In today's episode, I chat with Maya Matsuoka, who is the assistant director at the Japan Association of Travel Agencies, or JATA. Maya is a multilingual professional who has worked in Japan for 19 years with extensive experience in the travel industry. She has also recently launched a great new website called Discover Deep Japan, which provides a bank of high-quality resources to help readers better understand the Japanese marketplace and what is needed to find success in Japan. If you’re interested in contributing to the Discover Deep Japan website, please reach out to Maya directly.
In the conversation, Maya shares some of her unique experiences building a new life and career in Japan. She also offers some insights into changes in the Japanese travel industry, as well as what may or may not change due to Covid-19. Maya also explains why it's important to gain some mastery of Japanese in order to be more effective working with Japanese people, as the language and its culture are tightly interwoven.

Today's Language: 
ごくろうさまです
go-ku-ro-u-sa-ma-de-su
meaning: "Thank you for your hard work." "You worked hard."
usage note: only acceptable to use with someone in an inferior position compared to you in the context (e.g. a boss to his subordinate)

Maya's Links: 
New Website on Doing Business and Working in Japan: https://japanexpertinsights.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-matsuoka/ 
Japan Association of Travel Agents: https://www.jata-net.or.jp/english/
Clubhouse: @mayamatsuoka

Related Episodes: 
Tourism and Covid-19: Effects and Opportunities in Japan with Bonson Lam: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Tourism-and-Covid-19-Effects-and-Opportunities-in-Japan-with-Bonson-Lam-ehut7k
Anne Hooghart on High- and Low-Context Cultures: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Anne-Hooghart-on-High--and-Low-Context-Cultures-eg3asl
Pursuing Mastery of the Japanese Language with Graeme Lawrence: https://anchor.fm/businesssuccessjapan/episodes/Pursuing-Mastery-of-the-Japanese-Language-with-Graeme-Lawrence-ekp1p5

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