Japan Cross-Cultural Workshop
Half-day or full-day single-event workshop for European teams. Framework, communication patterns, and real-deal practice in one sitting. Delivered by Takashi Kawatani (Diversity Management Institute, 35+ years).
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 the half-day workshop covers
Three hours, five blocks. Customised per cohort based on the pre-session intake. Full-day version adds etiquette, decision-making depth, and 2 to 3 extra practice blocks.
Cohort scan
Each participant names the Japanese engagement, account, or counterpart they have in mind. The trainer maps the room before the curriculum starts so the practice scenarios land on real work.
The framework
How Japanese organisations operate (hierarchy, wa, group orientation). Honne and tatemae. Nemawashi and ringi. Why Japanese decisions look slow on the front end and reliable on the back end.
Communication patterns
Indirect refusal, silence as response, written-vs-spoken asymmetry. The phrases that mean no, the ones that mean maybe-yes, the ones that mean genuinely-yes-but-needs-more-time. Demo and live decoding.
Real-deal practice
Two or three of the cohort's own scenarios played in the room. The trainer narrates what is happening culturally and what the next move should be. Most teams say this is the most valuable block.
Action plan
Each participant leaves with two or three specific behaviours to apply in their next Japanese meeting, plus a list of the cultural concepts they want to read up on.
How the workshop runs
Up to ~15 participants
Workshops run best at 8 to 15 participants. Larger groups split into multiple cohorts so the practice block still gets real airtime.
Remote or on-site
Half-day virtual is the most common format and is delivered natively via video conference, not a chopped-down on-site agenda. Full-day on-site available across Europe.
Half-day or full-day
Half-day (3 hours) covers framework, communication, and one practice block. Full-day adds etiquette, decision-making in depth, and 2 to 3 additional practice blocks.
Meet Takashi Kawatani, 河谷隆司
35+ years helping professionals succeed in Japanese business culture, in partnership with Silkdrive on the EU↔Japan corridor.
Today
- President, Diversity Management Institute (1989 to present)
- Founder, Success Japan Initiative
- Host of 'Japan Spirit', English-language internet show
- Trains Fortune 500 clients, business associations, and government bodies across 20+ countries
Publications & Recognition
- Author of 13 books, incl. Winning Together at Japanese Companies (Beyond-Global, 2015) and titles published by Nikkei, PHP, and SANNO
- Creator of 10 e-learning products on Japanese business culture
- 13,000+ students enrolled across Udemy courses, 4.4★+ ratings
- Global HR Excellence Award, World HRD Congress 2011
Background
- Lecturer in international business, Sanno Institute of Management
- Special Advisor, Japan Overseas Enterprises Association
- Visiting researcher, ISIS Malaysia (Institute of Strategic and International Studies)
- Doctoral studies, Human and Organizational Development, Fielding Graduate University (USA)
Published Pricing
Priced per group session, never per participant, so the per-person figure follows from the group size rather than being a rate. Sessions cap at ten because they are interactive; a larger team runs as more groups. Starting figures, excluding VAT, with travel and accommodation billed separately, and the final amount confirmed in writing after the intake call.
- €380 per person for the whole programme
- Typical engagement €11,400 to €19,000, three to five groups of ten
- Online, the format most programmes run in
- The sum of its sessions, with no separate minimum
- €350 per person
- Travel and accommodation separate
- €270 per person
- Travel and accommodation separate
- €190 per person
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for more than a single workshop?
- Cross-Cultural Training for Japan , multi-session programmes with 90-day follow-up.
- All training programmes , the full Silkdrive catalogue, by corridor.
- Cross-Cultural Training for Japan: Providers Compared
Book a Japan Cross-Cultural Workshop
Tell us the cohort, the Japanese engagement at stake, and the date you need it run by. Two to four weeks from intake to delivery.
From our insights
Deeper reading on this topic from the Silkdrive team.
