Explore Japan: The Rising Sun Tour
The GoaL
In September '23, we embarked on a week-long visit to Tokyo with 25 European business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs to gain insights into Japanese culture, explore their customer-centric approach, and understand entrepreneurship in the world's third-largest economy.
The Solution
nexxworks curated a comprehensive program that intertwined cultural immersion with insightful business discussions. We initiated by delving into the lifestyle, communication, and work ethic of the Japanese consumer. Subsequently, we explored Japan's perspectives on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. By the third day, we navigated the economic and investment facets of Japan, culminating in a deep dive into the vision and operations of Japanese corporations.
The program was moderated by CX enthusiast (and expert) Steven Van Belleghem and Erwin Janssen, CEO en Co-Founder Wunderman Thompson Benelux.
The Program
The experience that nexxworks built, focused on business topics, as well as experiencing the city of Tokyo from a food, architecture and shopping point of view.
Some of the highlights of the week:
- Jesper Koll calls himself the Japan Optimist and shared striking Japanese economy insights and why to be bullish on it.
- Tonari is a start-up on a mission to make remote work actually work. They develop life-size screens that literally bridge spaces far apart.
- Mercari is Japan’s first unicorn and a winner takes all company in the C2C platform business.
- The Okura Group explained what Omotenashi is and how you can scale it outside of Japan.
- GPSS shared its win-win business model for making Japan energy self-sufficient.
- We learned from Kengo Kuma’s office – named one of the most influential people in architecture according to Time Magazine.
- We experience a culinary rollercoaster showcasing the art of customer experience and quality.
The Impact
The Rising sun tour to Japan was an unforgettable experience that made our participants understand the business opportunity that Japan represents today. There is much to learn from how Japan failed to stay on a growth trajectory, as well as to understand how they are rebuilding their Day After Tomorrow.