Cultural Brand Strategist: Managing expectations across borders. Bridging the gap between Western brand identity and Japanese cultural reality, backed by three decades of technical, creative, and marketing leadership.
Yes, that title is a play off of LL Cool J. Working as a cultural brand strategist and being back in Hawaii this September, I got served a Pacific Business News headline courtesy of the algorithm: “L&L Hawaiian Barbecue hires national PR firm as plate lunch competition heats up on Mainland.” It’s a brand I … Continue reading I’m Old School, so I Think L&L Is Actually “Ladies Love Hawaiian Barbecue”
I would not call them pods or capsules, and I think of them more like kennels, ruff (shhhhh, sorry, no barking or growling). Even though I am Japanese American and have been to Japan and experienced everything from regular hotels to numerous love hotels, capsule hotels were a completely new experience to me, so I … Continue reading A Quiet Place: First Cabin International (Capsule Hotel, Waikiki, Hawaii)
Having worked a short stint as a sushi chef, I wanted to talk to Seigo Tamura about his path from Japan to the U.S. Originally posted on Oishii-desu.com, September 22, 2020. Edited for grammar. When I first wrote this interview a half decade ago, Chef Seigo was just beginning his journey. Today, 715 holds a … Continue reading Imagine Being 20 Years Old and Leaving Japan, Your Birthplace, to Pursue a Passion for Basketball and Sushi
I received a full manuscript request from DeFiore & Company. I sought out a literary agent because, as with most things I do, I love collaborating. I know where my weaknesses lie, and working with talented people ups my game. But now I'm turning straight to the public, kind of like what Andy Weir did. … Continue reading The First Two Chapters of My Manuscript: Culture Matters “Ok, Rice Ball”
I am a legitimate American (to some "The Murican") and Western business face, not the stereotyped one. Author's Note: I write in my authentic voice, not corporate jargon. Sanitizing my language to fit traditional decorum would compromise the lived reality on the page and contradict the exact thesis of this work. Being American is not … Continue reading The White Face Fallacy: Who Really Opens the U.S. Market for Japanese Brands
Unlike other ethnicities in the U.S., the vast majority of us Asians identify by our specific ethnic backgrounds. The day we go by "Yellow" (the official future color code for the Americanization of Asians in the U.S.) so that we fit neatly among White, Black, and Brown people, I say, "Maybe so, sir, but not … Continue reading Being an American with 123 years of Japanese Ancestry in the United States
Nowadays, with the internet, everybody expresses what they think without any accountability for what they say. Feelings and opinions often overshadow facts, so it’s no shock to hear comments like, “I do not care about Asians. What have they done for the Black community?” To be clear, solidarity is not a zero-sum game, but here … Continue reading Japanese American Activists in the Civil Rights Movement, Here Are the Facts, Not My Feelings
It feels like every time I am at Blue Sparrow Coffee, I hear someone asking what is “Japanese iced coffee.” While at Blue Sparrow, I chuckled out loud even with the dude across from me on a Zoom call of sorts when reading their FAQ because it literally says: “This is by far the most … Continue reading Cultural Critique: When “Japanese” Becomes an Unearned Quality Mark
That’s how I felt when I submitted my immediate response to their editorial, so it was not a one-way street. Yeah, that picture is of my dad (far left) who was interned at Rohwer (individual number 26285F). This is a personal response I originally published on Oishii-desu.com after The Denver Post used the internment of … Continue reading Cultural Critique: Exploiting My Father’s Internment for Political Narrative
“You’re racist, he’s racist, she’s racist, your family is racist, they can’t be racist cuz black, and most importantly, you’re all racist, except me.” Yeaaah ok, right. This sounds like every unhinged individual who can’t effectively communicate an issue and defaults to the blanket labels of “racist,” “fascist,” and “Nazi.” When I hear that, I … Continue reading Epistemology: “You’re Racist”