Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-06-12
Yebisu Shrine: Nishinomiya Jinja – The God of Business Success When people think of Japanese shrines, they often think of places to pray for health, safety, or good fortune. But for business owners...
2026-06-11
A Frog in a Well Knows Nothing of the Ocean One of my favorite Japanese sayings is: "A frog in a well knows nothing of the ocean."(I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu – 井の中の蛙大海を知らず) The image...
2026-06-11
Japan's Lost 30 Years: How Did It Start? Many people trace the beginning of Japan's "Lost 30 Years" back to the Plaza Accord of 1985. At the time, Japan's economy was booming, driven by exports of au...
2026-06-11
Melon Pan: A Japanese Bread with a Curious Name One of my favorite treats to pick up in Japan is Melon Pan. If you have never seen one before, it looks like a sweet bun with a crisp, cookie-like crus...
2026-06-10
One Japanese Phrase, Two Opposite Meanings One of the fascinating things about the Japanese language is how much meaning depends on context. A perfect example is the expression: 「人の嫌がることを進んでする」(H...
2026-06-10
Trust and Contracts People often describe Japan as a “trust-based society” while they see the U.S. as a “contract-based society.” When people hear this, sometimes they assume it means Japanese people ...
2026-06-09
Japan's Industrial Power on Display On my way from Kansai International Airport to Osaka, I was struck by the sight of the Sakai-Senboku Coastal Industrial Zone. Massive storage tanks, refineries, po...
2026-06-09
My Arrival at Kansai International Airport I arrived at Kansai International Airport (KIX) yesterday and was reminded why I enjoy flying into this airport. KIX is one of Japan's major international g...
2026-06-08
We were saddened to hear about the powerful earthquake that struck the Philippines. On behalf of PSPINC and myself, I would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected. We hope for...
2026-06-08
Hiding Your Head, But Not Your Tail One of my favorite Japanese sayings is “Atama Kakushite Shiri Kakusazu” (頭隠して尻隠さず), which literally means “Hiding your head, but not your tail.” The expression...