Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cutting the cant - Clark & Kay on business in Japan, November 7, 2005
Some business books are loaded with examples that all point in one direction -- the very thesis that the academic author wants to make the reader a believer of. Authors Clark and Kay of "Yes toJapan" have no such hidden agenda in this book about doing business in Japan.
As a consumer marketing consultant with 15+ years in Tokyo, I think many readers will appreciate their practical, non-dogmatic approach. Theirs is simply a clear-headed, concise guide to entrepreneurial opportunities in Japan. At under 180 pages, this slim volume is deceptive: it packs in a lot about doing business in Japan into a small package. Take the 20 pages devoted to the Japan real estate market, Ch. 3, "Building on New Foundations": it avoids "consultant-expert" speak and cuts right to the details.
We are shown how the market works through the narrative of the experiences of "outsider" entrepreneurs. The cast includes a foreign buyer's agent, an American commercial broker dealing in distressed properties, an American shopping mall developer, a Canadian carpenter turned home reform specialist and the Japanese founder of Yasuragi Corp. who built up his tiny home reform business into a listed corporation by being willing to rebuild small home properties others were not willing to take on.
While the narrative is sparse and fast-paced, the writers find space for a wealth of valuable data, names and places that newcomers to the market can use to develop their own business leads. Case in point are the notes to the real estate section: verging on the scholarly, the notes will serve others interested in the Japan market place as a solid source of leads and ideas. The sections on IT, wireless, software and medical technology are equally succinct, free of academic cant and theorizing.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Layman's Opinion, January 2, 2006
As a layman who is neither well versed in Japanese business practices nor inordinately interested in Japanese culture, I found this book to provide fascinating insights into Japanese culture. The book is easily accessible for the non-MBA type and for those who are not intimately associated with the nuances of Japanese culture. Very interesting read and I would highly recommend it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timely, Informative and Intersting for Moguls and Non-Moguls, September 1, 2005
This timely and informative book blows a breath of fresh air into the dwindling Japanese business-related genre. Like many of its predecessors Clark and Kay recount horror story after horror story of backward and bizarre business tactics employed in Japan. Their focus is on the seemingly superior service industry, but anyone who knows more than a travel guide's fill of facts about Japan knows that polite customer focus of Japan's service industry is sometimes only skin deep. What separates Saying Yes to Japan from many of the books that precede it is that instead of leaving business-minded readers saddened and looking toward China or other parts of Asia for business opportunities, the writers give a long series of examples of how savvy foreign business people have turned around the seemingly unmovable Japanese service industry, and made a profit on top of it. The writers put a positive spin on what is often a frustrating system, and as a result readers get some ideas and inspiration in ways to fix some longstanding, yet inherently poor business and service practices. The myth of Japan's seemingly closed door to foreign upstarts is handily wiped away, and we see how, in many cases, it takes a non-Japanese eye to see that things can be changed in a positive way.
The book is cleverly divided into chapters focusing on certain sectors of the service industry, along with overview chapters. There are chapters on finance, real estate, information technology, and the health care industry. The book is written in a way that a serious business mogul can glean confidence and insights, and non-business savvy individual can still enjoy the David and Goliath stories. Often times the stories are not of Westerners initiating new and original ideas, but employing tried and true techniques and practices that simply aren't used in Japan.
An example of this is the recent introduction of the baiyaazu eijento or "buyer's agent" in a real estate purchase by American businessman, Jeff Donaldson. He was able to score below offer prices for foreign businesses looking to open Tokyo offices by representing them exclusively. Japan has always depended on "dual agency", where the agent negotiates for both the buyer and the seller. Since the agent knows the seller's maximum low price and the buyer's maximum high price, how can he work in the best interest of both parties? Dual agency is illegal in the U.S. as well as most of the rest of the world, but it reflects the Japanese government's practice of looking out for their financial supporters over the fair needs of the average consumer. Not only do the writers describe success stories, but also introduce issues still yet to be tackled. For example he compares the ratio of new to old home purchases in Japan and the U.S. Japanese purchase five new homes to every single used home bought. In the U.S. homebuyers purchase six used homes to every new home bought. The "scrap and build" mentality is maintained because, as a Japanese real estate broker simply states, "Politicians don't make money off the used home market," (p75). Used home purchases are taxed 16 times more than new home purchases to keep government supporting homebuilders busy. The writers conclude that some of these costs could be off set by taking advantage of the almost untapped home restoration and remodeling market.
The fascinating stories don't end in the real estate market. The writers open one chapter with an almost unbelievable account of the day in the technology life of a government worker from Tokyo's affluent Meguro ward. Although government workers can afford the latest computers in their homes, they are often forced to share outdated computers in the office. Regulations force government offices to buy computers only from approved, therefore overpriced outlets, when faster and cheaper machines are available everywhere. On top of that the writers dispel the myth of Japan's image of a techno-wonderland. Although they lead the world in consumer electronics, everything from cell phones to intelligent rice cookers, the Japanese have a lot to learn about business intelligence technology. The writers go into detail about the history of hardware manufacturing and how the software and it's applications were largely considered afterthoughts. The writers discuss the habits that led to the resistance to packaged software (what most of the world uses), as opposed to specially programmed software. The explanation is concise and clear and easy for someone without a business degree to understand.
Just as studying Japanese language without studying Japanese culture is largely impossible, Clark and Kay also remind us that doing business with Japanese partners also means doing business with the Japanese culture. We must remember to look at the luggage we bring with us, as no one is free from culture, business or otherwise. The book is written by Americans, and they admit they can only try to write from a unbiased viewpoint. The authors also wisely remind us to enjoy the cultural exchange with Japan as we work with Japanese partners and consumers.
Overall I found this to be a very fast and interesting read. Anyone who has lived in Japan for short time will find himself giving knowing nods again and again as stories remind him of shortcomings he thought only he had noticed. Saying Yes to Japan tells us that we don't have to shake our heads and say, "it's this way because it's Japan," even (in some cases, especially) foreigners can do something to help initiate changes locally and nationally. Even those not looking to do business in Japan can revel in the success stories of the Davids who did beat Goliath.
J. Thomas
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