What does it take to build a foreign brand in Japan and serve as the liaison between global headquarters and the realities of the Japanese market? Real Gaijin typically showcases foreigners living and working in Japan, as well as individuals working closely with Japan from outside the country. Occasionally, however, we introduce Japanese nationals with an international background who have a proven track record of helping non-Japanese people interested in Japan. Today’s guest, Tomomi Iwasaki (岩崎ともみ), is just such a person. Plus, she brings a wealth of knowledge about building a foreign brand in Japan and being the hashi-watashi (橋渡し・bridge connector) between cultures. Who is she? Tomomi is a Japan-based business leader who has nearly two decades of experience in B2B sales, e-commerce, consumer products, retail, marketing, and country management. She offers a unique perspective on doing business in Japan. Tomomi started her career in B2B technology sales, collaborating with Japanese corporate clients on significant technology projects. She then transitioned to e-commerce consulting, advising hundreds of Japanese online merchants on sales and promotional strategies. Tomomi then made the move to the brand side, where she managed sales, marketing, e-commerce, and retail operations for an international consumer brand in Japan. She has also been responsible for digital marketing, logistics, customer support, membership programs, technology, and offline retail channels. As a senior country manager today, Tomomi operates at the intersection of global strategy and local execution. She serves as a bridge between an international headquarters and the realities of the Japanese market. Tomomi graduated from Waseda University’s School of International Liberal Studies and also studied at the University of Calgary in Canada. She is fluent in both Japanese and English. Her diverse professional experience in the Japanese market provides Tomomi with a valuable perspective: she has sold to Japanese corporations, advised Japanese e-commerce merchants, sold directly to Japanese consumers, and managed an international business in Japan. Tomomi generously shares her knowledge on the Japan Behind the Scenes Substack. Written in English, it is filled with practical tips on how to live and work effectively in Japan, from articles such as “The Secret Rules of Japanese Business Golf” to “Why LinkedIn Doesn’t Work in Japan.” On the agenda We had an ambitious agenda, but the intention was to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn from Tomomi’s firsthand experience. We discussed practical ways for foreign companies to enter the Japanese market, ranging from selling on Amazon and Rakuten to establishing an omni-channel presence and navigating the risk-averse nature of the Japanese retail sector. Tomomi also explained why personal connections often matter more than cold outreach and how Japanese consumers differ in their expectations. She described what it is really like to serve as the local country manager, bridging the gap between a foreign headquarters and Japanese customers, retailers, distributors, and business culture. Key takeaways * Japan rewards patience, relationships, and a long-term approach: Tomomi’s overarching message is that foreign companies should not expect immediate results from the Japanese market. New retail channels often start with small orders and gradually expand as the product gains popularity and attracts the attention of other retailers. Once relationships are established, however, Tomomi describes Japan as capable of producing unusually steady business. Partners are invested in long-term relationships, and strong word-of-mouth helps successful companies grow. * Relationships matter more than cold outreach: One of the biggest challenges for outsiders is that the Western strategy of connecting with strangers on LinkedIn, for example, and reaching out to them directly does not translate well to Japan. Tomomi stresses the importance of networking and personal introductions, arguing that connections are fundamental to finding employees, distributors, customers, and other business partners. For an entrepreneur starting with no Japanese network, she recommends working inside a Japanese company to understand the culture and begin building relationships. * Localization goes far beyond translation: Tomomi divides localization into two layers. The first layer is technical and includes regulatory requirements, translation, barcodes, and other necessities of selling in Japan. The second, more difficult layer is cultural. It involves determining how the product should be positioned and explained to Japanese consumers while complying with global brand policies. As a country manager, she spends a lot of time negotiating between what the global headquarters wants and what she believes will work locally. This includes seemingly small decisions, such as product colors and positioning toward Japan’s male beauty market. * In Japan, physical retail matters, even when almost all sales are online: Tomomi’s current business generates roughly 99% of its sales online. Yet, she considers a retail presence to be strategically important because Japanese consumers value physical touchpoints, and retailers can lend credibility to unfamiliar brands. Retailers typically minimize their risk by starting with small orders and expanding only after products demonstrate demand. Physical stores therefore serve as places to build trust, learn directly from customers, gain visibility, and potentially generate wider exposure, not simply as sales channels. * Don’t try to understand Japan entirely from your desk: Tomomi repeatedly emphasizes the importance of direct, local learning. When she needed to understand an unfamiliar market, she hired an experienced professional for just two hours and “asked everything”—advice that she still follows because important information often cannot be found online. Likewise, working on the floor at Japanese retailers provides her with insights into customers that e-commerce analytics cannot offer. Her practical advice for newcomers is to first understand the structure of the market—who the customers, distributors, partners, and gatekeepers are—before trying to sell to it. Timeline Substack does not yet have the functionality to allow you to use a link to jump to a specific section like YouTube’s “chapters.” Please refer to the times listed below to navigate through our hour-long conversation. Thank you for your understanding. Links * Japan Behind the Scenes Substack: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomomi-iwasaki-519922160/ * Eight (business card exchange application): https://8card.net/en/ * Note (essentially, the Japanese version of Substack): https://note.com/ * YouTrust: https://youtrust.jp/lp Technical issue Tomomi’s connection was fine, but for some reason, perhaps due to inclement weather, my video connection was compromised. The audio came through clearly. Sorry for this technical issue. #TomomiIwasaki #JapanBehindTheScenes #WorkingInJapan #RealGaijin #リアル外人 ICYMI Please check this out! If you’ll be in Tokyo on Thursday evening, November 5, join Tim, Mark, and a small group of Japan-based Substack writers and readers for a meetup. Get your tickets before they sell out! If you found this post valuable, please click the ❤️ button and restack it. Restacking helps more than you’d think! Thanks! Thanks for reading Real Gaijin! This post is public so feel free to share it. Please note that you can subscribe to Real Gaijin for free. If you are so inclined, you can also purchase an annual subscription for a relatively small fee. However, I understand that even the lowest level of annual subscription allowed by Substack may seem too high for many. If you just want to buy a coffee for Real Gaijin (or maybe a green tea), you can also make a small donation here: https://buymeacoffee.com/realgaijin All levels of support - including just liking a particular article and/or leaving a comment - are very welcome. Thanks again for reading. 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