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The article basically states that Uber's cavalier attitude towards the law was the wrong approach to use in Japan, because the Japanese public does not respect

The article basically states that Uber's cavalier attitude towards the law was the wrong approach to use in Japan, because the Japanese public does not respect this attitude, and that they should have worked it out with regulators before they started operations. I guess the broader lesson implied is that you need to put in the effort to understand the local culture, and adapt your strategies accordingly, before you try to enter a new country.

zappo2938 10y ago
The old put beet root on the cheese burger approach.
pcr0 10y ago
That was one half of the reason. The other being that existing taxis are good enough. A similar story is playing out in Hong Kong, even without the government cracking down as hard. There are some annoying taxi drivers, but for the most part, local taxis are cheap, fast and comfortable.
2bitencryption 10y ago
That and, having taken taxis in Japan... they're honestly very decent. Much better than the taxis I've taken elsewhere. Partly because the roads are less congested, even in the heart of Tokyo, since so many take the train. I never found myself wishing I could take an Uber in Japan -- a taxi was always there when I needed it... and that was only if I wasn't near a train station, which was almost never.
- ixtli 10y ago
  This is basically it. Japan is a very service-oriented country. People take pride in how well they interact with customers from book stores to restaurants to taxis. This interaction assumes a certain level of honesty and it really changes how you interact when you exchange money with someone for something.
- ajmurmann 10y ago
  The biggest culture shock coming back to the bay area from a long Japan vacation was the taxi from the airport to a nearby hotel. The day before out return we had a driver in Tokyo who had approached it hotel from the wrong direction and had to drive around the block to get us to the front entrance. We were happy to walk half a block but he was very embarrassed and insisted to drive us to the front door and took way more off the charge than seemed reasonable and refused extra money we wanted to pay. Needless to say the car was immaculate. The taxi at SFO was filthy and the driver got grumpy as soon a we told him that we were going to a nearby hotel. He ignored both the directions from his navigation system which he claimed was broken as well as our instructions and kept missing roads leading to the hotel that he claimed he couldn't find despite it being in sight and us telling him where it is. When I protested and told him that I'm concerned about having to pay higher charges because of his obvious mistakes he insured me to not worry that he would take that off the charge. When we arrived at the hotel he took less than 10% off and got rude and insulting when I protested. Bottom line: I would not hesitate to take Japanese taxi any time even over an uber black. I can't wait for the SF taxi industry to completely collapse. Edit: There is a flip side to this though. In Japan it was obvious to me that people take pride in their work. Even people who drove taxis out clean train stations. The resulting quality of work was astonishing. However, I also got the impression that these people are give respect for their good work. I don't think many taxi drivers in the US respect their own work and society for sure doesn't make them feel respected. Respect seems to be much tighter coupled to monetary success and I can't say I'm free from that.
  - BurningFrog 10y ago
    > I can't wait for the SF taxi industry to completely collapse. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
    - draw_down 10y ago
      Good grief, I'm having trouble thinking of a less-apt deployment of that quote. What the hell.
      - 10y ago
- twblalock 10y ago
  Not to mention that there is generally a line of taxis outside of most Japanese train stations and office buildings, ready to go at a moment's notice. Uber is actually slower, because the taxis are already right where you are.
greggman 10y ago
I'm not sure that argument really holds up. AirBnB is very popular in Japan (hosting not renting), tons of listings, all of them are breaking the law. (most of them are lying about their listings as well with AirBnB's blessings)
- jpatokal 10y ago
  Legal short-term apartment rentals in Japan are kind of broken due to one month plus minimum stay requirements. Airbnb fixes an actual problem here. I use Uber pretty much exclusively these days, but in Japan it doesn't make sense: in central Tokyo, you can hail a cab in seconds on any major street, and outside it, the nearest train station will have a taxi rank. And if you go out far enough that you need to call a cab, then Uber's unlikely to serve the area either.
- draw_down 10y ago
  No idea whether it's correct, but article says that law breaking is acceptable when everyone does it.
GauntletWizard 10y ago
Honestly, I got to the early paragraph where the author mentioned trusting government, and I was sad. Not trusting government is a great disadvantage to America in most times, but it's our great strength in the times it matters most, and I'm really afraid my generation has lost that thread. Government is great when it goes right, but it's a prisoner's dilemma with a strong bias against you when its wrong. The value of government can be huge, but it can just as easily screw you over, at whims driven by small scale petty politics. Government is great when working well, but the damage it does when not working well is worth avoiding giving it much power.

zappo2938 10y ago

The old put beet root on the cheese burger approach.

pcr0 10y ago

That was one half of the reason. The other being that existing taxis are good enough. A similar story is playing out in Hong Kong, even without the government cracking down as hard. There are some annoying taxi drivers, but for the most part, local taxis are cheap, fast and comfortable.

2bitencryption 10y ago

That and, having taken taxis in Japan... they're honestly very decent. Much better than the taxis I've taken elsewhere. Partly because the roads are less congested, even in the heart of Tokyo, since so many take the train. I never found myself wishing I could take an Uber in Japan -- a taxi was always there when I needed it... and that was only if I wasn't near a train station, which was almost never.

ixtli 10y ago
This is basically it. Japan is a very service-oriented country. People take pride in how well they interact with customers from book stores to restaurants to taxis. This interaction assumes a certain level of honesty and it really changes how you interact when you exchange money with someone for something.
ajmurmann 10y ago
The biggest culture shock coming back to the bay area from a long Japan vacation was the taxi from the airport to a nearby hotel. The day before out return we had a driver in Tokyo who had approached it hotel from the wrong direction and had to drive around the block to get us to the front entrance. We were happy to walk half a block but he was very embarrassed and insisted to drive us to the front door and took way more off the charge than seemed reasonable and refused extra money we wanted to pay. Needless to say the car was immaculate. The taxi at SFO was filthy and the driver got grumpy as soon a we told him that we were going to a nearby hotel. He ignored both the directions from his navigation system which he claimed was broken as well as our instructions and kept missing roads leading to the hotel that he claimed he couldn't find despite it being in sight and us telling him where it is. When I protested and told him that I'm concerned about having to pay higher charges because of his obvious mistakes he insured me to not worry that he would take that off the charge. When we arrived at the hotel he took less than 10% off and got rude and insulting when I protested. Bottom line: I would not hesitate to take Japanese taxi any time even over an uber black. I can't wait for the SF taxi industry to completely collapse. Edit: There is a flip side to this though. In Japan it was obvious to me that people take pride in their work. Even people who drove taxis out clean train stations. The resulting quality of work was astonishing. However, I also got the impression that these people are give respect for their good work. I don't think many taxi drivers in the US respect their own work and society for sure doesn't make them feel respected. Respect seems to be much tighter coupled to monetary success and I can't say I'm free from that.
- BurningFrog 10y ago
  > I can't wait for the SF taxi industry to completely collapse. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
  - draw_down 10y ago
    Good grief, I'm having trouble thinking of a less-apt deployment of that quote. What the hell.
    - 10y ago
twblalock 10y ago
Not to mention that there is generally a line of taxis outside of most Japanese train stations and office buildings, ready to go at a moment's notice. Uber is actually slower, because the taxis are already right where you are.

greggman 10y ago

I'm not sure that argument really holds up. AirBnB is very popular in Japan (hosting not renting), tons of listings, all of them are breaking the law. (most of them are lying about their listings as well with AirBnB's blessings)

jpatokal 10y ago
Legal short-term apartment rentals in Japan are kind of broken due to one month plus minimum stay requirements. Airbnb fixes an actual problem here. I use Uber pretty much exclusively these days, but in Japan it doesn't make sense: in central Tokyo, you can hail a cab in seconds on any major street, and outside it, the nearest train station will have a taxi rank. And if you go out far enough that you need to call a cab, then Uber's unlikely to serve the area either.
draw_down 10y ago
No idea whether it's correct, but article says that law breaking is acceptable when everyone does it.

GauntletWizard 10y ago

Honestly, I got to the early paragraph where the author mentioned trusting government, and I was sad. Not trusting government is a great disadvantage to America in most times, but it's our great strength in the times it matters most, and I'm really afraid my generation has lost that thread. Government is great when it goes right, but it's a prisoner's dilemma with a strong bias against you when its wrong. The value of government can be huge, but it can just as easily screw you over, at whims driven by small scale petty politics. Government is great when working well, but the damage it does when not working well is worth avoiding giving it much power.