Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-08-12
The Company Built by a Small Samurai House in Tosa In 1835, Yataro Iwasaki（岩崎彌太郎）was born in rural Tosa, present-day Kochi Prefecture. His family had once belonged to the samurai class, but his g...
2026-08-12
Why Don’t You Start Your Own Business? "I’d like to run my own company someday." I think quite a few people have probably thought this at one point or another. So why don't they actually do it? "...
2026-08-12
Why Don’t You Start Your Own Business? "I’d like to run my own company someday." I think quite a few people have probably thought this at one point or another. So why don't they actually do it? "I'm...
2026-08-12
The Japanese word for “word” is 言葉 (kotoba). Look at the kanji and you may notice something interesting: 言 = words / speech葉 = leaf So why does a “word” have a leaf in it? An old and beautifu...
2026-08-12
After World War II, “Made in Japan” was often associated with cheap, mass-produced goods. Japan changed that image by making a strategic decision: compete with quality, not quantity. Japan has li...
2026-08-12
○ Means Yes, × Means No In Japan, a simple circle and cross can mean more than you might expect. The symbol ○ (maru) generally means correct, good, OK, or yes, while × (batsu) means incorrect, bad,...
2026-08-11
Coffee Meetup at PSPINC Bellevue We had a great Coffee Meetup this morning at the PSPINC Bellevue headquarters. It was wonderful to see everyone who stopped by, enjoyed some coffee, met new people,...
2026-08-11
From Used Clothing to a Japanese Retail Giant In 1831, Shinshichi Iida opened a small shop in Kyoto selling used clothing and cotton goods. He named it Takashimaya (髙島屋) after his father-in-law’s hom...
2026-08-11
Behave as If You Are Being Watched 壁に耳あり、障子に目あり — Kabe ni mimi ari, shōji ni me ari There is an old Japanese saying: 壁に耳あり、障子に目あり“Walls have ears, and shoji screens have eyes.” Traditionally,...
2026-08-11
How long do you stay in the hospital after having a baby? I always thought that after a normal, uncomplicated birth in the United States, mothers stayed one to three nights. So I decided to fact-ch...