— Free playbook · 13 pages · PDF
The first 90 days in Japan.
Your first quarter in Japan is not a sales quarter. This is the week-by-week plan we run for clients: what to prepare before day one, who to meet in weeks one to four, what a qualified pipeline looks like by month three — and the autumn budget calendar you are actually selling into.
Written by Yuki Kishi, founder of YKBridge, from country-manager work for foreign B2B startups in fintech, Web3, SaaS and industrial sectors.
— Get the PDF
— What’s inside
Seven sections, each with a goal, a checklist and a “done when”.
A note from the founder
Why YKBridge builds revenue rather than decks — Yuki Kishi on watching foreign companies enter Japan from Plug and Play, a Japanese startup’s C-suite, and the country manager seat.
Before day 1
Entity or no entity (GK vs KK, the ¥30M visa rule), who carries founder-level authority, the six-month budget test, and where today sits in the fiscal calendar.
Weeks 1–2
Foundation: ICP by company tier, the three titles in the ringi buying unit, the SI and trading-house channel, a deck 40% longer than your US one, certifications, yen pricing.
Weeks 3–4
Outreach: where introductions actually come from, running the first meeting as a listening meeting, reading “we will consider it” correctly, the Tokyo events calendar.
Month 2
Traction: the exam your champion is really sitting, equipping them for ringi, and designing a paid pilot with a written path to contract.
Month 3
Qualified pipeline: six Japanese qualification questions (ringi status, fiscal window, vendor checks, quote request), the GTM plan, and the scale / hold / exit decision.
Who does the work
Full-time hire vs agency vs fractional Country Manager: language is not competence, $150–250k salaries, 50–100% agency margins, and why Japan is hard to unwind — plus ways to start small.
— What good looks like by day 90
5–15
Qualified prospects with a champion and a next step
2–3
PoC discussions, each with a written conversion path
1–2
Partner, regulator or ecosystem doors opened
1
Written scale / hold / exit recommendation
— Go deeper
The articles behind the playbook.
- 01The bilingual unicorn problem: why your Japan Country Manager search has failed for 6 months
- 02The hidden cost of hiring a Japan Country Manager
- 03The Real Cost of Setting Up in Japan in 2026: A Line-by-Line Budget Breakdown for Startup CEOs
- 04We Launched in Japan but Sales Are Half of Other Regions — Why, and What to Do
— Rather talk it through?
Thirty minutes on your own first quarter.
We will tell you honestly whether Japan is your next chapter — and whether we are the right partner for it.
Book a 30-min Japan fit call →