Lean Japan Tour – November 2024 – Kaizen Study Mission
The November 2024 Lean Japan Tour will be held on Sunday 10th through to Saturday 16th November. The kaizen study mission will include lean seminars, practical kaizen training and visits to factories for meetings with senior management.
Location: Tokyo, Japan
For further details of the tour and to read about past visits see our Lean Japan Tour page.
Contact us to express your interest in participating or download the registration form to sign up now.
The November 2024 lean study tour is targeted at English-speaking professionals from across the globe.
Example Itinerary (subject to change)
Sunday: Arrive Tokyo
- Tokyo sightseeing / free time
- Orientation & Japanese business etiquette seminar
Monday: Nagoya – Site Visits & Training
- Lean leadership in Japan
- Toyota factory tour – Toyota Boshoku Seiko
Tuesday: Nagoya – Site Visits & Training
- Lean implementation in Japan
- Toyota final assembly plant tour
- Standard work seminar
Wednesday: Nagoya – Training & Site Visit
- Suzaki Industries factory tour (Toyota Supplier)
- Metal One Isuzu factory tour
- Sightseeing to local castle
Thursday: Nagoya – Practical Training
- Hands-on kanban simulation
- Standard work and kaizen practical
- Karakuri Kaizen Examples
Friday: Nagoya – Site Visit & Debriefing
- Site visit or Toyota Commemorative Museum
- Final seminar and tour debrief session
- Return to Tokyo
Saturday: Tokyo – Recovery and Sightseeing
- Free morning in Tokyo for sightseeing
- Departure
Learn more about our kaizen study missions
The Lean Japan Tour is Shinka Management’s flagship lean professional development program. For further detail about our kaizen study tours, see the Lean Japan Tour page, or read more about past participants’ Lean Mission Testimonials.

What our kaizen study mission participants have said…
Had the pleasure to accompany Ben and clients on the 2007 Lean Japan Tour. I had worked with many Japanese, ASEAN, UK and US firms and as such have participated in benchmarking assignments and tours of their operations. Some involved attending and presenting at various strategy, productivity and quality management conferences. In that context, I…
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From a remote rural engineering company – to the shining lights of Japan’s finest. I have returned overwhelmed from the experience to learn from some of the worlds best manufacturers and absorb decades of experience from my fellow peers. Highly recommended and treat it as a sound investment for your company’s future!
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This tour was recommended to me by our VP Operations who undertook the tour the previous year. Both Ben and Paul provided an excellent tour of the Japanese manufacturing industry and the program was both well run and highly focused towards the practical implementation of lean strategies. There were plenty of opportunities to ask questions…
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I must say thank you to the whole Shinka team – very grateful to meet you. The senseis and the Shinka team always cared about integrating us, teaching us and making us feel comfortable. The planning for the tour was brilliant. All my expectations were met. I saw TPS totally implemented, and it was amazing…
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I have thoroughly enjoyed the lean tour to Japan. Not only have I learned lots of new concepts that I’m keen to implement in our business, but I also loved the cultural experiences and insight into the people of Japan. The tour organizers bent over backward to make us feel welcome and anticipate our every…
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Contact us about a Lean Japan Tour
Speak to us about our tours.