Mana Hashimoto

2 months ago | blog.btrax.com | John Hayato Branderhorst |Brandon Hill |Mana Hashimoto

Japan may be the world’s third-largest economy, but lately, we’re seeing some big names pack their bags and head out. What’s going on? Time to dive into why companies are scaling back or leaving Japan altogether, and what this means for businesses eyeing the Japanese market. Who’s Heading Out? The list of companies planning to or have already left Japan reads like a who’s who of global business.

2 months ago | blog.btrax.com | Brandon Hill |Mana Hashimoto

What Kind of Business Thrives in the U.S.? One of the most common questions I get from Japanese entrepreneurs is: “What kind of business can succeed in the U.S.?” Many ambitious founders come to Silicon Valley with dreams of launching tech startups, yet history shows that very few Japanese entrepreneurs have achieved major success in the American market.

Jan 24, 2025 | blog.btrax.com | Mana Hashimoto |Brandon Hill

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a podcast featuring Michael Margolis, UX Research Partner at Google Ventures. This episode titled “Finding Your Bullseye Customer” stood out because Michael’s insights on UX research aligned with many of the practices my team and I use at btrax. Michael Margolis and his team also put together a handbook called Learn More Faster, which is available as a free PDF and has been a go-to resource for me lately.

Nov 3, 2023 | blog.btrax.com | Reagan Butler |Mana Hashimoto |Brandon Hill

Japanese anime has been popular globally nowadays. I also love watching anime not only because of the captivating storylines, impressive animation, and high-quality music, but also the valuable life lessons, different perspectives, and even trivia that can be learned. While I was watching anime after work as usual, I stumbled upon teachings and dialogues that resonated with the mindset of design thinking. In this article, I will present three of these insights.

Sep 7, 2023 | blog.btrax.com | Reagan Butler |Mana Hashimoto

This article will provide a glimpse into Japanese convenience store culture, and how these pillars of Japanese society strike awe in the hearts and minds of foreigners who live in or visit Japan. As the author, I have lived in and traveled around Japan for a total of eight years. So, in addition to providing general information, I will also provide my experiences of frequenting these stores.