Actuarial Reflections from Japan
A career journey abroad reveals how culture, technology, and time reshape both work and perspective
In the early 2000s, I worked for an insurance software company with many multinational clients. Quite a few of them had subsidiaries in Asia. This gave me the opportunity to travel to Japan to prospect for new business. In 2025, my wife and I vacationed in Japan. That gave me a chance to reflect on the differences between Japan and the United States as well as the changes I observed in Japan over the past 20 years.
Logistically, not much has changed over the years. It is still a very long trip from the East Coast with the added bonus of a grueling 14-hour time change. Surprisingly, the cost of the airfare has barely changed over the last 20 years. Other prices have dropped dramatically. In 2005, my camera had a 0.5G SD card that cost $100. On my last trip, I used a 512 GB card that cost the same amount. At the time of my first trip, I didn’t have a cell phone. Not that it would have made a big difference, since Google Maps would not be launched until 2005.
Not having a map app in Japan is huge, since street numbering isn’t sequential. Instead, it generally goes clockwise around the street, and with new buildings numbered based on construction order. Thus, building 1 may be across the street from building 2, and building 16 may be next to building 1. This almost random address pattern made navigation very difficult without a map app or a local guide. Having Google Maps on my recent trip made navigation much more manageable, but not always as accurate as we have come to expect domestically.
NOTES ON WORK
On my initial trip to Tokyo, in 2004, I went out a week before the rest of our large contingent. Our client had just bought a large block of business from another company. They were struggling to document the other insurer’s products. My primary task was to show them how to document the new products by completing product documentation for a representative product.
The biggest missing piece was how Japanese tax law applied to insurance policy income and proceeds. I was sent off to meet with one of the client’s lawyers who was familiar with product taxation. They came to our meeting equipped with a high-level tax document in English. Their grasp of English was very limited, so whenever I needed more details, they tracked down the document’s author for clarification. This was a laborious process, but we ultimately finalized the taxation portion. My finished English product document was then translated into Japanese. Having this as a template, the client was then able to document the other products using the same format.
The commute from Tokyo to Chofu was around an hour and required taking four separate trains. In 2004, the farther we traveled from Tokyo, the more ancient the trains became. During my latest trip, even the local trains were ultra-modern and featured bilingual LED route maps that updated in real time.
GETTING AROUND
One constant in Japan is that the trains and stations are always spotlessly clean. On my earliest trip to Japan, I saw Japanese trainmen known as oshiya, or “pushers,” who used their white-gloved hands to cram people into overflowing train cars. This is far less common today, thanks to improved scheduling. I also learned that if a train is late in Japan, you can get a chien shōmeisho, or delay certificate, to excuse your lateness with your manager. While not completely unique to Japan, getting a delay certificate is rather rare, as the trains generally run like clockwork.
Because I arrived before my coworkers, I sent instructions to the rest of our team coming out after me. Being one of the few actuaries at the software company, I was always ribbed for being overly analytical and providing too many details. Sending an email of very detailed step-by-step instructions to the office in Japan did not help my reputation any. However, after they successfully arrived at the office on time, they told me that the detailed handout was a lifesaver. Actuaries to the rescue!
It is not just the public transportation in Japan that is immaculate; it is true everywhere. For residents of any large urban area in the U.S., seeing litter everywhere is a fact of life. In Japan, it is almost unheard of. When you buy take-out food, you are expected to return your trash to the store before moving on. During my vacation, this caused a slight problem. It was a hot, humid day, and I really wanted to nurse my cold drink while walking around the city. I assumed that since Tokyo was so clean, finding a trash can would be a no-brainer. This was not the case. I spent the next two hours looking everywhere for a trash can, while holding my empty drink container. I never found one or saw any litter, so I ultimately took my trash back to my hotel room.
FOODIE PARADISE
Japan is a foodie’s paradise. Tokyo is often cited as having over 160,000 restaurants—one of the largest concentrations of dining establishments in the world—roughly one for every 100 to 200 people, depending on how it’s measured. This delectable inundation is likely to leave one with extra helpings of food on their plate. Whether it’s getting up at 4 a.m. to watch the tuna auction at the Tsukiji Fish Market or eating sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (guilty as charged).
Despite having this incredible selection of foods, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. I had one coworker who insisted on eating all their meals at McDonald’s.
Sushi is very popular in Japan; a recent dataset shows that Tokyo has over 4,000 sushi restaurants. Sushi restaurants come in all shapes and sizes. Ranging from hole-in-the-wall standing sushi bars to restaurants like the one featured in the 2011 documentary movie “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” where you can easily spend over $600 per person.
Another fun option is going to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. My first visit to one, in 2005, was decidedly low-tech. I took the sushi I wanted off the circular conveyor belt as it passed by me. If you let the desired piece pass you by, you had to wait until it came around again. Your bill was tallied by a server based on your collection of empty plates, with prices based on the color of the plate. Today, these restaurants feature contactless dining. You order from a terminal at your seat. Seats are arranged in rows, which are serviced by a straight conveyor belt. Once it is prepared, your sushi comes flying down a conveyor belt and stops right in front of you. It is mesmerizing to watch the plates of sushi come zooming out of the kitchen and stop perfectly in front of every diner in your section. When you are full, you pay your bill from the terminal.
In my experience, Spam hasn’t been a big gift item. In Japan, Spam gift sets are popular and are often sold as souvenirs at airports and drugstores. These sets are big hits during gift-giving seasons and are well-regarded as food gifts.
MONEY AND MANNERS
When I first visited Japan, I found prices generally comparable to those in the states. The dollar was worth around 105 Yen then. This meant that the merchandise at the 100 Yen Store was very similar to what one would see at a dollar store in the U.S. However, interest rates in Japan were 0% as compared to around 4% here. This made for some very interesting insurance pricing.
By late 2025, the dollar was worth 150 Yen. This led to some wonderful bargains. We got eight pieces of takeout nigiri sushi along with an eight-piece sushi roll for under $4. It was excellent quality and would run $25 or more in a restaurant at home.
Hotel prices were comparable, but standard Japanese hotel rooms tend to be significantly smaller than those in the West.
Etiquette is deeply embedded in Japanese daily life. I was told to never stick your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice. This has several meanings, all bad (brings bad luck, a sign of disrespect to the host, and it looks like a funeral offering, which reminds people of deaths in their family). I saw this happen firsthand at a team dinner with our clients. One of my coworkers stuck their chopsticks upright in the rice, and conversation at the table came to an immediate halt until the offending chopsticks were removed.
In the office, the exchange of meishi koukan, or business cards, is an important ceremony. It is a formal, respectful ritual in which cards are exchanged standing, one by one (highest rank first), using both hands, while bowing slightly, with the cards facing the recipient. They must be kept clean and always in a case. They are never written on or immediately pocketed. Instead, they should be carefully scrutinized upon receipt and kept out in the order that people are seated around the table.
Hand in hand with the importance of etiquette is the notion of respect. This includes respect for elders and those in higher positions, bowing, and removing your shoes when entering homes and certain public places.
Even jobs that are considered menial in the U.S. are respected in Japan. For example, Japanese trashmen drive very clean trucks and wear nice uniforms. In the workplace, respect takes many forms. It includes respecting higher-ranking employees and older coworkers, being polite and avoiding confrontation and prioritizing team goals over individual recognition.
Finally, extreme politeness and respect are shown toward clients and business partners. This may explain why my team was invited back to Japan several weeks after our preliminary sales presentation in 2005. Our expectation was that it was going to be a follow-up meeting to clarify more project details. Instead, it turned out to be a 30-minute meeting to tell us that the client would not be buying our software. While this appeared to us to be a huge expenditure of our time and resources, it was our client’s way of showing their respect for us.
CULTURE AND CONTRAST
Japan is a study in contrasts. While embracing the latest technology and trends, Japanese culture also respects traditional ways and crafts. It is commonplace to see a large, beautiful ancient shrine nestled in the middle of a block full of ultra-modern buildings.
Japan is known for embracing the latest technology in electronics and gaming. Modern art forms like anime and manga are immensely popular. Despite this, traditional arts like kabuki theater, calligraphy and ikebana (flower arranging) are still popular.
Sumo wrestling, a sport with centuries of history and strict rituals, draws television ratings just behind baseball and soccer, according to a 2021 survey by Central Research Services. At the other end of the spectrum, Japan is a global leader in robotics and advanced automation.
Tokyo’s Harajuku district is world-famous for avant-garde, bold youth street styles. It is also very common to see young couples on a date who have rented kimonos, complete with hair and makeup styling, for photo shoots.
Animal cafes are a phenomenon which has proliferated since my earlier visits to Japan. They are popular with city dwellers who want to interact with animals but can’t own a pet for a variety of reasons. On a recent visit to Harajuku, I saw cafes featuring cats, dogs, rabbits, hedgehogs, otters, and capybara to name just a few. During your visit you play with the cute animals and enjoy a snack or a drink. Tourists also can’t resist these animal cafes, and every single one we passed was very busy.
With the advent of online gambling, legal gambling has exploded in the US. In Japan, most gambling is still illegal, with the exception of some government-run programs. The exception is pachinko. Pachinko resembles a vertical pinball machine. Points are scored based on where the ball lands. On my previous trips to Japan, the pachinko parlors were incredibly noisy, smoky places, despite smokers being relegated to sealed smoking rooms with their own ventilation systems. The parlors are filled with patrons who buy large buckets of ball bearings to feed into the machines. Today’s machines are mostly digital and feature soundtracks and video game-like animation.
The gray area that prevents pachinko from being considered gambling involves how payouts are made. To avoid being considered gambling, no direct cash payouts are made from the parlor to the gamblers. The way I understand it, the Pachinko loophole works like this: Accumulated winnings are cashed out at the parlor in exchange for mundane prizes like soap powder or keychains. These items are taken to a nearby, literal hole-in-the-wall that is not affiliated with the parlor. There, the prizes are exchanged for cash. Finally, a third party buys the prizes from the middleman and sells them back to the parlor for cash. The net result of this transaction is that the casino’s assets are reduced by the player’s winnings, which are paid in cash to the player through a middleman.
Since retiring, I have become a pickleball fanatic. Its popularity in the U.S. has exploded in the last few years. On my return trip to Japan, I was interested to see whether pickleball was popular there yet. I found a few Facebook groups scheduling mostly beginner games on portable nets in school gyms. I was hoping for a more serious game. Then I found out there were two permanent courts on the 11th floor of the Tokyo Tower. It is an iconic building based on the Eiffel Tower. Playing there felt like a bucket-list activity. Court reservations were handled through a website entirely in Japanese. Google Translate helped, but some of the instructions were still unclear.
Many emails back and forth with the organization that administers the website did not get me much further. While they were very helpful, the language barrier between my emails, which I converted to Japanese, and their English responses, still did not get me through the reservation process. Once I converted my name to Japanese characters and entered my English name in full-width characters, I was finally able to create an account. So confusing.
The next step was finding another couple to play against. Through many posts on Facebook groups, I found a couple that was available at the time of our court reservation. It turned out they lived on an island in Washington state near where pickleball was invented. The night before our pickleball match it had rained. I was concerned we wouldn’t get to play, since there were only two courts and no make-ups. With typical Japanese efficiency, players did not have to wait in the hour-long line for elevators to the observation deck, since there was a dedicated elevator for the pickleball courts! After checking in, the worker there told us that only one court was playable.
Luckily, the rain must have deterred the other scheduled group, and we got to play on a slightly slippery court with an amazing view of downtown Tokyo. For a pickleball enthusiast, it was a great experience.
IN CLOSING
INTERESTED IN MORE?
Read “Working in Japan as an Actuary,” from the Actuary of the Future archive at SOA.org.
Read The Actuary article, “Changes, Opportunities and Challenges in the Japanese Insurance Market.”
Visiting Japan over the years has given me a deeper appreciation of how much a society can change while still maintaining traditions that give its culture depth and identity. The country has clearly evolved, embracing modern technology and new trends in every aspect of daily life. This can be seen in the spotless, high-tech trains and cutting-edge dining experiences, or in a simple game of pickleball high above Tokyo; each moment reinforces how thoughtfully Japanese society functions. However, the unwavering commitment to order, respect and community remains Japan’s defining strength. These same principles carry over into business practices, but do not stop progress at the expense of tradition. Japan shows that it is possible to honor the past while continuously improving the future—and that balance is something worth admiring, and perhaps even emulating.
Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries or the respective authors’ employers.
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