Finding your terrace on the way into the Japanese market
We work with companies at each stage of entering Japan — from a first read of where a product might land, through comparing routes to market, to preparing for the first meeting with a prospective partner. The approach is deliberately stepped: each stage is written to stand on its own, and to be skipped if you have already covered that ground.
Start a conversation
A clearer read of the ground before you commit to it
Entering Japan involves questions that are hard to answer from outside the market: who else is already selling something similar, what a distributor will expect to see, which registrations come first. Our work is to lay that ground out plainly — including, where the evidence points that way, a recommendation to wait. Each engagement produces a written record you can act on at your own pace, not a pitch for further work.
Three terraces, in the order most companies climb them
Market Position Assessment
A four-week look at how a product is likely to be received in a specific segment — competitors, pricing, distribution, and the certification questions worth resolving early.
Entry Route Comparison
A structured comparison of the practical routes to market for your circumstances, weighing effort, control, and how easily each route can be reversed.
Local Partner Preparation
Preparation ahead of first meetings with prospective distributors or agents, so the pace and expectations of that meeting are not a surprise.
A short path from first message to a written result
- 01Send a short note through the form describing what you're weighing up.Day 1
- 02We confirm scope, timing, and price for the relevant terrace.Within a week
- 03The engagement runs — assessment, comparison, or preparation.2–4 weeks
- 04You receive the written material and, where included, a short debrief.On completion
Based in Osaka, working with companies at each stage of entry
The firm is based in Kita-ku, Osaka, a short walk from Umeda, and works directly with the material available in the market — published pricing, distribution listings, and the regulatory texts that apply to a given category — rather than relying on secondhand summaries. Reports are written to be read once and referred back to, not to be argued over.
Three ways to start, depending on where you stand
Tell us what you're weighing up
A short note is enough to begin. We'll reply with a sense of which terrace fits your situation and what it would involve — there's no obligation attached to asking.
Sunset Griffin Godo Kaisha
2-1-15 Nakazaki, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0016, Japan
+81 6-6371-6155
info@sunset-griffin.com