How long is the training programme?

Half-day (3-4 hours), full-day (6-7 hours), or multi-session (2-4 sessions over 2-4 weeks). Format depends on your team's needs and how many modules you want to cover in depth.

Is this delivered remotely or on-site?

Both. Remote delivery via video conference is the default. On-site workshops are available across Europe for teams that prefer in-person sessions.

Do you cover Japanese business culture?

We cover practical cultural preparation for market entry , communication styles, meeting norms, and relationship-building basics. For in-depth cultural training (negotiation, hierarchy, long-term relationship management), we refer to specialist partner programmes.

Can the programme be customized to our industry?

Yes. Every programme includes sector-specific examples, competitive data, and channel recommendations tailored to your category. We adjust module depth based on what matters most for your market entry.

What does the training cost?

Indicative bands: half-day virtual workshop EUR 800 to 1,500; full in-house day EUR 2,000 to 4,000; multi-session programmes (2-4 sessions across 2-4 weeks) EUR 8,000 to 25,000 depending on team size, customisation depth, and travel. Add-on individual executive coaching runs as a separate engagement, typically 3-6 months and bespoke. Pricing always confirmed in writing before any work begins.

Training

Prepare Your Team for the Japanese Market

Practical workshops covering channels, budgets, timelines, and go-to-market planning for European companies preparing to enter or expand in Japan. EU-Japan Centre accredited expert.

Request a Training Proposal View Modules

EU-Japan

Centre accredited

11+

Years on the corridor

15+

Markets worked

Half-day

to multi-week formats

Why European Companies Fail in Japan

Six failure patterns we see consistently. Each one is avoidable with the right preparation, none of them is.

Cycle Length Misjudged

European 3 to 6 month sales cycles run face-first into 9 to 18 month Japanese B2B procurement. Companies built on EU velocity run out of patience and cash before the deal closes.

Channel Strategy Wrong

Google Ads and Meta campaigns that perform in Europe underperform in Japan. LINE, Yahoo!Japan, and Rakuten dominate, with separate ad inventory and audience signals. Same budget, very different reach.

Decision Process Misread

Japanese decisions happen before the meeting, in nemawashi conversations and ringi document circulation. European sales motions that try to negotiate IN the meeting find a polite, attentive room that does not move.

Marketing Budget Underestimated

Localisation, native-creative production, in-market talent, agency retainers, and Japanese-language content costs add up fast. Underbudgeted Japan marketing efforts run out of fuel before they reach traction.

Translation Replaces Localization

Sony's Walkman sold in the US so people could listen 'without being disturbed by others'; in Japan, 'without disturbing others'. Same product, opposite buyer motives. Translation alone does not carry that.

Skipping Cultural Pre-Work

Hierarchy signals, silence in negotiations, and tatemae read as agreement when honne is the real position. Teams that skip the pre-work miss every gap that matters.

Our Services

Training Modules

Four modules covering the marketing and cultural ground European teams need to cover before they hit the Japanese market.

Japan Marketing Landscape

Consumer segments, digital adoption, competitive landscape, and where the opportunities are for your category. The marketing-side picture, not the regulatory one.

Consumer demographics and digital behaviour
Category landscape and competitor mapping
E-commerce vs offline channel split per segment

Channel Strategy

LINE, Yahoo!Japan, Rakuten, Amazon JP, and the social platforms. Which channels matter for your category and how they differ from Western equivalents on creative, format, and audience targeting.

Platform-by-platform breakdown
Advertising formats, creative norms, costs
Organic vs paid channel mix

Cultural Preparation

Business etiquette essentials, communication styles, and the unwritten rules that shape how Japanese companies evaluate foreign partners. Including the patterns that affect distributor and sales-channel conversations.

Meeting and negotiation norms
Written communication standards
Relationship-building timeline

Go-to-Market Planning

Realistic marketing timelines (12 to 24 months to traction in Japan), marketing budget frameworks for channel mix and creative localisation, and milestone planning aligned to the buying motion.

Phased timeline with marketing milestones
Marketing budget framework by channel
KPI setting for Year 1

Why Silkdrive

Why Train With Silkdrive

Three reasons companies choose our Japan market entry training.

EU-Japan Centre accredited

EU-Japan Centre Expert

Training delivered by an accredited EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation expert with direct experience guiding European companies into the Japanese market.

Validated cross-cultural research

Anchored in Hofstede

The cultural side of the training is taught from Geert Hofstede's six-dimension framework, the most widely validated model in cross-cultural research. Real country scores and behavioural implications, not vendor-coined frameworks.

Action-oriented workshops

Practical, Not Academic

No theory-heavy lectures. Every module includes real case data, budget benchmarks, and actionable takeaways your team can use immediately.

Our Process

How the Training Works

From initial conversation to workshop delivery.

Initial Consultation

We discuss your company's Japan ambitions, team composition, timeline, and specific knowledge gaps. This shapes the programme content.

Customized Programme Design

Module selection, depth adjustment, and sector-specific examples tailored to your industry. We build the workshop around your actual market entry scenario.

Workshop Delivery

Half-day, full-day, or multi-session formats depending on scope. Delivered remotely or on-site. Your team leaves with an action plan, timeline, budget framework, and channel recommendations.

Workshop Lead

Meet Patric Sawada

Founder of Silkdrive since 2015, EU-Japan Centre accredited expert based in Amsterdam. 11+ years in international and cross-cultural growth marketing across Europe and East Asia.

Patric Sawada, Founder of Silkdrive and EU-Japan Centre accredited expert

Today

Founder and Managing Director, Silkdrive (since 2015)
EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation accredited expert
Webinar lead for European SMEs entering Japan, delivered to Polish, Czech, and Swedish cohorts via the EU-Japan Centre

Track Record

50+ direct clients across 30+ industries, 15+ markets worked
11+ years in international and cross-cultural marketing
Named engagements: K.K. Orchard (13 EU countries paid social), Gladskin/Micreos (+159% organic, +143% revenue), TNT/FedEx (culturally adapted Google Ads, +34% CTR Portugal), DSM (SEO + content team training), Opel Benelux (trilingual SEO + 10+ team upskilled), Nationale Nederlanden (lean validation)
ADAPT framework for cultural adaptation, applied across paid media campaigns in 15+ markets

Background

Cross-cultural background tied to Japan and the Netherlands
Earlier experience across Dutch media, a Tokyo-based health food brand, and TNT Express across European markets
Built Silkdrive on the premise that cross-cultural marketing is a real discipline, not translation with a nicer name

Who Is This Training For?

This programme is designed for marketing teams, business development leads, and senior leadership at European companies planning to enter or expand in Japan. It is marketing and cultural preparation, covering channels, budgets, timelines, and the cultural patterns that affect how marketing and B2B conversations land. For deeper Japanese business culture training (negotiation, hierarchy, long-term relationship dynamics), see our partner programme.

What this programme is not: regulatory or legal advisory. We do not advise on entity setup, tax structure, payment processing, logistics, or compliance. Where those questions come up we hand off to specialist counsel, who you should engage in parallel.

Delivery formats include half-day workshops (marketing landscape + channel strategy), full-day intensives (all four modules), and multi-session programmes spread across 2 to 4 weeks for teams that need time to digest and apply each module. All formats are available remotely or on-site at your offices.

What you leave with: a marketing-side Japan plan with a phased timeline, a channel and creative-localisation budget framework, channel recommendations with platform-specific guidance, and a clear sense of what to brief which partner agency or vendor on next.

FAQ