Over the holidays, I was fortunate to visit six different areas of Japan and found myself quite inspired. This was my fifth time visiting the country since my first trip eleven years ago for restaurant noma’s first pop-up outside of Copenhagen, where I helped build the team a pre-Tock event ticketing system. While I wrote about Japanese convenience stores (aka konbini) three years ago, this year’s excursion solidified six main themes that I think are worth noting as inspiration for what we do here in the states. It is really true that when it comes to many things consumer-focused, the Japanese do it better. I believe that one of the key drivers of this is the discipline of kodawari which, at a high level, is about the pursuit of perfection. It’s the constant sharpening of the sword required to hone a craft, and keen attention to detail. Below are some key trends I am acutely observing in Japan that I’d love to see more of in the US.