Having spent three weeks in Tokyo and having just returned, I cannot help but make comparisons between countries. The one thing that stood out most is the level of quality in Japan. It’s in a completely different league. From the freshness of ingredients to the precision of preparation and presentation, quality is in everything that the Japanese do.
A couple months ago during my final semester at BU, I took a course called Six Sigma, which was devoted entirely to quality in management. So much of what we learned came from Japan. My professors, class after class, almost religiously sang the praises of the Japanese - companies like Toyota and Motorola, gurus like Ishikawa and Taguchi.
As I listened during those lectures, I really didn’t think much about what I was hearing and casually accepted what was being said as truth. Yet, having visited Japan now and seen it all with my own very eyes, everything I read and heard about Japanese quality rings so loudly now.
Like it or not, we base our perceptions of things on what we are familiar with. I’m embarrassed to admit that I naively used to associate Japan merely with reliable electronics and affordable but well-built cars. Yet, there are so many examples of quality in everyday Japanese life that extend way beyond just automotive engineering.
Take, for instance, the Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train which runs so efficiently that only 30 seconds are provided for passengers to board the train so that the arrival times can be strictly met.
Or consider the streets and passageways of Tokyo, which are kept spotless despite the hoards of people who travel them daily.
Or consider Meidi-ya and Isetan, Japanese grocers whose cashiers will carefully wrap each individual item during checkout.
In Japan you will find world-class customer service, a level so high and so prevalent that is unheard of in the States. Wherever I went, from the upscale restaurants to the local sushi joint, from the large national retailers to the small neighborhood store, I was utterly amazed by how polite, kind, and helpful people were – regardless of whether I spent money at their store or not.
I believe it all stems from the Japanese culture, the way the Japanese think, and the way in which the Japanese are raised. They take pride in what they do, whether it’s serving exquisite chateau brion worth 7,000 yen or a simple o-bento worth 700 yen. They respect the environment, they respect themselves, they respect each other. And I leave Japan with the utmost admiration and respect for Japanese quality.
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