Yesterday was an important day for me — the 20th anniversary of my arrival in Japan! It was a cloudy afternoon when I first touched down at Narita Airport, the start of a great adventure during which I’d teach ESL to many students, hitchhike from one end of the country to the other and drink with gaijin friends in front of Japan’s legendary beer vending machines. Japan was a very different place back in 1991: the land bubble that made Tokyo more valuable than all the land in the United States had just burst, though the Japanese “Lost Decade” hadn’t begun in earnest yet. Japan was a much more closed place then, with very few products coming in from the outside world — there were no Japanese Doritos or Pringles or Oreos back then. But big changes were in store for Japan, from the coming of the Internet to the arrival of efficient distributors like Toys “R” Us, Amazon and Costco, which slowly eclipsed tiny mom-and-pop retailers that dominated the economy back then. I’ve had great fun over the past 20 years, and am especially glad I was able to start a quirky, fun company like J-List and connect with so many people all over the world. Arigatou to everyone!
Two decades in Japan, and still having fun. Thanks to all J-List’s awesome customers!
