Thrive Tokyo’s Purpose

After working with hundreds of global professionals who have transitioned to living and working in Japan, we have uncovered 3 key criteria that make or break a successful transition:

Purpose

What does success in Japan look like for you? What do you want to be able to take away from your experience? How do you want to make the best use of your time?

Whether you came here of your own volition, on assignment, or to follow your partner, your internal sense of purpose is going to be essential in how you engage and assimilate in Japan - and ultimately, your happiness.

Connections

Once you have moved to Japan, little by little, your friends and family overseas will only be able to understand so much of what you’re experiencing locally. The pitfall many people face is waiting too long to make local friends, and making friends is something that requires effort on your part and takes some time to establish. It’s essential to avoid waiting until you are feeling isolated to venture out of your comfort zone - the sooner you start networking, the better!

Cultural Understanding

Moving to Japan can feel like becoming an adult all over again. You’re relearning things that you used to do without thought, like shopping for groceries, working your washing machine, or even simply venturing out on your own without fear of getting lost.

And if you’re an expert in your field, you can feel like a person with all of the strategic answers but without the tools to apply them locally. That can make you feel out of your element - on one hand, self-conscious about how you’re being perceived, but also frustrated on how to influence others to fulfill your vision.

Thrive Tokyo’s Mission

If even just one or all of the pieces above are missing, you may find yourself questioning why you’re here, feeling isolated, and worrying about how you’re being perceived.

Thrive Tokyo’s Mission is to help you with each of these key criteria so you can thrive.

We do that through:

1. Coaching to help you identify your purpose and be proactive about living with intention

2. Events and workshops to help you foster local connections and friendships

3. Private cross-cultural education training and orientation programs to help you go from surviving to thriving!

Words from Katheryn Gronauer, Founder of Thrive Tokyo

The cultural challenges you’re facing have been the story of my life. (Literally!)

My mom is Japanese and my dad is American. I was raised between Florida and Tokyo and have spent a lot of time dissecting how different value systems have shaped my identity and how I view the world.

The story behind Thrive Tokyo

When I first became a coach, it was out of a passion to help people with wellness through Eastern holistic health concepts. I had lost 40lbs (nearly 20kgs) through Japanese health concepts and I was eager to share them with the international community.

But I came across a problem: the international people who wanted to learn about health in Japan didn’t know how to shop for groceries! Can’t eat healthier food if you don’t know what you’re buying, right?

I was blown away by other challenges I was hearing from people new to Japan. Like saying no to networking opportunities because of being afraid of getting lost on public transportation and showing up late (or not at all!).

Or wanting to make banana bread but not knowing what a bag of flour looks like in the store or how to use a microwavable oven.

Or giving a presentation at work in front of a room full of Japanese leaders, sensing that the train’s about to crash, and not having anyone point out what is wrong.

So my coaching focus pivoted to helping people take the shortcut to knowing how to live their lives on their own terms, to running full orientation programs on day-to-day life in Japan, to helping people decipher the emotional struggles they were facing due to cross-cultural difference in business settings.

Additionally, I started leading in-person networking events and workshops to help people build connections.

And now, here’s what Thrive Tokyo is today: an opportunity for you to learn how to live, work, and thrive in Japan!

Professional Bio