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Monday, November 11, 2013

Day 1 - Japan Lean Tour Fall 2013


The Japan Lean Tour Fall 2013 has officially started!


With almost 30 Blackbelts, we are so pleased to mention that this Japan Tour is the largest in Lean Sensei history.

The theme of the first day of the tour is "Culture".  Throughout our Lean learning today, cultural tidbits were presented to provide some more background to understanding Japan and it's heavily ingrained Lean mindset. Creating and fostering a Lean culture within your organization is a key element to the successful implementation of Lean. Japan has managed to instil values into its culture that fosters efficiency and a relentless focus on providing value to the customer.  Lean can be found anywhere in Japan - the button on your restaurant table to call the server is just one example of how Lean thinking has been integrated. 



The Blackbelts kicked off the day with a rousing chant in the lobby of the hotel – and nearly brought the chandeliers down with lots of energy and volume! The Blackbelts then had their first "taste" of Japan with our infamous Fear Factor game on the bus bound for a Nissan factory tour at the Nissan Oppama plant. 



What could it be? It's a mystery....













After Nissan, we stopped for a delicious buffet lunch (with a thumbs up from Lean Coach, Jake).


Our next stop was Asakusa temple for some sightseeing. As the tour is jam-packed with 6 factory tours in 4 days, this is the only time on the tour the Blackbelts have to experience this side of Japan.







After returning to the hotel, we had a traditional course meal at a Japanese restaurant. 













The energy is high and we are so thrilled to be able to share our knowledge of Japan and it's unique culture as it applies to Lean. We are off and running - stay tuned for Day 2! 

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