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Itâs hard to believe that itâs been two years since my last trip to Japan, and just over seven years since my family moved to Tokyo for a life-changing 18-month experience.
The pandemic has brought many changes into the world, and into our lives, and one of these that has been the most challenging has been the ability to travel.
Iâm missing Japan deeply.
However, in this post I want to focus on the good and celebrate with a look back on seven years of learning in Japan — which Iâve shared with you here since early 2015 when I moved to Japan.
In this post, Iâve created a roundup of many of my Japan-related articles and some reflections and insights learned along the way.
Celebrating the publication of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn in Japanese!
The Japanese title of the book â ăăšăżăźăȘăŒăăŒă·ăăăŹăăčăłÂ â directly translates to âToyotaâs Leadership Lessonsâ, which I find fitting as it harkens back to the title of the series of blog posts of my early conversations with Mr. Yoshino (see below for links).
Iâm thrilled for Mr. Yoshino to be able to share these stories and the book with more of his colleagues and his mentors from Toyota, and for his wisdom to be accessible to a wider audience in his home country.
He went to two of his local bookstores earlier this week and sent me a photo of his holding up the book. I wish I could be there to celebrate this exciting occasion with him in person, but seeing his smile holding up our book brings me joy!
This week also marks the lunar new year (February 1) and my favorite festival in Japan (Setsubun on February 3rd) – which I created a video about last year â and itâs also the week of my birthday. So lots to celebrate!
Join Me and Mr. Yoshino in Our Chain of Learning in February and March!
Even though Mr Yoshino and I canât be in Japan together, we have planned several ways to collaborate in the coming months, and help you on your leadership journey.
Does your behavior align with your desire to fill your organization with problem-solvers?
Are you learning both from those who develop you and through your process of developing others?
Are you increasing your impact and effectiveness, and that of your people, so that you can ultimately achieve your goals, and create greater value for your clients and customers?
That is your purpose as a leader.
Whether you are a seasoned leader or lean practitioner, or you are new to management or continuous improvement, come to this workshop to be inspired by the stories and wisdom of 40-year Toyota leader Isao Yoshino and insights from yours truly.
Walk away with tangible practices you can take immediately to strengthen your Chain of Learning.
Intentional leadership and coaching is one of the most powerful ways to nurture transformation and discovery in your people, as they learn, grow, develop and succeed, while your business achieves significant results.
I developed the Leading to Learn Accelerator as a structured learning program designed to help you accelerate your skills and step into the leader you want to be. When you join the Accelerator you get access to live group learning sessions with me and Isao Yoshino, and a community discussion platform with your learning cohort.
If either of these interest you, Iâd love to see you there!
Looking back: My last visit to Japan two years agoâŠ
A clear view of Mt. Fuji during a day trip to visit a retired Mitsubishi leader I became friends with while living in Japan.
On my two-week trip to Japan at the beginning of 2020 (the highlights of which I wrote about here), we were just starting to hear about the spread of the coronavirus.
I was in Japan for three reasons:
to put the finishing touches on my two nearly sold-out executive Japan Study Trips trips in May and October that year,
to meet with my friend and mentor Isao Yoshino to take a photo to grace the cover of our forthcoming book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, and
to catch up with friends and colleagues that Iâd cultivated relationships with in the preceding five years.
And, of course, to soak up the amazing culture and eat delicious food!
I thought that that January 2020 trip was going to be the first of at least two more visits to Japan that year, and that Mr. Yoshino and I would also see each other in Europe and North America on our planning book launch tour.
My Japan Study Trip partner Mami-san and I made our own darumas, filling in the eye for a successful May 2020 trip. “Fall down seven times, get up eight” – my daruma awaits his eye to be filled in!
The world had other plans, and those trips didnât happen.
When the pandemic hit most of us thought that by 2021 things, of course, would be back to normal (or if not ânormalâ at least more open to travel and the virus under control).
Alas, as we all know, 2021 did not pan out that way.
Fast forward to todayâŠ.
Japanâs borders have remained fairly closed to travelers now for nearly two years, and Iâve had to cancel even more scheduled dates for Japan Study Trips for 2021 and Spring 2022.
I remain hopeful that borders open and we can go in October as planned, but with each passing week, a 2022 trip is seeming less and less likely.
(If you want to go to Japan with me, go here for more information and reach out to me to secure your spot for a future trip).
Japan Article Roundup
So, even though we cannot travel to Japan right now, I wanted to take you on a trip there through the words in this article and highlight seven years of learning, insights, and culture, especially for those of you who are new to my community and who perhaps havenât had the chance to explore Japan yourself or through my work.
Here are some more of my articles that Iâve written over the past 7 years â including many from when I was living there in 2015 and 2016.
Practicing Souji – A Cleaning Ritual
Middle school students cleaning their classrooms. Keeping the school clean is the responsibility of the entire school community – including students and teaching staff.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I recorded a video and wrote this article about the idea of practicing Souji – a daily cleaning ritual inspired by Japanese schools.
Japanese schools do not have cleaning staff â it is the collective responsibility of the children and teachers to keep the school clean. They donât just tidy up, either. They use rags, brooms and mops to clean their classrooms and other other public areas.
While a daily practice hasnât stuck in our family, it got us through the early days of lockdown!
Cultural Observations from Living in Japan
Anytime you visit another country, youâre going to be struck by the differences in culture. I loved living in Japan because I learned so much about the way different people work, live and engage with each other.
I wrote many articles about my observations: both the challenges and the delights. Here are a few of my favorites:
Rules are not made to be broken – one of my very first experiences in Japan that highlighted to me many cultural difference, as experienced in our local gelato shop Shinkansen bullet train arrives at Nagoya station.
The idea of going to gemba (the place work happens) is infused throughout my writings and my work.
Visiting companies in Japan was a critical part of my learning experience when I lived in Japan, and Iâve continued to cultivate relationships with Japanese leaders and companies over the past seven years to enrich not only my own learning, but also offer them as direct gemba experiences on my Japan Study Trips.
You can see all posts from experiences visiting companies in Japan (and a few elsewhere) here.
A group learning about 5S in Ashikaga. Photo credit: Toshiko Kawanami
A few highlights from the first tour I led in Japan
I led my first study tour – a one day excursion from Tokyo – in May 2016 while still living in Japan, to a town and a fabulous company that is that are cornerstone of my Japan Study Trips: Ashikaga and Ogura Metal.
There are many more â plus check out highlights from my Japan Study Trips below too!
Reflections on âLeanâ and Continuous Improvement Practices in Japan
“Ii ne!!!!” Thumbs up for Teppen’s inspirational and energizing start-up meeting (chorei).
As a continuous improvement practitioner and leader, I went to Japan with an open mind and a desire to learn about the roots of the Toyota Production System and what we now call âleanâ.
Here are a few of the articles published both on my website, as well as on LEIâs The Lean Post and on Planet Lean, and links to some podcasts where I discuss these observations.
âToyota Leadership Lessonsâ series with Isao Yoshino
When I first met with Mr. Yoshino in Japan, in April 2014, I started a series of articles called âToyota Leadership Lessonsâ. These 11 articles are the basis of my book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, and they highlight some of the extraordinary lessons I took away from our discussions and the collaborative work I was doing with Mr Yoshino at the time.
Where it all started — my first visit with Mr. Yoshino in Japan (April 2015). Outside of Nagoya Train Station with my husband John too. We thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime get together…..and turned into an amazing 7+ year partership!
Japan Study Trip Participants with their “graduation darumas” in May 2019
Being able to curate and offer an unparalleled learning experience for leaders around the world â of culture, gemba visits, and discussions with Japanese leaders such as Isao Yoshino, Ritsuo Shingo, Noriko Ogura â is a delightful outcome of my rich years of experience and connections developed in Japan since 2015.
Of course, my study trips have played a huge part in my business and my life. I always write about each trip once theyâve happened and reflect on different learnings and moments.
Wearing yukata to our celebration dinner and karaoke!
I cannot wait until the borders to Japan open more freely and Iâm able to run the Japan Study Trips again. Currently we are targeting October 2022 (see here for more details).
If youâd like to secure an early bird price and pay your deposit, reach out to me to discuss! If the trip is not able to run, your deposit will be applied to a future trip.
And, finally, Setsubun, my favorite Japanese holiday
I love Setsubun.. It happens the day before my birthday and is the Japanese celebration to usher in the first new season of the year.
When I was there in 2020, I purposefully organized my departure date so that I would be in Tokyo during the festivities.
The idea of setsubun is that you welcome in the good luck and you ward off the evil spirits.
Letâs all focus on that this year – two years into the pandemic weâre all definitely in need of that (Iâll be throwing beans at my family this week!)
Even though I canât be in Japan, and neither can you, I wanted to revisit it with you this week. I hope youâve enjoyed this walk down memory lane and have been transported virtually to Japan.
Join Me and Mr. Yoshino to Expand Your Chain of Learning
If youâre interested in developing your purpose as a leader, and aligning your actions and habits with people centered leadership, join Mr. Yoshino’s and my upcoming 90-minute workshop: Expand Your Chain of Learning: A Leaderâs Role in Developing People the Toyota Way With Isao Yoshino and Katie Anderson. Learn more and register here.
And if learning in a community of like-minded people sounds like something that would excite and challenge you, join the next Leading to Learn Accelerator cohort, which kicks off in March.
I guarantee that it will be one of the most transformational experiences of your life, in which youâll explore how to discover your people, and support them as they learn, grow, develop and succeed.
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