Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-04-23
Sourdough in the Morning This morning, I brought freshly baked sourdough bread to the office. Nothing fancy. Just a loaf from Panera Bread. I used to hate sourdough. The sour taste didn’t sit rig...
2026-04-22
Ringi: A Decision-Making System That Shares Successes and Failures In many Japanese companies, a single manager in a meeting doesn’t make important decisions unilaterally. Instead, they often rely on ...
2026-04-22
You Cannot Find the Word “Gaman” （我慢）in English There are many Japanese words that don’t translate cleanly into English, but Gaman is one of the most interesting. If you try to translate it, you ...
2026-04-21
I have booked my flights for my business trip to Japan in June. I will depart on Monday, June 8, and arrive at Kansai International Airport at 4:25 PM on June 9 via Vancouver. After spending some t...
2026-04-20
Comparing Yesterday’s Earthquake to the Tohoku Disaster Yesterday’s earthquake in Japan, reported around magnitude 7.7, was strong enough to get everyone’s attention. It shook buildings, triggered ...
2026-04-20
Public support for Sanae Takaichi is still relatively strong—but it is clearly softening. The latest polling shows approval around 53%, down from earlier levels. That kind of shift doesn’t happen w...
2026-04-20
Major Earthquake Off Northern Japan — Stay Alert A major 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the northern coast of Japan today, April 20, 2026, at approximately 4:53 p.m. local time. The epicenter ...
2026-04-20
This morning at Costco, I noticed something simple but important. The same items, the same prices—but a different total at checkout. Why? Location. Moving from King County to unincorporated Snohomish ...
2026-04-19
The Company That Disappeared—But Never Really Died There was once a company in Japan called Suzuki Shoten. Most people have never heard of it. But at one point, it was one of the most powerful trad...
2026-04-18
“Talking down” vs “Talking up” — A simple guide for tone in Japanese communication In Japanese, people often describe tone as上から目線 (talking down) and 下から目線 (humble tone). First, what does 目線 (mes...