Hamamatsu City Government – Site Tour
Hamamatsu City is located on the western side of Shizuoka Prefecture and is the largest city in the Prefecture with a population of around 800,000. Hamamatsu is situated halfway between Tokyo and Osaka and is known as a city of “monozukuri” or creative manufacturing and is home to some of the world’s leading companies such as Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha.
Basic Information
- Population: 800,000
- Region: Tokai Region
- Area: 1,558 square kilometers
- Major Industries: Manufacturing of transport equipment, musical equipment, textile, electronic, optics etc.
Hamamatsu City Government – Lean Characteristics
Office-based improvement
Lean management started to seriously be applied to governments throughout Japan in the mid-1990s. As governments are not driven by profit, the interesting challenge for them in lean implementation is creating a need for improvement.
Hamamatsu City is recognised as one of the leading governments in Japan with a successful lean program. It’s “Good Job” movement is one of the key ways they achieve office-based improvement in work. It is designed as a bottom-up approach to drive government reform on a daily basis.
A strong spirit of improvement is fostered through teams and kaizen leaders. Good ideas are quickly shared and copied into other areas. Linking improvement with the manufacturing word of “muri” or overburden, many ideas generated are about making the tasks of the public servants easier and removing the difficult and frustrating aspects not only from them but also from their service users. The aim here is to create a more comfortable and enjoyable work environment.
The seminar with Hamamatsu City Council will focus on the Good Job program.
Bowhill, South Australia, Australia
A great mix of Japanese Business Etiquette, site visits show-casing lean principles, Japanese Culture and networking with the other members of the group. Both Ben & Paul were professional yet relaxed and friendly. Their relationships with key personnel in strategic lean businesses is impressive and their ability to translate quickly & accurately minimised the language…
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Kaiserslautern, Germany
The Lean Japan Tour was an educational and exciting experience. The Shinka Management team with its impeccable all-round service ensured that the head and heart were free and open the whole time to be able to collect the many impressions. The factory tours, in connection with getting to know the country and culture, have expanded…
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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The TPS methodologies and learnings were exceptional. Shinka management ensured the tour was clearly defined. The teachings from expert senseis were effective, and they shared their knowledge and experience of the kaizen and 5S models. A must attend tour for people who are seeking improvements in business and culture. Thank you Shinka management!
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Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour was a good learning and hands-on experience that provided insights into world-class lean practices. The combination of factory visits, expert-led workshops and cultural immersion offered practical knowledge that can be applied to improve operational excellence. I highly recommend this program to anyone serious about driving continuous improvement and learning…
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Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Paul, Eri and the Shinka Management team added significant value to our recent business tour in Japan. Well organised custom tour arranged in a short timeframe provided a great learning and cultural experience for our team!
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Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
My experience on the Lean Japan Tour: – High level of attention and kindness with all participants; – Quality of content in the classroom; – Knowledge and experience of senseis; – Experiments in the dojo; – High-quality company visits; – High-quality hotels, meals and transports.
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The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour is a professional development program run several times annually. The program includes a mix of lean and kaizen seminars, hands-on lean training and visits to several benchmark lean companies. For further information and program dates, see the lean tour overview page.
Tour Inquiries
Interested in joining us in Japan? For additional information prior to registration please fill in the form provided or contact us.