The Hoshi Ryokan is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest hotel still in operation (ryokan is Japanese for traditional inn). Located in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture, the hotel began as a spa on an underground hot spring which was built by the Hoshi family because, according to legend, the god of Mount Hakusan ordered it. Today, the Hoshi Ryokan has 100 rooms and can accommodate 450 people.

A few years back, I provided private lessons to a self-made entrepreneur who had watched his family’s clothing store business crumble because of poor management and ultimately no successors.  His failed business led him, much to his wife’s dismay, to hit the books and develop the skills and obtain the licenses necessary to help small family businesses nationwide to survive and even thrive once again.  He is doing quite well these days and is in high demand.

In a society with a birthrate declining and a strong pull for younger generations to head to the city for the plum jobs, the idea that a successor must be a son is fading as fast as cherry blossoms in the spring.

From sushi shops to lacquer ware to pottery, the consultant field to preserve the sublime and widely-admired traditions that make Japan special may well fall on foreigners willing to learn the culture, the language, and assimilate.  Give it a thought.  Some such foreigners are mentioned in the Artisans section of the SIJ Directory.

Further reading on this subject HERE or HERE)

Japan lacquer ware has a worldwide appeal. Why not go directly to the source?

The word japanning was coined by the first European and American settlers and traders in Japan.  It was an attempt to imitate the glossy finish of wood boxes, trays and vessels made from indigenous lacquer trees.

Lacquer in its natural form actually comes from the sap produced by the Rhus Verniciflua tree found mainly in Japan, and its applications date back more than 1500 years. Objects with lacquer finish are renowned for their beauty, durability and simplicity of brush design.

Unfortunately, for the copycat foreigner artisans, there ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.  This is especially so for wood objects adorned with yuzen (seven-color paper illustrations) brush paintings on special paper inspired by beautifully-designed lacquer ware and maki-e (a gold lacquer used to finish objects with delicate small gold flecks.).

Fortunately for you, this is a sleeper market.  While imitation japanning products are commonplace in western nations, the “Real McCoy” lacquer ware is much more precious and in demand.  Antiques can command hefty prices on auction sites.

Consider a buying trip to Japan to the key regions which originated this art form:  Aizu Ware, Fukishima Prefecture;  Johana Ware from Toyama Prefecture; Negoro Ware of Izumi Province (which now comprises most of Osaka Prefecture minus the city itself); Ryukyuan Ware from the Ryukyu Islands (now Okinawa Prefecture);  Tsugaru Ware from Aomori Prefecture; and Wakasa Ware from Fukui Prefecture.

(For more information on the risks of carbon trading, CLICK HERE)

Let’s turn to the fairer sex.  Railway enthusiasm has been seen as a small niche market predominantly followed by men called tetchan, or rail enthusiasts.  In the past year, however, the female equivalent called tetsuko has started to emerge.

Growing legions of women are enjoying traveling incognito fueled by the resurgence of a cartoon series called “Tetsuko no Tabi, (Tetsuko (or train) Travel) about a female cartoonist traveling together with a male railway buff.

This year Jigokuhyo Kentei Kyokai (The Railway Timetable Certification Association) is offering beginning enthusiasts a trial examination for the railway timetable reading certificate.  Twenty-five percent of the enthusiasts applying for this at-home test are women.

The traveling industry in Japan is keeping close tabs on these new women enthusiasts, and so should you. If you come from a country with an interesting and varied rail system, then why not design a rail tour for Japanese women?  Then approach a company such as Nippon Travel Agency – which is already active in this niche market – with your Japanese women railway tour concept for your country or region.

Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars

My 30 years in Japan tells me that exotic, pricey pet accommodations would be lapped up by pampering pet owners and perhaps lead to a resurgence of domestic travel.

With the birth rate in Japan declining precipitously, the Japanese love to purchase designer goods and new things to replace the missing human tots.  From Gucchi to Coach Bags to exotic (and endangered!) animals, most people want to be fashionable at almost any price.  Keeping up with the Tanakas is an unspoken truth of cosmopolitan Japan.

The newest craze for locals is designer dogs.  They treat their pricey canines much like Barbie Doll owners treat Barbie and Ken.  These animals are dressed to the nines with all the gowns, coats, hairpins and booties which can be stitched together in Third World sweatshops.  Man’s best friend must look “cute” and drip of the pedigree the owner(s) may lack.

Cities and businesses are adapting to this pedigree dog boom.  One accommodation, Yatsukate Wan Wan Paradise in Yamanishi Prefecture, offers 40 cottages in which guests may stay with their canine companion/dolls.

Dog city!  Since an increasing number of hotels and inns are accepting these cuties, the time to build a year-round dog village has dawned.

Several pristine, depopulated areas within a three-hour drive of metropolises around Japan are looking desperately for economic revival.  Locals would be happy to see an influx of cash-rich tourists coming for R&R while their canine buddies lap in luxury.

The villages could contain a dog obedience school, a dog Disneyland, a dog nutrition clinic with first-class canine treats to go, dog seminars (for owners!), low-cost spaying and neuter clinics, dog grooming boutiques, and daytime dog housing with a run.  While Fido is lapping up dog beef stroganoff, the owners can be dipping in a soothing hot spring bath or a lap-of-luxury public bath (called sento).

To see the concept at workin the U.S., CLICK HERE

Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars

Once one leaves overcrowded big-city Japan and heads out to the more rural regions of the archipelago, the breathtaking natural charm and sereneness of old Japan quickly become evident.  But also what comes into focus is that the relic buildings and houses from bygone years are becoming increasingly rundown due to erosion, corrosion, neglect and relative poverty in those regions.

Many of these rundown areas were involved in the timber industry, and when cheap foreign lumber began to flood the Japanese islands in the 1980s, young people – tired of farming and eking out a living – swarmed to the greener economic pastures of urban centers.

Japan is wrongly defined by bustling Tokyo. Outside metropolis, however, the ambiance is astonishing.

A group of residents in one such neglected region with many traditional thatched homes, Katsuyama in Fukui Prefecture, has begun a concerted effort to restore or repair abandoned homes and buildings.  They are doing this by sponsoring eco-tours.  The first one attracted 25 participants.

Optimally, win-win situations in business are what we should all strive for.  These eco-tours in Fukuyama are only the tip of an economic iceberg.

In fact, there are more than 10,000 such settlements scattered throughout the islands’ of Japan.  For domestic and overseas’ eco-conscious tourists wanting hands-on experience in restoring such buildings and homes, this will be a great chance to experience rural Japan and make a significant difference.

The ecological visitors can infuse much-needed cash into these intrinsically exquisite villages and at the same time can offer overseas tour operators a chance to make handsome profits.

Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars

Unlike cooking other mushrooms, Matsutake should be broiled for a few minutes on each side, adding a bit of rice wine and/or soy sauce either before or after broiling. It's an incredible and complex flavor you won't ever forget-- even though you won't be able to adequately describe it to anyone.

Food from China – once a mainstay for the Japanese consumers- has fallen out of favor due to recent scandals. 

One such item is the precious matsutake mushroom, so prevalent at holiday meals.  The ones imported from China have been 50~80 percent cheaper than the domestic variety.  Consumers, however, have become unwilling to buy the cheaper mushrooms of their Asian neighbor due to food safety concerns. 

Concurrently, falling production of the domestic variety because of unprofitably in competition with China, has led to a spiraling effect on the price of the delicacy.  The result is that fewer and fewer Japanese are buying matsutake.  That is…

Unless some other growers of matsutake in foreign countries step to the plate quickly.  Frankly speaking, the high price of matsutake mushrooms stems (no pun!) from the difficulty of cultivating them. 

Soil, tree, and climate conditions must be optimal and closely monitored.  Knowing that there is a hungry market for these special mushrooms should get your mental jets humming.  A good starting point for understanding the exacting conditions for cultivating them can be found by clicking HERE.

Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars

To generate a profit while at the same time contributing to the welfare of Mankind is a model worthy of duplication.

A group in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, is doing just that. They have launched a campaign to send vaccines to developing countries with the proceeds obtained through recycling of used ink-jet cartridges.

The group set up collection boxes around the city of Maebashi. As of this writing, they have collected 300+ of such cartridges. With the sympathy and active support of a local recycler who offered an overly generous 300 yen per cartridge, they have collected over 9000 yen.

This may not seem like much, but it may be a model for other municipalities. And the beauty of this model is that the proceeds were then handed over to the Tokyo-based Japan committee, Vaccines for the World’s Children, which supports developing countries’ vaccination programs.

According to the Committee, one polio vaccine costs about ¥20, while a measles vaccination costs a modest ¥95. Nine thousand yen infusions’ of cash can make an immeasurable contribution to helping those most in need.

Granted, there is not much profit potential here for an entrepreneur. That is, unless we think of saving children’s lives is a worthwhile endeavor. In our throwaway societies, there are so many things which we deem as junk that could be salvaged and recycled. Ebay is the exclamation point for those who thought junk was junk.

For example, old, throwaway clothes and sheets could be turned into a quilt. I even received a gift from a Japanese woman of a macramé insect made from bamboo leaves. Such innovative methods of creating small revenue streams from junk and our natural surroundings is an invaluable contribution each of us can make with a minimum of effort to care for the billions of unfortunate human beings scattered around our planet.

A good reference site for recycling cartridges…CLICK HERE

As an aside, here is a fact about inkjet printers that may shock you…

Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars

The market for these muscle cars is for the late 20s to the early 40s age groups.

I discovered a new niche in Japan, classical cars. This past Sunday my wife and I decided to take a long walk in a local park. The minute we entered it, I felt like I had entered a time warp. At 9 AM there were already 200 or so vintage cars (mostly 1950s’ variety parked on a grassy stretch). The only thing that was missing were cute girls in miniskirts roller skating to car windows with hamburger orders.

The classic definition of a “hot market” is a large group of fanatic consumers gobbling up all products or services in a given niche. Most definitely these car owners – some private owners and many running small import car dealerships and garages – are a hungry market. Parts for classic muscle cars are expensive and so is finding a qualified mechanic.

When I was young we used to mock young people who loved car mechanics as being “grease monkeys.” Nowadays, here in Japan, there is a growing demand for such geezers with a good knowledge of repairs and cheap, accessible car parts.

Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars

The sketchings and manga in the public domain can be transformed into niche product line without copyright violation.

In the past dozen years, manga translations into non-Japanese languages have grown exponentially.  This, in turn, has spawned an anime industry which had little exposure overseas since the Tezuka hit cartoon “Atom Boy.”

Blockbuster anime and manga-based films such as Transformers and Kill Bill are modern-day testimonials to the wealth-creating possibilities of the Japanese art form.

The translation of American and other countries’ superhero-type comics into Japanese has scantly been tried.  Some might categorize doing that as a selling of ice to the Eskimos.  It is assumed that such comics could not compete with the local genre.

Remember:  Many people were rabidly skeptical that Japanese would not chomp down on Big Macs and Mr. Donuts’ jelly rolls as well.  The real blockbuster could be in making these manga characters into T-Shirts, stationary, or even mobile phone jackets.

Find a native Japanese collaborator who can assist you to translate the works of aspiring westerners creating unknown superhero comics in the States and elsewhere.  Alternatively, contact a local clothes wholesaler and produce clothing with such characters in your home country and export to Japan.

No doubt, they will be snatched up and a new fashion cult initiated.  A good starting reference is through the extensive, viral otaku network or finding importers in the Success in Japan Directory.

Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars