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.”

The post Jarman International CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman, led a webinar highlighting the impacts of globalization on the Japanese business landscape appeared first on Jarman International KK.

On May 14th, Jarman International CEO,

With previous experience as the Editor-in-Chief of HuffPost Japan (22+ million monthly unique website visitors) for five years, Ryan knows how to masterfully tackle an array of subjects from art and culture in the digital sphere to sustainability, LGBTQ+ topics and gender equality. This combined with Ruth’s expertise in Japan’s inbound tourism and unique perspective as an American female entrepreneur who has been in the country for 30+ years, makes for a podcast that is absolutely worth a listen.

The English episode was published on July 17, 2024. You can check it out HERE.

The post Jarman International CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman, discussed the growth of tourism in Japan with Ryan Takeshita, the Chief Global Editor and Vice President at PIVOT, an innovative Tokyo-based media startup appeared first on Jarman International KK.

“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.

The post Jarman International CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman, participated in NHK’s “Sunday Debate” broadcast on April 28th, 2024 appeared first on Jarman International KK.

日本人が世界に誇れる３３のこと

33 More Reasons to be Proud

Check out Ruth’s facebook page to follow her updates on the book.

And listen to her podcast to hear a great discussion of the book, and also Japanese society and politics.

The post 33 More Reasons to be Proud by Ruth Marie Jarman appeared first on Jarman International KK.