Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-07-27
The Young Man Who Became the First to Sail the Pacific Alone In 1962, a 23-year-old Japanese auto parts salesman set out to accomplish something no one had ever done before. His name was Kenichi Ho...
2026-07-27
Songiri (損切り): The Courage to Cut Your Losses One of the most difficult decisions in business—and in life—is knowing when to stop. In Japan, the concept of songiri (損切り) means "cutting your losse...
2026-07-27
Kikubari (気配り): More Than Being Considerate There is a uniquely Japanese way of showing respect that is rarely noticed but deeply appreciated: kikubari (気配り). Although often translated as "consider...
2026-07-27
Mono no Aware (物の哀れ): The Beauty of Impermanence One of the most profound ideas in Japanese culture is mono no aware (物の哀れ). It is often translated as "the pathos of things," but that translation m...
2026-07-26
How the Toyota Land Cruiser Was Born Many people believe the Toyota Land Cruiser was inspired by the British Land Rover. In fact, its story began years earlier—with an American Jeep found on the ba...
2026-07-26
Knowing When to Leave: The Japanese Idea of Hikigiwa (引き際) One of the most admired qualities in Japanese culture is knowing your hikigiwa (引き際). The word literally means "the moment to step away" or ...
2026-07-26
Shitsuke (躾): The Beauty of Character Among the many Japanese words that have no perfect English equivalent, shitsuke (躾) is one of the most important. It is often translated as "discipline" or "up...
2026-07-26
When Being a "Fool" Is a Compliment In English, calling someone a fool or an idiot is almost always an insult. In Japanese, however, the word baka (馬鹿) can sometimes mean something surprisingly pos...
2026-07-25
Learn from History, Not Just Your Own Mistakes One of the best-known sayings in Japan is: "愚者は経験に学び、賢者は歴史に学ぶ"(Gusha wa keiken ni manabi, kensha wa rekishi ni manabu.) It is commonly translated ...
2026-07-25
The Power Behind the Scenes – 縁の下の力持ち (En no Shita no Chikaramochi) Every successful person, company, or project has someone working behind the scenes. In Japanese, that person is called en no shita ...