Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-07-31
神対応 (Kami-Taiō) — Service Beyond Expectations In Japan, you may sometimes hear the expression 神対応 (kami-taiō) used to describe exceptionally good service or an outstanding response to a situation. ...
2026-07-31
My Company, Your Company: 弊社, 御社, and 貴社 One of the interesting features of Japanese business language is that there are different words for "company" depending on whose company you are referring t...
2026-07-30
Kamikaze (神風) How the Meaning of One Word Changed Through HistoryThe Japanese word kamikaze (神風) literally means "divine wind." Today, many people associate it with the suicide pilots of World War ...
2026-07-30
同情 (Dōjō)Sharing Another Person's Feelings The Japanese word 同情 (dōjō) is often translated as sympathy, but the translation does not fully capture its meaning. The first character, 同 (dō), means ...
2026-07-30
The Kimono Shop That Never Had a Sale Long before department stores existed, a kimono merchant in Edo quietly changed the way people shopped. In 1673, the Mitsui family opened Echigoya (越後屋), a kim...
2026-07-30
The Foreigner Who Taught the West to Love Japan When people think of those who introduced Japan to the Western world, one name stands above all others: Lafcadio Hearn（1850–1904） better known in Jap...
2026-07-29
虎視眈々 (Koshi Tantan) Watching Like a Tiger: The Wisdom of Patience and TimingIn today's fast-paced world, we're often told that success belongs to those who move first. Yet one of Japan's most endurin...
2026-07-29
The Danger of the "Diligent but Incompetent” Worker There is perhaps ”no greater corporate hazard than a stubborn, incompetent worker who is also highly industrious.” This concept, inspired by Kurt vo...
2026-07-29
Software Is Never Finished Building software is a lot like building a house or owning a car. The day construction is completed is not the end of the journey. A house requires regular maintenance an...
2026-07-29
Kijō no Kūron (机上の空論)The Real World Is the Final Judge One of my favorite Japanese expressions is kijō no kūron (机上の空論). Literally, it means "an empty theory on a desk." It describes an idea that a...