Last week, I wrote about spending an evening near Tokyo Station doing little more than watching the city move around me. Sitting there, I found myself wondering about all the people crossing the street and the lives they were heading back to at the end of the day. It was one of those moments that reminded me how much of a city is built on the work of individuals we never really notice.
A few days later, I was sitting in Clinton St. Baking Company in Aoyama, looking at a plate of French toast that had absolutely no business being as good as it was.
The funny thing is that there's nothing particularly Japanese about it. It's American-inspired comfort food. I've eaten versions of the same dish in plenty of places over the years. Yet somehow, in Japan, even food that didn't originate there often seems to reach a different level.
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My most recent trip to Japan was one of those visits where the days seemed to disappear into a blur of meetings, catch-ups, train rides, and trying to fit far too much into ten days. It was productive, enjoyable, and exactly the reason I keep returning, but by the end of the week I found myself appreciating something much simpler: having nowhere in particular to be on a Friday evening.
The weather helped. Tokyo was enjoying one of those warm, balmy evenings that often arrive before a typhoon changes everything. The air was pleasant, people were lingering outside, and there was a sense that everyone wanted to make the most of it before the forecast inevitably took over the conversation.
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As this post is published, my time in Japan is coming to an end.
What feels slightly strange is that I'm writing these words before I've even boarded the plane.
By now, I'll have attended the GLOBIS International Alumni Reunion, participated in US-Japan Council Member Days, worked with a client on a new HR project, celebrated a friend's birthday, and hopefully spent time with many friends and colleagues who have been part of my journey in Japan over the years.
Sitting here today, however, I don't yet know how any of those experiences will unfold.
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One of the unexpected highlights of my recent trip to Japan wasn't a client meeting, a workshop, or even one of my usual Tokyo walks.
It was staying with a friend in Etchujima.
I spend enough nights in hotels during business travel to appreciate how different it feels to stay with someone you know. My recent visit was packed with workshops, client meetings, and presentations. Having the chance to catch up over breakfast or chat at the end of the day made the trip feel a little less like business travel and a little more like coming back to Tokyo.
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This is a follow-up to an article I wrote on July 10th about the strange concrete building in Otemachi that I had walked past for years without ever understanding what it was.
In my head I called it the Dark Tower. It sits among all the polished glass towers looking slightly menacing and completely uninterested in fitting in. Eventually I discovered that it was basically a telecom hub, which explained the lack of windows, the heavy concrete and the general appearance of a building designed to survive something.
I thought that was the end of the story.
But last week I walked past it again and noticed there is now a crane next to it.
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This week found me working from a client's office in Minneapolis, surrounded by the brilliant reds and golds of a Midwestern autumn. One thing that always strikes me when I travel around the U.S. is the sense of scale. There is plenty of room to think, plenty of room to grow, and in many cases, plenty of room for communication gaps to emerge.
That may sound like an odd observation, but it was very much on my mind after spending half a day with a group of enthusiastic Japanese expatriates.
At JCO, we often talk about bridging communication gaps. People sometimes assume that means translating language. In reality, language is often the easiest part.
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Last week, I wrote about facilitating an HRBP transformation session in Tokyo and how rewarding it was to discuss the role of HR Business Partners in Japanese. At the time, I thought it would probably be my last trip to Japan this year.
Apparently not.
This week, I found out that I'll be heading back to Tokyo in mid-November for another round of client meetings, workshops, demos and discussions. The schedule is still coming together, but I was genuinely excited when I heard the news. Ten days in Japan wasn't nearly enough.
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A Japanese expat manager recently received a surprise during their annual performance review in the U.S.: a comment from their American team that they were “distant and hard to approach.” The manager was stunned. In Japan, maintaining formality and emotional restraint is often seen as professional. In the U.S., it can be interpreted as cold or disengaged.
This moment revealed a deeper issue: the feedback gap between jinji and U.S. HR.
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In a recent ruling, Mizuho Bank Ltd. successfully defended itself against a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by a former U.S.-based vice president. While the legal outcome favored Mizuho, the case highlights a deeper issue that many global Japanese companies face: the perception of bias and the need for culturally intelligent HR practices. 最近の判決において、みずほ銀行株式会社は、米国拠点の元副社長による差別および報復に関する訴訟に対して、成功裏に自己防衛を果たしました。法的な結果はみずほ銀行に有利なものでしたが、このケースは、多くのグローバルな日本企業が直面しているより深刻な課題を浮き彫りにしています。それは、偏見の認識と、文化的知性を備えた人事施策の必要性です。
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