Japan Made in Dedication for Life

My father came to US in 1957, and saw the Russians going to space on American TV at his host's house. He used to tell me that Americans did not believe the news first, because American should have been there, but not Russians, and they believed that it can not happen. It happened. Miracles do exist. It was long time before, I was borne.

When I was a kid, I remember my father bought a radio to our family: National Panasonic Radio multiple band. People from village used to gather at our house and listen to the radio. I saw the phrase: Made in Japan, for the first time behind that radio on the panel. Japanese were not regular travellers to my country as they are now the first international travellers after Indian people. As I grew up, the Made in Japan became a household word in Nepal. Everything you buy, it should have Made in Japan. Clothes to Electronic equipments to cars. I remember when I was in UOR (now, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee) as a civil engineering undergraduate student, I had choice to buy a book: Computer Graphics by Newmann, with two editions: one printed in Japan, and the other printed in Singapore. I paid extra bucks to have a book printed in Japan, the book store provoked me to buy the book printed in Japan, because it has good quality paper and good quality printing. I think now that that I was obsessed with Made in Japan. Me and friends of mine, went to Saharanpur near Dehradun to buy Made in Japan car stereo to listen to the music in our hostel rooms. We spend days to find a store that could sell us Made in Japan car stereo. I bought Toshiba's, while my friends bouth Sony, and Panasonic, because the shop keeper did not have the several pieces of the same item (I guess that I was the reason we bought different brands). He opened the stereo's cover and showed us the Made in Japan. Anyway, it worked for 3 years, and finally, we sold it again in reasonable price. At that time, when we crossed national border to India, Indian Police used to follow us, our innocent countrymen asking for lucrative money because we had Made in Japan watches. It was a random. It was so crazy at that time that Bollywood movie star Rishi Kapoor in one movie returns from London with stereo, and claims that it is Made in Japan. At that time, India was not open like today, it was on USSR's side, and anti-American sentiment was dominant among public. It is understandable from Indian citizen's side, because USSR helped them in Army when it required to fight against US Backed Pakistan. Suddenly, USSR was erased from Map of the world, and several new names popped on the world Map, then India Changed, and Japanese items flooded Indian Market.

As I moved to AIT, Bangkok for my Masters degree, I could see the Made in Japan craze in Thailand too. In one instant, a shop keeper was defending one National Iron over another: one is duplicate and the other is actually Made in Japan, eventhough both had Made in Japan marks. I am not sure which one I bought, but I guess I bought the cheaper one because I knew that I had leave it in Thailand because I had to leave Thailand very soon. Everytime I went to buy some Japanese Branded item in Thailand, I used to confront the shopkeeper "This is duplicate made in Japan, and this is real Made in Japan", and I guess that he was trying to fool me. Made in China started to float, but it was not a big threat to Made in Japan items. In fact, it was worth buying made in Japan, because people recognized it, and it has lasting quality. So, Made in Japan was my favorite phrase to search in any item that I wanted to buy for me or my family as a gift.

Finally, I got a chance to study in Japan. Hey, my genes were certainly made in somewhere else but not in Japan, but I am now a Doctor made in Japan. I got a chance to see why things Made in Japan are so good in Quality? Why so slim, and beautiful?

Let me identify a few reasons based on my personal observations.

1. Japan is a slim country. Hey, slim country and slim stuffs? What is the relation between them? Indeed, they have a great correlation. Japan's population is about 40% of US, while usable land area is significantly low. Thus, the house I am living currently in USA is a house that a millionaire in Japan might not dream in big cities. So, Japanese have to adjust in a small room (cynic people use word: confine, but I will call it a challenge). So, every item you buy look for slim, and tall. Book shelves to cloth rack, to baath room. Have you ever noticed that Japanese people when they talk they don't swing their hand, they know that the space around them is not that wide. One thing is great in Japan, spaces in offices are wider than their living room. So, work palce is really great, and offers them to stay long, think wisely, and discuss with colleagues after 5 pm. Other parts, I might write in different blog topic, later.

2. "I belong to company, company belong to me motto." A young engineer when joins a company, he hardly competes with his seniors. He follows them like young siblings follow elder brother. They trust each other. The young need to learn the trade secrets of the company. First year, he learns, he hardly used his professional skills that he learned in university. The following year, he leads a new batch of employees and teach them what he learned in the previous year, and simultaneously he takes some extra responsibility. Thus, he is given more responsibilities. He slowly learns and assimilates himself in the Dango-san-kyo-dai group. So, company gives him enough time to be productive, and he thinks that company belongs to me. I should contribute myself to the company, and company will offer me lifetime job. That is why, Tokyo University Professor of a friend of mine, told to me that he does not return home by 6 pm, because his wife does not like him, and therefore, he hangs around bar. Wives also expect husbands to work honestly for company, dedicate more time on behalf of company. In 1990, a friend of mine said that he got 9 months bonus in one year. Some people whom I knew, told me that they used to work until 12 mid-night, and sometime 1 am. The reason is perfection. Keep your company's brand up. Don't quit or shift workplace. Shifting workplace, means sucidal, and you will be hardly accepted by another company. To sell themselves using the same brand, they needed to be perfect and competitive.

3. Pencil - erasor culture. You go to city office, and fill out any form, if you make a mistake or double writing, your form will be rejected. It happens in Police office (car registration or license application), you can not make a single mistake in spelling in name or address, and if you do so, you have to buy several times the same form. They want perfection. So what? Use pencil on first copy, then overwrite using ballpen. It is so crazy, is not it? Once I used to take my kids to a British who converted to Buddhist Monk to teach them English. He was sometime to much furious on the way my kids used pencil and erasors turning his living room into mess of rubber dust, and used to come out and pour his dissatisfaction. Because of erasor and pencil culture, he told to me that the kids don't have confidence. Well, I used to explain him that they are trying to be perfect. He told to me that in Britain he was told to use ink pen right from elementary school because to develop his confidence, and when you want to write, write with confidence, and you won't have time to make correction. Well, that is true. So, it is a Confidence vs Perfection war? I liked both ideas. This can be attributed to the perfection model in Japan, and it is everywhere, and that is why Japanese products are perfect, because they have to be perfect everywhere.

4. Tips vs no-tips. In Japan, you don't have to pay tips to any service provider. Not at all. They believe in Salary, so tips is not required. They believe in retention of guests. Because they feel that company belong to them, they try to work hard to keep their company on top, so that high standard service is always maintained. They do not differentiate because of the outlook of customer (as long as you are a Japanese customer: non-Japanese --other than American and West Europeans-- might get different treats) who might give you more tips, and the service quality varies accordingly.

5. "You help me, I will help you" concept. Its Dango culture. They are very patriotic. They want every Japanese to be successful. Network is dominant in biz. If you belong to Tokyo University graduate, your alumni are ready to help you at any cost. Same with other universities. It is very hard for you to penetrate in another's network, and even if you enter there, you won't stay long. It is my network, just the way it is my company, is very powerful. So, they help each other to bring successes, and this also requires trust. In 1970, when US Companies wanted to enter into Japanese construction industry, the Japanese companies had a syndication. They gave American Construciton company 30% of the project cost in advance, as they do with Japanese companies, but the american companies left the project or sold the project to another company as they do in US Mortagauge biz (one bank sells to others once they provide you a loan). But, it made a news headline, and people got the feeling that American companies are only interested in Money, and they wont provide quality workmanship to compete with Japanese companies. Finally, majority of american companies were said to be in Black list or equivalent to it (Based on a friend of mine, who did research on construction management, and his Professor at AIT, Bangkok told him in the class room: how did Japanese company succeeded controling construction industry in Japan, and avoided competition with forieng companies). The same idea applies to other industries. You give 30% advance money to any American company, the company will sell the project to a third company which can hardly do the job, and leaves Japan because of the profit without doing a fraction of the work. So, an American company did not worry about reputation, but only worried about money, while Japanese companies worry about fellow competitors reputation too, because in large projects they make conglomerate and work together. So, they are all siblings indeed. Network matters to them.

6. Zero natural resource and only resource available is human resource. So, to compete in the world of 6 billion people, they needed perfection. The same idea was copied in Korea, and after second world war, Korea gave more emphasis on female education, as in Japan. Japanese woman did not work in factory or office, but they took care of kids as an educated mom, and that allowed fathers to focus on their workplace. Thus, they build their brand: Made in Japan. A legendry brand that world wants carry, and world is proud to have. Other reasons will be written later.