The Lean Healthcare Tour is a special edition of the Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour designed exclusively for healthcare professionals.
The program is a lean healthcare study trip to Japan comprising an intensive week of classroom and hands-on training, factory and hospital tours, senior management discussions, networking with local healthcare professionals, and Japanese cultural experiences.
May 2025 Lean Healthcare Tour
Dates: Sunday 18 – Saturday 24 May 2025
Commences 4pm, Sunday 18 May 2025 at Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel and concludes Saturday 24 May in Fukuoka with an optional day of sightseeing
Cities Visited: Nagoya, Inuyama, Fukuoka
Inclusions: Accommodation, meals*, domestic transport, hospital & factory tours, classroom and hands-on training, joint seminar and networking dinner, cultural visits
*Meals exclude two free evenings and Saturday lunch
Further Details: Contact Shinka Management to request brochure, itinerary, factory and hospital details and program fee
Lean Healthcare Tour – Program Highlights
This one-week study trip is designed to provide participants with a solid understanding of Japanese lean management practices and their application in a healthcare setting. The week features a mix of classroom and hands-on training on the Toyota Production System, tours of benchmark lean manufacturing factories and visits to leading Japanese hospitals.
- Learn the Japanese approach to lean with a former Toyota factory manager
- Visit benchmark Japanese lean manufacturing factories
- Tour one of Japan’s largest medical centers accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI)
- Visit an award-winning hospital leading the way in quality improvement in Japan
- Get hands-on with kanban and karakuri
- Put yourself to the test with a kaizen team challenge
- Participate in a joint seminar on quality improvement in healthcare*
- Join a networking dinner with local professionals dedicated to the application of total quality management in healthcare
* Select participants will be invited to present on their own organization’s quality improvement / kaizen programs at a joint seminar to be held on the Monday afternoon of the program together with local healthcare professionals. An expectation is that participants attend the Lean Healthcare Tour with a willingness to share their own experience (where applicable) with fellow participants and host hospitals.
Ladyline Abad, Associate Director – Ancillary Services
St. Luke's Medical Center
My experience on the Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour was spectacular. Learning more about TQM and Lean Management in the country where almost all industries are implementing these approaches has been surreal. It was also a good experience witnessing these firsthand in the manufacturing industry and even more so in the healthcare industry. It is amazing to see that companies are able to sustain these principles over such a long period of time. We have been exposed to these approaches in the past, and although we are not new to this field, it gave us a sense of urgency in reviving and pushing for the same principles in our workplace. The best part during the tour for me was the hospital visits since I am from the healthcare industry. I have learned as well an important lesson during the tour which is to look inside first and assess what needs to be done. We shouldn’t be asking how we could use the tools or just implement what we learned, but rather, ask first what the problem is.
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Regien De Bleecker, Vice President
Amazon
Great experience delivered by passionate professionals. The training is well-balanced between real life factory/hospital visits (lean in action), theory (basic concepts, why it makes sense) and exercise (set up your own mini factory line using lean concepts). All of this where it started: Japan. Definitely recommend the tour for any professional looking for ways to improve the efficiency of their operations.
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Joanne Tuazon, Neonatal ICU Nurse
University of Maryland Medical Center
The whole experience of the lean tour was excellent. I learned so much over the past week and all of my previous knowledge of lean was reinforced. Not only did I learn about lean management but I was also impressed with the Japanese culture. The whole team at Shinka Management were very helpful and made sure the tour went smoothly. It was an experience that I will surely remember throughout my lean journey. Thank you.
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Khawla Alruhaili, Market Research Analyst
Advance Medical Company
Thank you for the well-organized and informative tour. It can be distracting to read and attend lectures about lean, but when combined with practical training and actual visits to the home of lean, it helps to clarify and connect all the dots. The tour was an eye-opening experience where we witnessed lean manufacturing principles in action. The attention to detail and commitment to continuous improvement were truly inspiring.
Overall, the tour was a transformative experience. It highlighted the power of lean thinking and demonstrated how it can significantly improve productivity, quality and customer satisfaction.
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Sue Phillips, Director Cross-Functional Process Improvement
Seattle Children’s Research Institute
I am now back in the office in rainy Seattle and wanted to say a huge thank you, once again for making the lean tour such an enjoyable learning experience. There are so many valuable learnings and enriching experiences that I am looking forward to sharing with my team and colleagues here in the coming days. I would also like to thank you again for including me in the additional visits to both Kameda Medical Center and Osaka City University Hospital. I cannot believe what a super fun group of people that the Osaka team were; they certainly made me feel very welcome.
Please also pass on my sincere appreciation to Eri for the amazing attention to detail both prior to the trip and to everything on the trip from a logistical standpoint. I know that a lot of work goes into ensuring things run smoothly and I truly thought that she did an amazing job!
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Dr Omar Naguib Abd Elaziz, Vice President of Operations
Al Khafji National Hospital
As I have had a previous unpleasant experience with lean training, I was worried about how much I could gain from this tour. At the end of this magnificent experience I can confirm that Shinka Management has exceeded my expectations. They are so organized, dedicated, helpful and generous. The tour was based on very-well known organizations using lean over decades and we got the maximum benefit from it.
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Program Benefits
The Lean Japan Tour will broaden your thinking and build your knowledge of lean management principles and continuous improvement methodology. You’ll experience kaizen practices in Japan’s top manufacturers and leading hospitals, network with Japanese leaders in lean healthcare, and develop the insights necessary to implement and sustain a quality and safety improvement program within your organization.
During the program you will build relationships with fellow participants from around the globe – a network of lean and quality improvement professionals that you can draw on for inspiration and motivation going forward. You’ll return home ready to help your organization take its next step in its improvement journey.
Lean Healthcare in Japan
The Japanese healthcare sector faces many of the same challenges faced by the global healthcare industry, including an aging population, rising healthcare costs, staff shortages, and increasing demand for high-quality patient care. Like other nations, Japan is grappling with how to provide accessible and efficient services while managing limited resources and maintaining patient safety. Additionally, the pressure to adopt advanced medical technologies and digital solutions is driving hospitals to find innovative ways to integrate these tools without overwhelming staff or compromising the quality of care. These challenges make continuous improvement methodologies like Kaizen and Lean management especially valuable in streamlining operations and improving overall efficiency.
A number of Japanese hospitals have been quietly implementing and sustaining healthcare delivery improvement programs since the 1970s, with little fanfare. The simple and effective Quality Circle approach adopted in Japanese hospitals, supported by a combination of practices from the field of Total Quality Management (TQM), serves as an excellent reference for kaizen promotion and personnel development in non-manufacturing sectors. Further, the influence of Toyota Motor Corporation and its world-famous Toyota Production System (TPS) can be witnessed in Japanese hospitals – and in a number of cases Toyota has directly collaborated with hospitals on the application of TPS principles to healthcare delivery.
Over the past decade, Shinka Management staff have been fortunate to participate in several national and regional conferences within Japan on the topic of lean healthcare and TQM application to hospitals. Relationships initially developed at this events have led to several leading Japanese hospitals being featured on the Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour in recent years. These visits serve as an excellent reference for how lean principles and culture can be implemented and sustained in challenging non-manufacturing environments, and in scenarios whereby the customer directly experiences and influences the process.
Lean Japan Tour
View a video from one of our previous Lean Japan Tour programs.
Want to see more? Access other kaizen study trip videos via our YouTube Channel or view our latest photos on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Key Features of Lean Application to Healthcare
Whilst principles and inspiration can be drawn from TPS and lean manufacturing practices, and there are similarities in the focus on safety, quality, cost and lead-time, there are several unique aspects associated with lean application within hospitals.
- In healthcare, the customer both directly experiences and influences the process
- Healthcare processes are highly individualized and variable depending on patient condition and requirements
- Healthcare, being a service, cannot be stored as inventory – it is consumed at the same time it is created
- Errors can result in serious harm or death to patients
- Healthcare’s value is defined by patient outcomes and satisfaction, which is subjective and can be hard to quantify
- The legal, regulatory and ethical environment in healthcare requires more stringent oversight of process, and can hinder rapid process improvement.
Inquiries
Interested in joining us in Japan for the Lean Healthcare Tour? To request program brochure with full details including itinerary, host organization names and pricing, please fill in the form provided or email our team at
Lean Healthcare Tour FAQs
The following FAQ section is specific to our Lean Healthcare Tour programs.
For general questions relating to our Japan study trips, including inquiries related to booking, travel arrangements and pre-departure preparation, see the FAQ section at the bottom of the Lean Japan Tour page.
Who is the Lean Healthcare Tour for?
The tour is designed specifically for healthcare professionals who are interested in learning and applying lean management practices in a healthcare setting. This includes hospital managers, clinicians, quality improvement professionals, and those involved in healthcare administration. Participation by companies that supply to the healthcare industry will also be considered.
What will I learn during this study trip?
Participants will gain a solid understanding of Japanese lean management and quality improvement practices, such as the Toyota Production System (TPS), Kaizen and Total Quality Management (TQM), and gain insight into how these principles are applied in both manufacturing and healthcare environments. You will also have the opportunity to engage in hands-on training, participate in discussions with senior management, and network with Japanese healthcare professionals.
What are the program highlights?
The lean healthcare study trip program includes visits to lean manufacturing factories, tours of hospitals (including a JCI-accredited hospital), classroom training, kaizen team challenges, a joint seminar with Japanese healthcare professionals, and a networking dinner. You will also experience cultural and culinary experiences unique to Japan.
Why should I choose Japan to learn about lean healthcare practices?
Japan has been a leader in the implementation of lean practices, particularly in the manufacturing sector with the Toyota Production System (TPS). In healthcare, Japanese hospitals have successfully adapted these principles to address challenges such as patient safety, rising costs, and the need for efficiency, whilst improving patient satisfaction, making them an excellent reference for global healthcare professionals.
Do I need prior experience with lean management or kaizen?
While prior experience with lean management practices can be helpful, the program is designed as a kaizen insight tour accommodating participants with varying levels of familiarity, and includes both foundational and advanced training.
How does the Lean Healthcare Tour differ from the Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour?
The Lean Healthcare Tour is a special edition of the Lean Japan Tour that has been customized to make it highly relevant to healthcare professionals leading improvement programs within their organization. The program has the same overall structure as the Lean Japan Tour, however with the addition of two hospital visits, a joint seminar and a networking dinner. A further difference is the need to travel to Kyushu two of the facility tours, and as such the Lean Healthcare Tour starts in Nagoya and concludes in Fukuoka. The program is also priced differently, taking into account additional transport and facility visits, whilst maintaining a high standard of accommodation and meals.
Why will we visit factories during a healthcare tour?
There are many principles and practices that have developed in the manufacturing industry that can be directly applied or adapted to suit the needs of the healthcare industry. For professionals responsible for leading a lean culture in their organization, it is important to have a thorough and correct understanding of the origins and intention behind lean principles.
How many participants will be selected to present during the joint seminar?
Depending on the final schedule and time constraints, a select number of participants will be invited to share their experiences with quality improvement or kaizen programs at the joint seminar. Although not mandatory (we understand that not everyone enjoys presenting), participants are encouraged to attend with a willingness to share their own insights where applicable. Participants at the beginning of their lean journey will not be required to present.
What are the cities we will visit during the tour?
During the Lean Healthcare Tour we will be based in Nagoya, Inuyama, and Fukuoka – and visit facilities in close proximity.
What will the group size be?
For our Lean Japan Tour programs we take a maximum of 20 participants, on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend registering early, as programs often become fully booked several months ahead of departure. Only professionals meeting the criteria for participation and with a genuine interest in learning will be accepted.
Contact Shinka Management via the contact form on this page for further information, including a brochure, itinerary, program fee details, and names of hospitals and factorys to be visited during the week. Our team can also be emailed directly at
Our Healthcare Clients
