The People

Our Team

Leaders, lean advisors, our featured speaker, and the travelers joining us in Japan.

Paul Akers

Leader

Mami Takeda

Co-Leader

Mr. Amezawa

Lean Advisor

Mr. Umemura

Lean Advisor

Mr. Yabe

Featured Speaker

Paul Akers & Mami Takeda lead the trip on the ground.

Mr. Amezawa — former Vice President of Lexus and President of Toyota Georgetown, Kentucky — travels with the team for three of the five days.

Mr. Umemura — Chairman and Founder of Mifune, a Toyota tier-2 supplier in Toyota city — joins us for one day to teach and support.

Mr. Yabe — former leader of TESSEI, the JR East Shinkansen cleaning company behind the celebrated “7-minute miracle” — joins us for a special two-hour session on Tuesday.

Mr. Amezawa, Mami Takeda, Mr. Umemura, and Paul Akers together in Japan — Together on the road — years of travel, teaching, and learning side by side.

The Travelers

Our Team

Full roster — names, companies, and short bios — added here as travelers confirm.

Team boarding the Shinkansen in Japan — Boarding the Shinkansen.