As October begins, I find myself looking forward to a trip that brings together many of the things I value most: learning, reconnecting, meaningful work, and friendship.
From 10 to 20 October, I'll be back in Japan, a country that has shaped so much of my personal and professional journey. Even though I no longer live there full-time, every visit feels a bit like coming home.
What excites me most about this trip is the opportunity to reconnect with communities that have had a lasting impact on my life. I'll be attending the GLOBIS International Alumni Reunion and participating in the US-Japan Council Member Days in Tokyo. Both gatherings bring together people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, united by a shared interest in leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and creating positive impact.
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Last week, I visited New York for the first time.
Of course, I had to visit the Empire State Building. And of course, I had to take one of those tourist photos with King Kong appearing in the background.
As I was looking at the photo later, it brought back a memory from my time in Tokyo.
Back in 2015, while I was living there, the head of Godzilla was installed on top of the Hotel Gracery in Shinjuku. It quickly became one of those landmarks that everyone seemed to photograph. Whether you were a tourist or a resident, you couldn't help but look up and smile.
And that's when it struck me.
New York has King Kong.
Tokyo has Godzilla.
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Since moving to the United States after many years in Japan, I've found myself reflecting on the lessons that stayed with me. Some of them came from conversations, some from experiences, and some from Japanese expressions that carried more wisdom than I understood at the time. Recently, those memories came flooding back when I read a quote from Seneca: "To be happy, eliminate two things: the fear of a bad future and the memory of a bad past."
The quote resonated immediately because it describes a tendency I know all too well. Like many people, I can spend far too much time imagining problems that never materialize while replaying moments that cannot be changed. What struck me, though, was how much Seneca's observation echoed ideas I encountered during my years in Japan.
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A few years ago, if someone had told me that one day I'd walk into Starbucks and order a pumpkin soup, I would have assumed they were joking.
Yet here we are.
I recently came across an article on SoraNews24 about Starbucks Japan's new Pumpkin Soupuccino, and it immediately caught my attention. Not because I'd tried it, but because I'd never even had the chance. The drink is a recent addition, and since I left Japan in 2018, this is one seasonal Starbucks creation that completely escaped me.
Still, it feels perfectly Japanese.
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A recent trip to New York gave me the chance to finally visit the iconic Empire State Building.
Standing on the observation deck, looking out over Manhattan, I couldn't help but compare the experience to one of my favorite Tokyo landmarks: Tokyo Skytree.
Of course, the two towers are very different. The Empire State Building feels like a living piece of history. It has that unmistakable Art Deco elegance and reminds visitors of a New York from another era. Tokyo Skytree, on the other hand, represents modern Japan. Sleek, futuristic, and purpose-built, it feels very much like a symbol of today's Tokyo.
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A recent Japan Times article introduced me to the term "rust-out." As a European, I immediately recognized the concept, although we usually call it "boreout."
Most of us are familiar with burnout. It's the result of too much work, too much pressure, and too little time to recover. Rust-out comes from the opposite direction. It happens when people are not sufficiently challenged, when their skills are underutilized, and when they spend their days completing tasks that fail to engage them or make use of their capabilities.
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If someone had told me a few years ago that Lady Gaga would be starring in a recruitment campaign for a Japanese convenience store chain, I probably would have assumed it was a parody.
Yet this week, that is exactly what happened.
In FamilyMart's new recruiting campaign, Lady Gaga stocks shelves, mops floors, works the register, and then turns to the camera to ask, in Japanese, "Want to work at FamilyMart?" For most people in Japan, however, FamilyMart is better known by its affectionate nickname, Famima. The commercial is eye-catching, but the celebrity endorsement is only part of the story. Behind the glamour lies a challenge that is reshaping workplaces across Japan: a growing shortage of workers.
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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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