Commentary / Japan Sep 11, 2018
'Omotenashi' underlies Japan's low economic productivity
by Xiaochen Su
An idiosyncrasy unique to corporate Japan prevents the reduction of unessential workers to improve productivity.
NEWSWORTHY
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Feb 3, 2018
Has Christel Takigawa cursed Japan with her 2020 Olympics omotenashi pitch?
by Mark Schreiber
"One thing made clear from (our) survey is that the wholehearted looking after guests is not necessarily appreciated." — From "The lie of omotenashi," cover story, Nikkei Business magazine In its 18-page cover story on Jan. 22, Nikkei Business magazine sent reporters to interview bosses at ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Dec 16, 2017
Why do some old men age disgracefully?
by Philip Brasor
It's a universal belief that life is unfair, though there are many ways in which people manifest this belief. Some withdraw from the world, while others engage with it in an attempt to correct imbalances. Sometimes this engagement takes the form of anger. The grumpy ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Apr 1, 2017
What, if anything, makes Japan unique?
by Philip Brasor
In February, American comedian Atsugiri Jason remarked on a Fuji TV talk show that one of the "demerits" of being a foreign TV personality in Japan is that he can't publicly say he thinks those aspects of Japanese culture which Japanese people believe are ...
National Jan 28, 2016
Police told to brush up their hospitality skills amid surge in foreign visitors
Police are joining nationwide efforts to brush up on their omotenashi (hospitality) as the country experiences a surge in overseas visitors and prepares for the 2020 Games.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Oct 10, 2015
'Omotenashi' comes up short on humility
by Philip Brasor
A Japanese friend who used to travel a lot for work told me of a funny thing that once happened to her in a Tokyo hotel. She was checking in when a bellhop came up and, without saying anything, picked up her bag. She ...
Business Jul 15, 2015
Is hospitality sapping productivity in Japan?
by Maiko Takahashi
Customers are gods, as a saying goes in Japan, where staffers press buttons for shoppers in department store elevators and hotel porters line up to bow to guests. While Japan is revered for this hospitality, or omotenashi, all that bowing and scraping may be sapping ...
Business / Corporate Jul 9, 2015
Japan firms face hurdles as 'service' culture taken overseas
by Yuzuha Oka
At Uniqlo stores worldwide, staff greet every customer with "Welcome to Uniqlo!" They briskly walk around on a clean, white sales floor, refolding and restacking clothes, rarely talking to customers or each other unless approached. It's a Japanese style of customer service based on a strict ...
National Jun 22, 2015
Omotenashi promo video of quick shinkansen cleanup goes viral
by Magdalena Osumi
A short video depicting the cleaning of Japan's famous bullet trains has become an online hit, garnering more than 2.6 million views on YouTube as of Monday. As a way to promote Tokyo and omotenashi — Japanese hospitality — to the world ahead of the ...
Environment | OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK Feb 28, 2015
Omotenashi — Japanese hospitality?
by C.W. Nicol
As the Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee's appointed "Cool Tokyo" ambassador, multilingual television journalist Christel Takigawa set media buzzing worldwide with her Sept. 7, 2013, speech to the International Olympic Committee in Buenos Aires in which she made great play of the word "motenashi" by ...
National Dec 25, 2014
Now boastful Japan not really in tune with what visitors want, foreign expert warns
by Shusuke Murai
Japan's self-professed "omotenashi" (spirit of selfless hospitality) is often misinterpreted to force predetermined services on foreign visitors, says one longtime observer. Cultural services expert David Atkinson, 49, says the nation's confidence in what it offers the world is misplaced: Many foreigners who visit leave unfulfilled. Atkinson ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Oct 4, 2014
Tourists may not warm to Japan's welcome
by Philip Brasor
A former colleague of mine always made it a point to tell people coming to Japan for a visit to bring lots of handkerchiefs because the public restrooms didn't have towel dispensers. I always took a more positive view and emphasized that public restrooms ...