Kaizen, Akihabara and Ramen

This morning we heard from two different Japanese businessmen, one hailing from a career in banking and the other involved with Tokyo from the beginning of kaizen, and the process of eliminating waste toward continuous improvement. Even though it is originally a production method, I enjoy thinking about how the Toyota System can be applied to other industries, services and life skills including: studying and time-management.

As we were walking through the department stores in Ginza and the electronic stores in Akihabara, I was wondering what would happen if all retail were produced using "Just In Time," or nearly made-on-demand. Retail outlets have much less space in Japan, so reducing backstock is less of an issue, but I am thinking of back home where stores are crowded with stock items on the floor. Often what is out for consumer purchase does not even include backstock. Then, how is it that I can still go to the store and they will be out of the one item I want? Is it simply poor inventory management? I am not sure if that is the only problem. I know of one clothing retailer that attempted to limit backstock and offer customers incentive to order goods, but they went under and sold their brand to another clothing company. Certainly ordering more goods than can be sold is not a sustainable practice, but who is to blame? Is it marketing's fault for innacurate demand forecasting? Or maybe the customer's for inconsistent purchasing patterns? Personally, I believe sustainability and reducing waste are the responsibility of all.

On a lighter note, we went to a very delicious ramen shop, tucked away in a small alley near Akihabara station, where we pre-paid for our meal in a vending machine-type menu out front and gave our ticket to the cook when we walked in. Very dive-y, but amazing food nevertheless. The walk around the area was refreshing after sitting for so long, and I am looking forward to what lies ahead tomorrow.