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Dear email,
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Konnichiwa, Nihon e yōkoso! That means “Hello, and welcome to Japan” – and that’s what we’d like to do here, welcome you to Business Spotlight’s Japan-themed newsletter, to celebrate the release of our special issue. Nihon, the Japanese word for Japan, means “origin of the sun.” What a wonderful image, an inspired way to perceive one’s own country, as the land of the rising sun, and applying this imagery to its flag. In the new issue of Business Spotlight, you can read about the future of the nation’s economy, and Japan’s success in exporting pop culture and fashion to the world. You can also read an exclusive Business Spotlight interview with Tokyo’s trailblazing governor, Yuriko Koike. She is the first woman elected to that position, and she talks to us about climate change, empowering women in the workforce, and her strategy for making Tokyo a global partner in sustainable solutions. And, below, you can read about a game-changing billionaire, a day in the professional life of a geisha and more.
Enjoy your journey!
Later this week, my colleague Inez Sharp will be back with some more entertaining stories for you.
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Judith Gilbert
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Editor-in-chief, Business Spotlight
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issue: Ausgabe | perceive sth.: etw. wahrnehmen | apply sth. to sth.: etw. auf etw. anwenden | trailblazing: bahnbrechend | empower sb.: jmdn. stärken | sustainable: nachhaltig | billionaire: Milliardär(in)
Note: Judith's editorial is written in US English.
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Business Spotlight im Vorteilspaket
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Sie lesen 2 Print-Ausgaben Business Spotlight zum Vorteilspreis von 11,70 €. Die aktuelle Ausgabe „Japan Special“ erhalten Sie gratis dazu!
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Word of the Week
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shokuiku
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Did you know...? This means “food education”, rules that ensure Japanese children learn about nutrition and eat healthy food in schools. Japan is the only wealthy country where fewer than one in five kids are overweight.
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ensure sth.: etw. sicherstellen, für etw. sorgen | nutrition: Ernährung
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© Illustration: Georg Lechner
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Interview
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Tokyo’s trailblazing governor
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In the current issue of Business Spotlight, Tokyo's governor, Yuriko Koike speaks to journalist Gendel Gento. Koike is a trailblazer in the world of Japanese politics. She was the first woman to become minister of defence in Japan and, later, the first female governor of Tokyo. At home, she’s well known for her global approach to politics. She studied Arabic in Cairo, Egypt, in her 20s and went on to work as a journalist, interviewing world Âfigures such as Libya’s Muammar al-Gaddafi and Palestinian Âpolitician Yasser Arafat.
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trailblazer: Vorreiter(in), Pionier(in)
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© Image: IMAGO / Kyodo News
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Society
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Understanding Japanese etiquette
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Manners are important, and perhaps nowhere more so than in Japan. The country’s social culture is based on respect, harmony and consideration of others. Here are a few pointers to help you collaborate better with your Japanese colleagues or business partners:
âś” Bow your head slightly to greet someone or express thanks.
âś” Be on time. Always try to arrive a little early for meetings, tours, etc.
âś” Be quiet. In Japan, silence is golden. Speak quietly and with respect to those around you.
âś– Hug or shake hands with a Japanese person unless they initiate this gesture.
âś– Blow your nose or sneeze in front of others. Turn away and use a tissue.
âś– Pour your own drink when dining with Japanese people. Pour drinks for others at the table and wait for them to pour yours.
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pointer: Hinweis | bow sth.: etw. beugen | hug sb.: jmd. umarmen | gesture: Geste | blow one’s nose: sich schnäuzen | sneeze: niesen | tissue: Papiertaschentuch
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© Image: Georg Lechner
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Quiz
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Japan
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1) In the 19th century, Japan based its new Civil Code on Germany’s Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch. True or false?
A) True
B) False
2) As many as ______ passengers per day pass through Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station, the world’s busiest railway station.
A) 1.8 million
B) 3.6 million
C) 800,000
How many islands make up the archipelago of Japan?
A) almost 1,000
B) almost 4,000
C) almost 7,000
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civil code: BĂĽrgerliches Gesetzbuch
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© Illustration: Georg Lechner
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| Answers: 1) A; 2) B; 3) C
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Interview
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Interview with a geisha
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Geisha have been part of Japanese culture for centuries. They are performers who entertain usually wealthy individuals or businesspeople with song, dance, storytelling and conversation. ÂWriter Patrick St. Michel spoke to Koiku, a geisha and vice head of the Tokyo Shinbashi Kumiai, one of the city’s last geisha districts and the setting of the
annual geisha performance, Azuma Odori.
When and why did you become a geisha?
I became a geisha when I was 20. Since elementary school, I had been studying nagauta (traditional long song) and Japanese dance. A kabuki actor I met at a part-time job encouraged me to consider becoming a geisha.
What is a typical day for you?
In the morning, I leave home in time for lessons at the Âkenban (geisha office). Between lessons, I may visit a hair salon. After finishing practice, I return home to prepare for the evening’s private engagements and, then, go to the venue at the appointed time.
Read the full interview in the current issue of Business Spotlight!
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vice head: stellvertretende(r) Leiter(in) | annual: jährlich | engagement: Termin, Verabredung, Auftrag | venue: Veranstaltungsort | appointed: vereinbart,
festgelegt
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© Image: private
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Profile
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Person to rent
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Shoji Morimoto, a 40-year-old man from Tokyo, found a way to get paid, he says, for “doing nothing”. He created a business in which he lets strangers rent him to spend time with them. He doesn’t work for or entertain his clients – just fills an emotional gap. He was once hired, for example, to stand at a railway station and wave goodbye to a person.
Japan has a high rate of social isolation. Many people live alone, and nearly half of the respondents to a 2025 government survey said they were familiar with feelings of loneliness. For those who aren’t comfortable talking about mental health, renting someone’s time is seen as a low-pressure alternative and it’s now a growing industry.
Morimoto started his business in 2018 and wrote a book about his experiences, with the title Rental Person Who Does Nothing. He says he’s been hired more than 4,000 times and has been so successful that he’s stopped charging a fee for his time. He posted on X: “Please use this service for situations where the presence of just one person is required, such as stores that are difficult to enter alone...”
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stranger: Fremde(r) | gap: LĂĽcke | wave goodbye to sb.: jmdm. zum Abschied winken | respondent: befragte Person | survey: Umfrage | charge a fee: eine GebĂĽhr verlangen
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© Image: picture-alliance / Reuters
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Anzeige
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5 Impulse fĂĽr den gelungenen Neustart
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Im kostenlosen E-Mail-Kurs der ZEIT Akademie lernen Sie, mit neuem Mut und frischer Motivation in Ihren nächsten Lebensabschnitt zu starten – egal ob Jobwechsel, Umzug, Trennung oder Ruhestand.
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© Bild: ZEIT AKADEMIE
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Im aktuellen Magazin
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Japan
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Exclusive interview with Tokyo's governor | Matcha: green gold | Japan's economy | Interview with a geisha
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Quiz
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Innovations
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Japan is known for its inventions, from karaoke and emojis to instant ramen. Still, inventions from other parts of the world have equally impacted our lives: test your knowledge on the great minds of our time in our quiz!
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invention: Erfindung
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© Image: ameenfahmy / Unsplash.com
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Mitarbeit: Dennis Draber, Judith Gilbert, Susanne Krause, Mae McCreary, Richard Mote, Rachel Preece, Inez Sharp, Lorraine Turner Akcakaya.
Sie haben diesen Newsletter zurzeit an die Adresse subs@emailshot.io bestellt. Eine Abmeldung ist jederzeit über Newsletter-Abmeldung möglich. Bitte antworten Sie nicht auf diese E-Mail. Bitte wenden Sie sich an abo@zeit-sprachen.de.
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