Cross-Cultural Training
Between Europe and Japan
Programmes covering culture, etiquette, sales, negotiations, executive coaching, team communication, leadership, DEI, and market entry. Delivered by Takashi Kawatani (Diversity Management Institute) (35+ years) and Patric Sawada (EU-Japan Centre expert).
Currently delivered by Japan specialists across the Netherlands–Japan corridor. Korea and broader East Asia programmes will be added as our trainer bench expands.
Silkdrive is the preferred European delivery partner of Diversity Management Institute (Tokyo). Takashi Kawatani-sensei leads the Japan-side curriculum and trains directly; Silkdrive scopes engagements, contributes European-side context, and runs delivery. Co-delivery in Europe began in 2023. More on the partnership →
What is intercultural training (and is it different from cross-cultural training)?
Intercultural training is structured capability-building for individuals and teams working across cultural boundaries. The dictionary distinction between “intercultural” and “cross-cultural” matters less than the practical question: does the programme actually change behaviour in real engagements? Silkdrive uses both labels and treats them as the same family of work, anchored on four dimensions of competence: cognitive (knowing the cultural concepts), perceptive (reading the signals correctly), affective (managing the emotional reality of operating in a different cultural system), and behavioural (adapting your operating style).
For the methodology and the underlying validated frameworks (Hofstede, Hall, Bennett DMIS, Trompenaars) plus optional formal pre/post assessment via IDI, GlobeSmart, or CQS, see Japan Intercultural Training. For the broader formats catalogue (workshops, executive coaching, expat onboarding, online learning) across all the corridors we serve, see our intercultural training pillar. For the corporate programme catalogue and EU-Japan corridor positioning, see the programmes below or browse the HR Buyer's Guide.
Two trainers. Two directions. One corridor.
The Netherlands–Japan bilateral relationship represents over $190B in combined FDI. Our trainers operate fluently in both directions.
35+ years experience
Takashi Kawatani, President of Diversity Management Institute, has trained 20,000+ professionals across Asia, Europe, and North America. Author of 13 books on global leadership.
EU-Japan Centre expert
Patric Sawada is an external expert for the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, with 11+ years guiding European companies into Japan and Asian companies into Europe.
Both directions
Programmes work for European teams adapting to Japan and Japanese teams adapting to Europe. Materials and case studies are dual-direction by default.
Foundations
How Japanese business works, the visible protocols, and the concepts every team needs before going deeper.
Japan Business Culture
Foundational programme covering communication, recognition, trust building, and negotiation principles for working with Japanese partners and clients.
Japanese Cultural Awareness
Lighter, whole-company baseline: how Japanese organisations operate, communicate, and make decisions. The on-ramp before the deeper programmes.
Japan Business Etiquette
The visible-protocol layer: meishi exchange, seating, gift-giving, dining, and meeting conduct, before a first trip or a delegation.
Skills programmes
Targeted training for the work itself: selling, negotiating, running mixed teams, everyday collaboration, and DEI.
Japan Sales Training
Sales playbook for selling into Japan from Europe, and into Europe from Japan. Buyer journey, pitch adaptation, follow-up cadence, and closing in each market.
Japan Negotiation Training
Master Japanese negotiation principles, BaMaWa, Honne/Tatemae, hierarchy, silence, and consensus building, applied in both directions across the Japan–Europe corridor.
Japan Team Communication
For mixed JP–EU teams. Daily collaboration, meeting culture, HoRenSo, Sodan, project management norms, and written communication across time zones.
Working with Japanese Colleagues
For teams already working with Japanese colleagues: resolve the day-to-day friction patterns, stalled decisions, vague feedback, and slow consensus.
DEI in Japanese Environments
Diversity, equity, and inclusion adapted for Japanese corporate context. Gender, foreign nationals, generational, and neurodiversity, what works and what backfires.
Leadership and individual coaching
For senior leaders and relocating individuals: cohort leadership development, confidential 1:1 coaching, and expatriate preparation.
Japan Executive Coaching (1:1)
Confidential 1:1 coaching for country managers, expats, and senior leaders navigating cross-cultural leadership challenges in Japan or Europe.
Intercultural Leadership
Senior-cohort leadership development: leading mixed JP–EU teams, managing up to a Japanese boss, and driving change inside Japanese organisations.
Expatriate Training for Japan
1:1 pre-departure preparation plus first-year coaching for staff posted to Japan, with optional spouse and family support.
Market entry
Go-to-market preparation across the corridor: European teams entering Japan, and Japanese teams entering Europe.
Japan Market Entry
Go-to-market prep for European teams entering Japan: channels (LINE, Yahoo Japan, Rakuten), budgets, and timelines. Delivered as a 50-minute EU-Japan Centre webinar through to a multi-session workshop.
Europe Market Entry Webinar
For Japanese companies expanding into Europe. Country selection (NL, DE, BE), regulatory landscape, GDPR, channels, and cultural pitfalls. Delivered in English with Japanese co-host.
Formats
Prefer a single workshop or self-paced online learning instead of a full programme? Start here.
Japan Cross-Cultural Workshop
A single half-day or full-day team workshop before a specific Japanese engagement: framework, communication patterns, and real-deal practice.
Japanese Culture Course (Online)
Online options: self-paced course, live virtual workshop, or multi-session virtual programme for distributed teams.
Working with teams in Korea, China, or wider East Asia?
We don't run scheduled programmes for these corridors yet. For custom engagements, get in touch, we'll scope the brief and either deliver through trusted partners or refer you to a specialist we trust.
Contact usNot sure which programme fits?
Start with Japan Business Culture if your team is new to working with Japanese counterparts. It is the foundation that other programmes build on.
Choose Sales or Negotiations when the team has cultural basics covered and now needs to close deals, manage accounts, or run RFPs across the corridor.
Pick Team Communication or DEI for ongoing operational work, mixed JP–EU teams, HQ–subsidiary collaboration, or HR programmes inside Japan.
Book Executive Coaching for individual leaders facing specific cross-cultural challenges, a new posting, a stalled relationship, or a difficult restructuring.
Run a Market Entry Webinar before launching in a new market. Japan webinar for European companies entering Japan; Europe webinar for Japanese companies entering the EU.
What it costs. Workshops are priced per session, with full-day and multi-session options. Every programme is scoped to your team, so the final figure depends on cohort size, customisation depth, and delivery location, with travel billed at cost for on-site sessions. We share indicative bands on request and confirm the exact figure in writing before any work begins.
Still unsure? Schedule a consultation and we will recommend the right programme based on your team’s situation.
Further Reading
- Cross-Cultural Training for Japan, the HR buyer's guide: provider checklist, pricing, RFP-ready content.
- Cross-Cultural Training for Japan: Providers Compared
- Cross-Cultural Training Cost: What to Budget
- Book a call to discuss workshop pricing and per-session rates for your team.
- Japanese Business Culture: A Working Guide
- Nemawashi: How Japanese Companies Actually Make Decisions
Ready to train your team?
Tell us your team composition, target market, and timeline. We will recommend the programme, or combination of programmes, that fits.