Kyushu Alumni Tour – September 2019
Return to Japan to experience an all-new program for Lean Japan Tour Alumni only
In September 2019, Shinka Management invite our past participants of the Lean Japan Tour to the beautiful southern island of Kyushu. A completely new selection of company visits has been arranged in the prefectures of Fukuoka and Oita.
Also joining us for this special event will be Akinori Hyodo, the former manager of the Toyota HiAce plant. He will lead seminars and plant visit discussions throughout the week.
The tour will be held on Sunday 22nd September through Saturday 28th September, and will include kaizen seminars and visits to factories for meetings with senior management.
The tour coincides with the Rugby World Cup. A great opportunity to also take in the atmosphere of the event’s host country.

For further details of the tour and to read about past visits see our kaizen tour page.
Contact us to express your interest in participating.
The September 2019 tour is open to all past participants of the Lean Japan Tour.
Example Itinerary (subject to change)
Sunday: Arrive Fukuoka
- Fukuoka free time
- Orientation & Seminar with former Toyota factory manager
Monday: Fukuoka – Site Visits & Training
- Seminar with former Toyota factory manager
- Toyota Motor Kyushu factory visit
Tuesday: Fukuoka – Site Visits & Training
- Seminar with former Toyota factory manager
- Toyota Motor Kyushu factory visit
Wednesday: Oita- Site Visits & Training
- Fundokin miso factory visit
- Fundokin salad dressing factory visit
Thursday: Oita – Site Visits
- Omron Taiyo factory visit
- Toto factory visit
Friday: Oita – Site Visit & Debriefing
- Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal factory visit
- Oita City Government
Saturday: Oita – Recovery and Sightseeing
- Oita sightseeing
- Departure from Fukuoka Airport
Learn more about our Lean Japan Tour
The Lean Japan Tour is Shinka Management’s flagship lean professional development program. For further detail about our lean Japan tours, see the Lean Japan Tour page, or read more about past participants’ Lean Mission Testimonials.
What our tour participants have said…
I would like to thank the Shinka team. They have been doing very well since day one of the program notification. Their work is a demonstration of the lean principles of standard work and Plan, Do, Check and Action (PDCA). The Shinka team arranged factory visits to various tiers of the automotive industry and building…
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It was an exciting experience learning about Japan’s culture and industrial mentality. I had the honor of seeing and experiencing the industrial culture in Japan and exploring the reasons for its prosperity based on the principle of “kaizen”, as well as witnessing the work environment in a distinctive way embodied in the principle of 5S. It was…
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I really liked the Lean Japan Tour, since it combines theoretical training, workshops and visits to different companies. It is different to see firsthand how the different methodologies work and take the time to understand that it is part of the organizational culture. Thank you Shinka Management team. Now let’s get to work…!!
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The Shinka lean study mission of Japan offers participants an opportunity to see what is possible in undertaking world class manufacturing. The insights that are possible on tours like this can really challenge what you think are the real key success factors for implementation and enhance the chance of success in your own journey.
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The Lean Japan Tour with Shinka Management was an inspiring and transformative experience. Seeing lean practices in action and learning from Japanese companies was truly eye-opening. This journey has motivated me to embrace lean principles in my own work. Big thanks to Shinka Management for such an enriching program — I highly recommend it!
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Contact us about a Lean Japan Tour
Speak to us about our tours.