About PSPINC and Japan

Did You Know? “Short, Small, Light, and Thin” Was Once Japan’s Manufacturing Philosophy

 

Did you know there was once a Japanese manufacturing philosophy called “短小軽薄” (Tansho Keihaku)?

 

The phrase literally means:

 

Short
Small
Light
Thin

 

At first glance, it may sound negative, especially because “light” and “thin” can imply weakness in English. But in Japan, this became a symbol of advanced engineering and smart design.

 

For decades, Japanese manufacturers focused on making products smaller, lighter, quieter, and more efficient without sacrificing quality. This philosophy helped create products that changed the world — portable radios, Walkman cassette players, compact cameras, notebook computers, fuel-efficient cars, and miniaturized electronics.

 

Japan became extremely good at fitting powerful technology into limited spaces. Part of this came from necessity. Japan has limited natural resources, smaller homes, and high population density. Efficiency mattered.

 

But it was also cultural. Japanese craftsmanship often values precision, refinement, and eliminating unnecessary things. Bigger was not always considered better.

 

While many countries competed to make larger products, Japanese companies competed to make things compact, reliable, and elegant.

 

Today, the phrase “短小軽薄” is not used very often, especially in the cloud and AI era. But the mindset still exists. Even now, many Japanese products are designed around efficiency, simplicity, and doing more with less.

 

That philosophy helped shape modern consumer electronics around the world.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for a Data Center

Even when building a modern data center in Japan, one of the very first steps may be a traditional Jichinsai — a Shinto groundbreaking ceremony.

 

It may sound unusual to some people. A facility designed to support cloud computing, AI, high-speed networks, and massive amounts of digital data begins with a Shinto priest offering prayers, rice, salt, and sake to the land. It feels like ancient tradition and future technology existing side by side.

 

But in Japan, this is completely natural.

 

A Jichinsai is not simply a formal event. It is performed to pray for construction safety, stable operation of the facility, and the well-being of everyone involved in the project. Behind this tradition is the Japanese concept of Yakuyoke — protection from misfortune or unseen risks.

 

No matter how advanced technology becomes, people still cannot control everything. Earthquakes, accidents, unexpected failures, and human error will always exist. Japanese culture has long believed that it is important to prepare carefully, show humility, and respect both nature and the unknown.

 

I personally think there is something meaningful about that.

 

Even in the age of AI and cloud infrastructure, Japan still preserves traditions that remind people to pause, show respect, and hope for safety before starting something important. Technology and tradition are not seen as opposites in Japan. They simply coexist.

Do Japanese people truly believe Shinto deities protect the land and buildings?

 

I would say, for many Japanese people, the answer is probably “No” in a strict religious sense.

 

But at the same time, many Japanese people also think:
“We do not know if there is a god or spirit there, but just in case there is one, there is nothing wrong with showing respect.”

 

That is probably closer to the truth.

This is Kenichi Uchikura, and I would like to personally invite you to join us at PSPINC for a special networking event co-hosted with the Japan-America Society of Washington.

 

I am especially excited because my good friend Lewis Rudd, founder of Ezell’s Famous Chicken, will be speaking together with Rajah Anderson, Director of Marketing at Ezell’s. Ezell’s is one of Seattle’s true success stories, and I believe you will enjoy hearing their insights on business, marketing, and community building.

 

This will be a relaxed and friendly event with great opportunities to meet people, exchange ideas, and build new connections.

 

And yes… PSPINC will be ordering Ezell’s Famous Chicken for the event. 😉

 

📅 May 28, 2026
🕓 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 PSPINC
1402 140th Place N.E.
Bellevue, WA 98007

 

💲 Free for JASSW Members
💲 $10 for Non-Members

 

I hope to see you there. If you are interested, please call us at Call 1-800-232-3989 or 425-957-0808

Seattle Is Finally Getting National Attention

For many years, Seattle and Washington State stayed mostly out of the national political spotlight. New York and California usually attracted the attention. Seattle was simply known as a successful tech city surrounded by mountains, coffee, and rain.

 

That is changing fast.

 

I live and run my business in Bellevue, and recently I have started to feel the impact of new progressive taxes more directly than ever before. Washington State now has capital gains taxes, discussions about millionaire income taxes, expanded sales taxes on services, while still keeping the B&O tax on businesses. At the same time, Seattle politics continue moving further left.

 

Over the years, I have watched some companies quietly move from Seattle to Bellevue because of the business environment. Now I also see businesses and wealthy individuals considering moving out of Washington State entirely.

 

What concerns me is not politics itself. Every city has politics. My concern is whether the region is slowly making it harder for businesses to grow, hire people, and invest long term.

 

Seattle became successful because people built things here — technology, aerospace, global trade, and small businesses. That spirit created opportunity and jobs.

 

Now Seattle is getting national attention for a different reason. People around the country are watching to see how far progressive policies can go before businesses and investment begin looking elsewhere.

 

Whether people agree or disagree politically, Seattle is no longer invisible.

“Ame ni mo Makezu” — A Japanese Way of Thinking

 

One of the most famous poems in Japan is Ame ni mo Makezu (“Be Not Defeated by the Rain”) written by Kenji Miyazawa in 1931. Even today, many Japanese people grow up hearing or reading parts of this poem in school.

 

The poem is not really about success, money, or power. It is about endurance, humility, kindness, and responsibility toward others.

 

Miyazawa describes a person who does not complain about rain, wind, snow, or heat. A person who stays calm, helps others quietly, works hard without asking for praise, and lives simply.

 

In many ways, this poem reflects a traditional Japanese ideal.

 

Japan is a country that has faced earthquakes, typhoons, wars, shortages, and difficult living conditions throughout history. Because of this, endurance and cooperation became important cultural values. Rather than standing out loudly, people were often respected for quietly doing what needed to be done.

 

The famous line at the end says:

 

“I want to become that kind of person.”

 

That sentence is important. Miyazawa was not claiming he already was such a person. He was expressing an aspiration — a lifelong goal.

 

Even in modern Japan, many people still connect with this mindset:
Do your job.
Help others.
Do not complain too much.
Stay humble.
Keep going.

 

Of course, modern society is changing, and younger generations may think differently. But Ame ni mo Makezu still remains one of the poems that captures something deep inside Japanese culture and how many Japanese people once hoped to live.

The Pain of Changing Hospital Computer Systems

My hospital, Virginia Mason, is currently switching its computer system to Epic. I went in for a regular check-up this morning, and I had to wait in line just to check in.

 

Even though I had already entered all my information into the Epic system yesterday, they still had to ask me everything again. Apparently, the information I entered was not properly saved or available in the system yet. I had to show my insurance card again and confirm who I was, even though I have been a patient there for at least four years.

 

I’m not complaining. Honestly, I feel their pain.

 

While I was checking in, there were four staff members working the check-in counter, but there was still a long line of patients waiting. On top of that, there were two IT support people standing behind the staff helping them with the new system.

 

This is not a small hospital. Virginia Mason has many branches, so I can only imagine similar situations are happening everywhere across the organization right now.

 

System migrations at this scale must be incredibly difficult. From the outside, people may only see delays and confusion, but behind the scenes there are probably thousands of moving parts, training issues, data transfers, and workflow changes happening all at once.

 

However, once this transformation is complete, Virginia Mason will be able to communicate and share information more easily with other hospitals and clinics that also use the Epic system. In the long run, that could become a very good thing for both patients and healthcare providers.

 

Right now, though… what a pain — for both patients and staff.

Why White Flowers Have a Special Meaning in Japan

 

In many countries, white flowers are associated with purity, weddings, or peaceful feelings. But in Japan, white flowers can carry a very different meaning.

 

Traditionally, white flowers are strongly connected to funerals and memorial services. They are often used at wakes, funerals, gravesites, and Buddhist ceremonies honoring the deceased. Because of this cultural association, giving someone a bouquet of white flowers in everyday situations can sometimes create discomfort or send an unintended message.

 

For example, in Japan, if someone is hospitalized, people are usually careful about what flowers they bring. Certain flowers and colors are avoided because they may remind people of funerals, illness, or bad luck. White chrysanthemums in particular are commonly associated with mourning.

 

This does not mean white flowers are “bad” in Japan. White still represents cleanliness, simplicity, and beauty in many Japanese traditions. However, context matters greatly in Japanese culture. The same flower can feel elegant in one setting and inappropriate in another.

 

Cultural meanings behind colors and flowers differ greatly around the world. Something considered beautiful and positive in one country may carry a completely different emotional meaning somewhere else. That is one reason why learning about cultural traditions is always fascinating.

Ghost of Tsushima and the Power of Japanese Culture

 

Many people assume Ghost of Tsushima was made in Japan, but it was actually developed by an American studio called Sucker Punch Productions. Even so, the game became one of the most respected portrayals of Japan in modern entertainment.

 

What made the game special was not just the combat or samurai story. People around the world fell in love with the scenery of Tsushima — the shrines, torii gates, temples, forests, and quiet beauty of rural Japan. For many players outside Japan, the game became their first emotional connection to traditional Japanese culture.

 

Then something amazing happened in real life.

 

In 2020, a typhoon damaged a torii gate at Watatsumi Shrine on Tsushima Island. Repairing it would cost a great deal of money. Fans of the game around the world heard about the damage and started crowdfunding to help restore it.

 

The donations quickly exceeded expectations and eventually reached more than 27 million yen.

 

Think about that for a moment. People who had never been to Tsushima — and in many cases had never even been to Japan — cared enough to help preserve part of Japanese culture simply because a video game touched them emotionally.

 

That is the power of culture.
Sometimes entertainment can build bridges between countries better than politics ever can.

Many people do not realize that the official Chinese name for the People’s Republic of China — 「中華人民共和国」 — is deeply connected to Japan’s modernization era.

 

The words are written using Chinese characters, but the modern political terminology behind the name was heavily influenced by Meiji-era Japan.

 

「中華」 and 「人民」 are ancient Chinese terms. But 「共和国」 as the modern meaning of “republic” was part of a large effort by Japan in the 1800s to translate Western political, scientific, and philosophical ideas into Kanji. During the Meiji Restoration, Japan created and standardized many modern terms still used across East Asia today.

 

China later imported many of these words back from Japan because Japanese modernization happened earlier, and many Chinese intellectuals studied in Japan during the late Qing period.

 

Without that Japanese modernization effort, the exact modern country name 「中華人民共和国」 may never have existed in its present form.

 

This is one of the fascinating examples of how Japan and China influenced each other culturally and linguistically in modern history — even in ways many people never notice today.

“Not Leaving Until the Work Reaches a Good Stopping Point” — Japanese Work Culture
In Japan in the past, it was more common to think, “Finish the work before going home,” rather than simply, “It’s quitting time, so let’s leave.”

 

If there was only a little work left, people would finish it before leaving. If a problem occurred, they stayed until it was resolved. If a customer still needed support, they remained at the office until everything was taken care of. Many people naturally worked this way.

 

In some other countries, there is a stronger mindset that “when working hours are over, you go home.” That does not mean people lack responsibility. It simply reflects a culture that separates work life and private life more clearly.

 

But in Japan, there was a strong value placed on “not walking away halfway” and “seeing things through to the end.”

 

Younger generations today may look at this and wonder, “Why go that far?” From an efficiency standpoint, sometimes it may be better to continue the next day, and this mindset also contributed to long working hours.

 

Still, this culture did help support the high standards of Japanese manufacturing and customer service.

 

“If someone else will struggle, I’ll stay a little longer.”
“I can’t leave things unfinished.”

 

That sense of responsibility, for better or worse, became one of the defining characteristics of Japanese work culture.

 

Times are changing, and work styles are changing too. But the idea of “finishing what you started” still feels like one of the strengths of Japanese people today.