Not a research report. Not a translation service. A human perspective, shaped by 30 years of living between two cultures — and a daily ritual of Japanese television and newspapers that no algorithm can replicate.
Meet your insider
I've lived in the UK for 30 years. I was born and raised in Japan. Every morning, I watch Japanese television. Every day, I read the Nikkei Newspeper and a handful of specialist trade publications — in Japanese.
That's not a workflow. It's a way of life. And it's what makes the intelligence I offer fundamentally different from anything you'll get from a London agency or a Tokyo research house.
The Japan that makes the news is rarely the Japan that matters to your business. I cover the quiet shifts — in taste, in retail, in conversation — before they surface in English language sources.
From late-night variety shows to Sunday morning editorials, I track the cultural signals that shape consumer behaviour months before they trend globally.
Board announcements, trade press, industry gossip — I read it all in the original. You get the nuance, not just the headline translation.
Numbers tell you what happened. Atmosphere tells you why. I provide the cultural layer that explains why a Japanese audience reacts the way it does.
Every morning starts the same way: NHK World, then the Nikkei Financial Newspaper, then a rotation of specialist titles depending on what's current. This isn't research — it's immersion. It's how I stay genuinely inside the culture rather than reporting on it from the outside.
When you work with a large consultancy, your Japan brief gets assigned to whoever is available. When you work with me, you get someone who was watching Japanese television this morning before writing this sentence.
Every engagement is shaped around your question, not a standard package. These are the forms it most often takes.
Deep-dive documents covering emerging themes in Japanese consumer culture, retail, technology, or society. Written for a Western business audience, grounded in Japanese primary sources.
Planning to enter Japan — or deepen your presence? I provide the cultural intelligence that strategy decks miss: what resonates, what offends, what signals quality to a Japanese buyer.
A monthly relationship: curated briefings, on-call questions answered, and a standing call to discuss what's shifting. Designed for brands serious about Japan for the long term.
In-person or virtual presentations for marketing teams, trade events, or board sessions. I make Japan feel real, specific, and immediately applicable — not academic.
Whether you have a specific question or a vague sense you need to understand the market better — that's exactly where I start.
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