Ruth Shiraishi talks about her career path after moving to Japan over 20 years ago. As a long-term expatriate, she speaks about how she tries to understand Japanese culture to fit in the society. She shares her take on how does she build credibility and trust when trying to create a relationship between doing business with Japanese companies and people. Tune in to find out more in this Japan Insiders program with Michael Glance and Ruth Shiraishi.

Ruth Shiraishi was born in Durham, North Carolina but spent her childhood in Mililani, Hawaii.

She graduated from Tufts University with a BA in International Relations and came to Japan in 1988 after being hired by Recruit Company Ltd. Since then, she worked solely with Japanese companies in various capacities (translator, interpretor, event coordinator). After joining Space Design Inc., in 2000 as an outsourced sales consultant, she discovered the need for comfortable, foreigner-friendly furnished apartments and office space and has since helped Space Design become one of the largest serviced apartments and serviced office providers in Tokyo. As Director of Business Development, Ruth was the first Western female to achieve the Registered Real Estate Transaction Manager license (Takken) in Japan and continues striving to provide housing and office space that make living and working in Japan as easy and as efficient as possible. Here Ruth gives some insight on her experience with working in Japanese companies and with her Japanese colleagues.

Tokyo Insiders Get inside some of the minds of the longer term expats living and working here in Japan. Find out how people and their companies are dealing with the current market, learn from their past mistakes and resent successes. Tokyo Insiders will also feature young Japanese entrepreneurs generally schooled abroad and generally having westerner mind sets. Opening new doors and setting a new stage far from the normal (married to the company) salary minded office workers we will have a better understanding of the up and coming younger business minded Japanese. Host: Michael Z. Glance - Business Development Manager, ITV-Asia Michael Glance has spent more than 15 years in Japan working in diverse industries, such as commercial / investment real estate, photography and advertising and media. A people-focused person at heart, Michael’s has more than 10+ years of advertising and media sales in Tokyo. Embracing the dynamic challenges of internet marketing he is applying his strategic management and entrepreneurial skills to connecting leading business personalities and their companies in Tokyo with Asia’s premier companies.