As soon as they got on a bus, the US member of the inspectorate started counting the number of buttons that passengers press to inform the driver that they are getting off the bus at the next stop.  Surprisingly, there were as many 35, located at variety of places - relatively high up for passengers standing up and low down where passengers seated can reach without standing up.

The inspectorate members asked the Japanese bus company staff why there are so many buttons.  The answer was “so that passengers can press the button with ease, not losing balance, when the bus is still on the move.  This means safety for the passengers.”

2) Door designed for ultra-safety

The French member of the inspectorate did an experiment about the back door (where passengers get on) and was extremely impressed with its cleverness, making it ultra-safe for passengers.  When the door started to close, he put his arm at the position that his arm would likely be jammed.  Then the door immediately opened again.  He did this experiment many times and the result was the same.

This was because a sensor is embedded in the rubber part of the door where it shuts.  As soon as the sensor detects something, it delivers the signal that the door needs to be opened instead of closed.  This is quite helpful when the driver cannot see the situation at the back of the bus, around the entrance door area.

3) Systems to monitor drivers’ skills daily

Each bus driver, before leaving their office, has a short 1:1 briefing of the route they drive for smooth operation followed by going through a check list for safety.  In doing so, they repeat a phrase of reminders that are differently every day, such as “avoid sudden braking”, “keep to appropriate speed”.

When the driver gets on the bus, he sets a recorder that records everything about how he drives, including how brakes and accelerators are used, speed and so forth.  And when he returns to the office, he brings back the recorder with him and places in an equipment.  Then immediately the “result” is displayed by graphs and charts together with the score.  In this way, his driving skill is monitored every day.

4) Training to detect veteran drivers’ possible negative habits

When in other countries like France where once the driver passes to be qualified he is never trained as the French member of the inspectorate clearly said, in Japan they regularly provide training to drivers including experienced ones to “guarantee” safety as much as possible for passengers.

The training is done on a bus with a special system, with which the points where the driver sees are monitored and displayed on a screen real-time.  Other information about how he drives are also recorded and visualized real-time and thus the trainer can immediately detect any possible negative habits of the driver. 

This is helpful when the experienced drivers find it difficult to be aware of any habits after having being in the role for so many years, which could impact negatively from safety perspective.

New Product Yet Not New with Marketing 101 in Japan

The previous article Commercializing Products Seasonally Meeting Japanese Customer Needs outlined how companies in Japan, both Japan domestic companies and multi-nationals operating in Japan, especially of BtoC, are commercializing products seasonally to meet Japanese consumers need who always expect “something new”.

 

Developing and commercializing new products so frequently in a timely manner requires much investment, budget, people and time. 

 

Is there any way of developing and commercializing a new product with virtually zero investment?

 

Yes, there is.

 

That can be done by developing a new product yet now new thus almost zero investment.

 

1. What is an example of “the new product yet not new”?

 

It is the beer in the photo, a very “clever” way of commercializing a “new” product for consumers which the author came across recently when she dined out for lunch one weekend. 

 

The photo is of a beer of Kirin, a major Japanese beer company, a new product that came out for this autumn.  The photo is a kind of POP that was placed on the table of the Italian restaurant where the author dined for lunch. 

 

It says “new product for this autumn”.  However, the beer itself is not necessarily new at all.  It is actually their regular beer, hence “new product yet now new”.

 

2. What makes this product “new yet not new?”

 

To the author, the company managed to commercialize this product by “marketing 101” to make a difference.  This is an example of what a company can do with almost no additional investment leveraging very basics of marketing.

 

 

 

1) Concept and positioning

 

The concept of this product as the author understands is “Kirin beer provided to customers in autumn, with almost zero product development cost”.

 

In the similar way, the author understands the positioning is “seasonal product sold only in autumn 2014 under a new naming and new label”.

 

2) Value proposition

 

The author understands the value proposition is something like “enjoy autumn in the similar way as enjoying beauties of nature with red and yellow leaves outdoor while enjoying beer indoor”.

 

3) Naming

 

With the concept, positioning and value proposition above, they have named the beer 秋味, whose literal translation is “autumn taste”. 

 

This naming makes consumers think the beer itself is brand new.  It also helps consumers to “enjoy autumn atmosphere and breeze even if they are indoors as if they are enjoy autumn outdoors”. 

 

4) Label on the bottle

 

In order to offer the value visually aligning with the naming, the label is designed with red and yellow leaves, the symbol of outdoor autumn.

 

All beer bottles have labels and their size is usually the same so the only investment is planning and designing of labels.  There is no need for new production line or equipment.

 

5) POP

 

They have created the POP, aligning with the label.  It is of maple leaf shape with back ground of maple leaves in red and yellow.  The naming is also clearly written.  And of course, they have also the Kirin CI logo.

 

What they included is the copy saying “beer exclusively sold in autumn”.  Campaign selling a product or for a limited time or doing a bargain for a limited time is a tactic often used in promotion.  They have adopted this tactic to the fullest although they have not specified “until when”.

 

In addition, they have added the price per glass, which is 700 JPY.  Therefore, this POP acts as an eye-catching menu providing all information covering AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) model.

 

Planning, designing and making the POPs require some investment; however, it is far less than mass media advertising campaigns.  Also, this kind of POPs are often found in fast food and other popular restaurants in Japan so this kind of promotion is something handled without difficulty in Japan.

 

3. Would this marketing tactics work in Japan?

 

It may well not work in other parts of the world, but yes, it works in Japan, targeting Japanese consumers.  It is because they take it for granted that for foods and beverages as well as fashions, new products are launched seasonally.

 

This marketing tactics is based on what people in Japan tracditionally enjoy in autumn called Momiji-gari 紅葉狩り.  In Japan, autumn is when people enjoy beauties of nature, or red and yellow leaves in mountains, Japanese gardens, gardens of temples and shrines and parks.  That is why we have many products and services featuring this tradition in Japan.

Commercializing Products Seasonally Meeting Japanese Customer Needs

Key points to meet expectations of Japanese consumers, often said to be difficult to please, are outlined in the previous post 5 Product Requirements to Meet Japanese Consumer Needs.

There is one more critical point in developing and marketing products to Japanese consumers in success, especially in BtoC businesses.

That is, “something new”.

This is why in the Japanese market there are varieties of products coming out so frequently, with different design, colour, functions/features and so forth.

This is not only in fashion industry which products need to align with the seasons, nor consumer electronics, mobile phones and smart phones.  This is also for fast foods, beverages, sweets and snacks, and menus in popular restaurants. 

Companies in Japan, both Japanese and multi-nationals operating in Japan, make much investment in almost every season in order to meet needs of Japanese consumer needs, who constantly expect “something new”. 

Also, there are some products such as sweets only sold in a particular region; in Japanese we call them 地域限定品.  This is a tactic to provoke tourists to buy the products and such products turn out to be great souvenirs.

1.Sweets and snacks

When it is spring and strawberries are in their high season, there are variety of new sweets and snacks of “strawberry-flavoured” sweets, snacks and cakes being commercialized for a limited time.  Also March 3 is Girl’s Day and May 5 is Boy’s Day, and products associated with the days usually come out.

In summer, it might be of water melon and “summer orange”, popular in Yamaguchi prefecture.  And every summer we have variety of new summer cold desserts coming out which are sold at super markets, convenience shops, cafes and restaurants.

And in autumn, peaches, Japanese pears, grapes, Japanese persimmon and chest nuts are in their high season, and new products using them are commercialized. 

In winter, products associated with Christmas and New Year comes out.  Products associated with Christmas tend to be something western and products associated with New Year tend to be something Japanese.

2.Fast foods

McDonalds, not only have Japanese taste burger called Teriyaki as one of their regular menu, develops new products almost every season which are sold for only a limited time. 

Previously they commercialized a very simple burger with low price which was named “100 JPY burger”, and also a product which they added a small toy for foods targeting small children.  Some fast food shops do campaigns making alliances with entertainment companies.

In summer they had commercialized a burger using avocado. 

And recently many fast food shops have been using mushrooms, one of the foods in high season in autumn, in commercializing new products for autumn.  The attached photo is of McDonalds, using mushrooms with theme of Moon-Viewing 月見, the Japanese tradition on September 15.

3.Pizzas and lunches sold in convenience stores

Mushrooms are also used in commercializing autumn products among pizza shops.  The attached photo is of a pizza delivery flyer in which they feature their new “autumn” product named “Autumn Premium Quarter Four” with mushroom topping, to be sold until November 16.

 Autumn is also when Tricholoma Matsutake (a kind of mushroom we get in autumn, with great odor, and expensive) is in high season.  Matsutake mushrooms are used in commercializing new portable lunches (in Japanese called Obentoお弁当) and sold in convenience stores and supermarkets for a limited time, as well as appearing in menus in high class restaurants. 

Bamboo shoots are obtained in spring and are used in a very similar way as Matsutake mushrooms in commercializing new products of lunches in convenience stores and super markets as well as commercializing new cuisines in restaurants.

Crabs and giant pacific oysters are in their high seasons in winter.  Pizza shops often commercialize new products using crabs as their topping.  Lunches sold in convenience stores in particular sometimes feature crabs and oysters for their new products in winter.

4.Beer

Summer is when people enjoy beer the most, and “beer gardens” enjoying cold beer chilled in refrigerators outdoors as well as indoors is a major entertainment in Japan.  So in summer, all Japanese beer companies usually commercialize new products.  They usually differentiate by taste, how it is felt when drinking (beer going down the throat) and so forth. 

This year “premium” was a key word or concept in beer companies developing and commercializing new beers like the one in the photo. 

There was also a beer company that partnered with Seven Eleven a convenience store company, and a tourism company in promoting their products.  The author received a coupon of the new beer from the tourism company she used in going on a vacation with which she could buy the new beer at a Seven Eleven store near her house during the time specified on the coupon.

Beer companies also commercialize new products in winter, developing products with appropriate naming and new can or beer label suitable for winter.

5.Menus in restaurants

Combining the above approaches, as a few examples already given above, restaurants often develop new seasonal cuisine to make their menu a little different every season.

The most distinct ones are probably found in summer, autumn and winter.

In summer, they commercialize many cold cuisines like cold noodles like thin wheat noodles, cold noodle (topped with egg, roast pork, bean sprouts, tomato, and cucumber), cold soba or buckwheat noodle called ざるそば and cold ◾wheat noodle called ざるうどん and even cold spaghetti.

In summer they would also have cold desserts in their menus.

In autumn, high class restaurants and hotels would commercialize Matsutake Kaiseki, Japanese full course using Matsutake mushrooms.  We call them 秋の味覚, literal translation is “great autumn food”.  Hotels with hot spring public baths or Onsen 温泉often commercialize a package product of Matsutake mushroom full course lunch or dinner with hot spring bathing services.

In winter, similar Japanese full course cuisines and package products using crabs and oysters called 冬の味覚 (literal translation is “great winter food”) are commercialized at high class restaurants and hotels.

When Japan is blessed with 4 distinct seasons, it is a requirement to commercialize products fully leveraging what we are blessed in each season in order to successfully commercialize products meeting Japanese consumers.

5 Product Requirements to Meet Japanese Consumer Needs

Japanese consumers are often said to be difficult to please, with high expectations.  It is not only about the language issue, and this is likely to be one reason why many multi-national companies or individuals find it a challenge to enter and penetrate the Japanese market, which is regarded as attractive due to its size, stability and maturity in many industries.

If you know their expectations and what they regard as “high quality products and services”, meeting their needs, it is quite possible to succeed in make market entry and penetration in the Japanese market.

1. Durable and indestructible

Japanese consumers expect products to be durable and indestructible, from clothes and toys to home electronics and automobiles.  This is probably what we all know as “high quality products” and their expectations are maybe the highest in the world.

Should clothes start to come apart by little or screw of devices start to get a little loose, consumers would usually regard them as defects and may well make complaints.  Indeed, for example, materials used for T-shirts made by Japanese companies are usually much stronger than those made by companies of other countries.  Also, how clothes are tailored by Japanese companies excel from those made in other parts of the world.

2. Easy to use and convenient

Easy to use and convenience has been what Japanese companies been strong at, and this has been a key feature and differentiator in Japan.  This is a popular value-added feature in Japan, not only for products themselves but also for packages.

Great examples are abundant in FMCG (fast moving consumer goods).  Many canned food are of easy-to-open cans, which are just like opening a canned coke and therefore there is no need for a can opener.  

There are variety of Natto (Japanese food made from soy beans) packages to make consumers easy to pour sauce into the container without getting their hands dirty.

This concept is applied in such products as drugs, too, and easy to take medicines are often a feature.  Many OTC (over the counter) drugs are differentiated not only by efficacy but also how it is easy to take/swallow (e.g. in power, made sweet for children), as well as how quickly the medicine starts to work.

3. Same appearance and size

Japanese consumers do not accept products with even a little irregularity in appearance and size, even for things such as fruits and vegetables.  So, even fruits and vegetables sold in Japan are all of “perfect” shape, and size, packed very neatly.  Should they be “imperfect” in shape and size they are neglected during picking and packing processes in farms and factories. 

This is why crisps you would see in the west are not found in Japan.  Each piece of crisps is of different sizes which are not acceptable to Japanese consumers.  That is why many of the crisps sold in Japan are made “artificially” from potato ingredients, all in the same size and shape.  And, some are put in a tube-shaped container, emphasizing uniform size and shape.

Should the products be imperfect even by a degree not noticeable by the majority unless being told, they are sold as what we call “class B products” or in Japanese B級品.  These are sold in separate channel with discount price.  Such products range from Kimono and furniture to bread.

When Japanese consumers expects all products the same in appearance, it is not a surprise that they would never accept foreign substances in the products they buy and use.  Should they find any foreign substances such as hair in drugs for example, they would regard drugs as “low quality” in the similar way as “imperfect appearance” mentioned above - they would question the critical quality of efficacy.  In such a case it is reported to the manufacturer as “defects”.

4. Perfect finishing

Japanese consumers expect products and architectures to be of perfect finishing even at details.  This is not only for devices that Japanese companies are strong at.  In the case of drugs, even those with a little spot or scratch on tablets that human eyes cannot detect (and thus detected by video inspection) are regarded as “defects” though it has nothing to do with efficacy thus removed from the production line. 

This is the same for packages, too.  Even just a slight imperfection in package printing of drugs are regarded as “defect” and removed from the product line.  Japanese pharmacists and patients would question the quality including efficacy of drugs should the package is not 100% imperfect in their standard.

It is the same for architecture.  A Japanese person in construction industry visited a very famous modern architecture in Australia which he was extremely impressed at.  However, when he saw that lower part of a concrete wall finish is “rough”, he said “Gosh!  How rough is this finishing.  This is never accepted in Japan!”

5. Sophisticated

Consumer electronics is probably the good example of this.  When large, relatively bulky portable audio were popular in the North American market, small, compact and sophisticated ones were developed and marketed for the Japanese market.  Small and compact size has been a key feature in products such as digital camera and mobile phones, too.

Colour variation is also what Japanese consumers tend to like and expect.  Thus for consumer electronics (AV devices, digital camera, mobile phone), and clothes and bags/shoes, there tend to be so many colour variations.  There have been abundant colour variations in recent small cars by Japanese companies.  Many of the colours are quite sophisticated, similarly to consumer electronics,

Sophistication is also applied to food and drinks.  In Japan, “subtle sweetness” is preferred in Japanese and western sweets and beverages including cakes, yoghurt, pudding, cookies, chocolates, Japanese dumplings and juice.  In making bread, they always sift flour so that the baked bread would be of fine texture.  This is why sweet buns in Japan are rather like cakes in the west.  Coarse-textured food is not accepted in Japan.

One more thing about the Japanese consumers…

Japanese consumers also always expect “something new”.

This will be the topic of the upcoming article.