The Expo showcases various business fields related to inbound tourism in Japan. Topics range from support for customer service, multilingual guidance, payment solutions, high-quality tourism experiences, inbound-targeted products, and more.

“Our theme word for this year is Hiyaku, which means ‘Leap Forward,’ so when I came across the opportunity to have a booth at this expo, I leapt for it!,” says Ruth Marie Jarman, CEO of Jarman International. “Jarman usually has work come to us via our network and previous clients’ introductions, but this will be a wonderful opportunity to reach out to new places and meet a whole bunch of new potential clients as a Jarman Team. I am proud of what we have achieved over the last 14 years and I look forward to how we can grow and evolve as we uncover new opportunities  at this event. I am especially excited about the Deep Japan workshop that Editor-in-Chief Hana Shiraishi will be leading. We have a wonderful platform and hope that people who hear about it, will see its worth like we do.” 

Tokyo Big Sight can be accessed via Kokusai-Tenjijo Station on the Rinkai Line and Tokyo Big Sight Station on the Yurikamome line; please refer to the venue’s webpage for other transportation options. 

Advance registration via the Expo’s website (free) is required for each person planning to attend the Expo. Please print out your registration info and have it available when you arrive at the venue. Although all registration information is available online, if you would like a paper invitation with detailed entry instructions and a QR code to the online registration for the event, please contact Jarman at contact@jarman-international.com with your name and forwarding address. 

The Jarman team looks forward to seeing you there!

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Ruth discusses Hawaii’s potluck culture, where every dish on the table is unique and delicious in its own way. Additionally, in the plate lunch style, people combine different types of food on the same plate, enjoying a variety of cultural flavors. Similarly, Ruth suggests that teachers encourage students to take pride in their own unique contributions to the world while also understanding the importance of adapting to maintain social harmony in Japan. She also emphasizes the value of inspiring students’ curiosity about other cultures and helping them see themselves as important contributors to an increasingly diverse global society.

Ruth hopes her article provides food for thought for teachers across Japan as they work to prepare their students for the exciting realities of a more globalized future.

Ruth’s article was published in the March edition. You can view the table of contents HERE.

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Ruth reflects on her seminar as follows: “It was an honor to do a webinar about how Japan is globalizing for the Enplus clientele and also, to have a discussion with my good friend and Director of Enplus, Kana Kumoshita. The webinar was filmed in a building I used to work at during my time as part of the leadership team for a real estate management company in Tokyo called Space Design (now Kenedix Property Design), so the whole experience brought back fantastic memories. It also made me feel incredibly excited for all that is ahead for Japan and the growing international community.”

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“To me, JAL represents an international company that is constantly striving to improve its business practices by better understanding various cultures and providing world-class services to its ever-changing and ever-expanding clientele”, says Auger.

With support from Mark Tofflemire, Fukiko Yoshino, Kayoko Saito, Melissa Henrique and a short presentation on Japan’s accelerating domestic internationalization by Jarman International’s CEO Ruth Marie Jarman, Austin began with a self-assessment test so that participants could gain a deeper understanding of their own talents. The team then engaged participants with lectures, group activities and communication challenges. Based on Austin’s fundamental training philosophy of “soar with your strength”, he provided insight and guidance on the leadership and communication skills to further success in their diverse and exciting organization.

Auger further reflects on the experience saying, “we have had the opportunity to assist JAL for the past six years, and I have witnessed their positive transformation in addressing client shifts while also meeting the culturally diverse demands of their employees. I really enjoy interacting with JAL’s participants from around the world because they are so dedicated and eager to do their best to improve the company. I am very grateful for the opportunity to share the knowledge I have gained from my experiences around the world and over many years.”

It is an honor for Jarman International to have been able to support JAL over the past several years and we look forward to opportunities to continue work with this excellent organization in the near future.

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“One of the reasons why I enjoyed interacting with the students of Meiji University was witnessing their eagerness in pursuit of knowledge and experience–not only for personal growth but also for the benefit of the university, future corporate organizations, and Japan as a whole. Indeed, they are our future leaders.” 

On May 7th, Jarman International’s partner, Austin Auger, spoke to the students of Meiji University who are considering studying abroad. At the heart of the speech was a commitment to help empower young minds and shape Japan’s future through a more global education. 

“The presentation I delivered aimed to underscore the benefits of international exposure for learning and experiencing diverse social behaviors, business practices, and communication styles. It also encouraged students to compare these experiences with the familiar Japanese cultural environment they currently inhabit. This serves as a foundation for self-discovery, enabling them to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. They can learn how to set goals, measure progress, and ultimately achieve their objectives. I urge them not to fear making mistakes but rather to take calculated risks to deepen their experiences further.”

As the Japanese government set the bold target of nearly doubling international enrollment by 2033, Austin’s speech was a timely beacon of guidance amidst the significant changes happening across the country in terms of globalization.

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“A fellow board member at one of my meetings said, ‘it is a really serious show…will you be okay?’, and that made me even more excited about bringing some sense of hope and positivity to the situation of speedy growth in visitors to Japan”, says Jarman as she reflected on her thoughts before the live broadcast Sunday morning.

With some 2% of the Japanese public tuning in via television and radio, this reputable weekly debate show (similar to PBS NewsHour in the US) reaches business leaders, industry influencers, etc., across the country. 

The discussion centered on the current growth of international visitors and the opportunities as well as challenges Japan faces. The head of the Kamakura Tourism Association spoke of ideas to make sure local residents can ride the popular Enoden train even on days when visitors from around the world squeeze onto the iconic train for spectacular views of the ocean, Enoshima Island and Mt. Fuji.

Although there were varying ideas for how this challenge should be faced, all six panelists agreed that tourism in Japan needs to be a win-win for all. Destination management needs to be focused on making sure that no organization or locality is left behind in this surge of new business, so carefully gauging trends and where funds are ending up, will be key.

I was able to introduce the Hawaiian word ‘kuleana’ into the conversation. This word refers to the responsibility both hosts and guests have to protect the natural environment. That means making sure that an increase in tourism does not equal an increase in unhappiness for the local community or have any negative impact on precious natural and cultural resources. We also discussed how prices are rising at accommodation facilities and although many people seem to fear that clientele will decrease due to prices going up, I emphasized that the weaker yen makes it easier for visitors to pay higher rates. However, at the same time, expectations for service quality and hospitality will go up. I hoped to convey the message that Japan can have great confidence in how much the world loves and wants to visit the country, as well as make sure that everyone, including the smiling bell person at the local hotel, really FEELS the growth and benefits from it in tangible ways (basically higher salaries), says Jarman.

Japan is keen to reach 60 million visitors per year by 2030. With Japan being selected as the world’s number one destination by travelers around the world, we expect the goal will be reached. Doubling current numbers, the challenge of opening up outlying regions to eager visitors and helping host locations feel confident and positive about such sudden growth, is a very big challenge for sure. As presented by the discussion on Sunday, Jarman is ready to be deeply involved in this effort towards building a new economic pillar for Japan. The path ahead is not easy, but we want to welcome this new challenge with open arms and a big smile.

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The training kicked off with a presentation and discussion led by JI CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman, on the current status of globalization in Japan, how to be a team player capable of hitting the ground running, and the three types of international visitors to Japan.

This was followed by three interactive sessions facilitated by JI Partner and trainer, Austin Auger, on how to identify your strengths and weaknesses (using the Belbin Team Roles Assessment), differences in communication styles (high-context vs. low-context) across cultures, and how to be a good listener and communicator to increase innovation and organizational capabilities.

Thanks to the enthusiasm and open-mindedness of all five participants, the day was a tremendous success.

Committed to helping companies, government agencies, and local municipalities in Japan access the global market, JI offers globalization training as part of our regular consulting and training service lineup.

If you would like to discuss how we can support your business’s training needs and ensure that your employees can thrive as Japan continues to globalize, feel free to get in touch. We would love to hear from you!

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In March 2023, Jarman International was honored to be invited to speak at a series of seminars held by client company, Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd., as part of their DX and Internationalization Forum.  The forum kicked off with a session led by JI CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman, which was followed by two seminars spearheaded by JI Core 50 consultants, Melanie Brock and Violet Pacileo.

In these times of drastic change, companies, organizations, and their employees are being forced to undertake a variety of shifts, such as globalization, changing work styles, embracing diversity, and digital transformation (DX).

To empower Cosmo Energy employees to respond quickly to this new era in which existing values and business models alone will not suffice, the three JI members spoke on the theme of “Drastically Changing Japan and the World: Tools to Boost Your Ability to Respond to Change,” with a focus on communication, diversity, and the ability to take action.

In the first session on communication, Ruth highlighted the current state of globalization in Japan, the country’s strengths as viewed from an international resident’s perspective, and how to improve your communication skills by putting thoughts into words.

In the second session on diversity, Melanie spoke about how to recognize and respect the diversity of individual employees and customers as well as the subsequent benefits of doing so, keeping in mind that diversity encompasses various differences, including age, gender, race, and neurodiversity.

In the third session on the ability to take action, Violet focused on how to motivate yourself and lead others when taking on challenges – an indispensable skill to have in times of drastic change. During her talk, she also touched on the unconscious bias that employees should be aware of when taking on new challenges, while sharing examples of the different activities that she herself has undertaken. This session was highly interactive since it was the last one in the series and the content was partially linked to the themes of the previous two seminars, with Violet receiving many questions from participants.

Ms. Noriko Rzonca, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of Cosmo Energy Holdings, shared some opening remarks during the forum’s first session, where she emphasized how having such a powerful lineup of female speakers who embodied the theme of the forum serve as guest speakers was a wonderful coincidence given that International Women’s Day (March 8) fell during the seminar series. We are truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to take part in this important event.

We hope that the forum helped Cosmo Energy employees develop an international mindset and be better equipped to respond to the era of drastic change, and that they will apply what they learned in each session to their work and daily lives.

We look forward to their continued success in the future!

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