LSI in Japan!

Shibuya

Tsukiji fish market

We are in Japan to begin the Japan Lean Tour.  Japan is a country like no other in the world. It built its economic power through manufacturing over the past several decades, earning a reputation around the world as the “lean specialist.”


Even though many lean best practices can be found throughout North America, the truly “serious” lean practitioners still find that Japan is the only place that can showcase lean implementation in its purest form. This is partly because lean can be seen in everyday life in Japan, not just in production or engineering. People who travel to Japan are fascinated by the fact that even restaurants and gas stations utilize lean in a way North Americans have not imagined. It’s difficult to truly appreciate lean until you have seen and experienced Japan hands-on.

Lean Sensei International is proud to have taken a group of North American lean practitioners to Japan for the past several years. We have taken more than 500 people to Japan.The program is intentionally designed to provide both educational and cultural exposure to Japan through various plant tours and historical sites. Tours have been arranged with such big hitters as Toyota and its suppliers, but also with smaller players that can showcase different levels of lean implementation.

David Chao, who was born and raised in Japan and therefore is fluently bilingual, will accompany the group and provide cultural and lean insights throughout the trip based on his 20-year lean experience Just about everything is taken care of while you are there and two bilingual specialists will accompany the group for the duration of the trip.  On this trip, we also have Joey Higuchi and Bob Low in this group.

Japan Lean Tour is part of Lean Sensei International’s “Lean Executive Program.” and also a standard module in our blackbelt program.