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Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

bbc.com

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Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#31

Post by gumby »

hnaccy wrote: post #17
cyberferret wrote: post #2

Wow - that tea house has been operating for 900 years? I thought the previous record was a Japanese temple building company that was around for 400+ years before having to close during the global financial crisis a decade ago?! There is that old adage in multi generational businesses that goes - "The first generation kicks off the business, the second generation builds upon what the first generation did, and the thir…

> I thought the previous record was a Japanese temple building company that was around for 400+ years before having to close during the global financial crisis a decade ago?! You have the numbers mixed up, Kongō Gumi had been founded in 578 AD so its run was over a millennia.

s/millennia/millennium/. Or a chiliad if you prefer.

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#32

Post by narag »

I was surprised to learn that the place my father used to hang on is 232 years old. It's in a crossroads, but not so frequented today, since they made the beltway and took away parking space that was around.

In Spanish, with photos:

http://puentechico1.blogspot.com/2020/01/restaurante-el-paja...

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#33

Post by ekianjo »

Danieru wrote: post #6

Do you remember Ship of Theseus? The thought experiment about if a ship which has been fully rebuilt bit by bit is it still the same thing? Japan appears consistent in saying, yes, rebuilding or swapping out components keeps the identity. You see this attitude in "Japan's oldest temple, burned to the ground and rebuilt every 20 years". In the west we might argue that burning a building and rebuilding, would count as…

> You see this attitude in "Japan's oldest temple, burned to the ground and rebuilt every 20 years".

Thats only in Ise. Dont make generalizations. For about every other old building in Japan something burning down is a tragedy, even if they try to rebuild it afterwards. For example Osaka castle is technically standing now but nobody is fooled by the fact that its an empty shell compared to the original building. That is precisely why Himeji castle is so precious in comparison.

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#34

Post by gumby »

distantaidenn wrote: post #10

Fun fact: The oldest continuous company in Japan (and the world), Kongo Gumi, was founded by a Korean immigrant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi

Another fun fact: the oldest monarchy in the world was also founded by a Korean immigrant

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/11/world/japan-rediscovers-i...

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#35

Post by _delirium »

Danieru wrote: post #6

Do you remember Ship of Theseus? The thought experiment about if a ship which has been fully rebuilt bit by bit is it still the same thing? Japan appears consistent in saying, yes, rebuilding or swapping out components keeps the identity. You see this attitude in "Japan's oldest temple, burned to the ground and rebuilt every 20 years". In the west we might argue that burning a building and rebuilding, would count as…

Japan and "the west" (broadly speaking) do have different norms about what counts as continuity, but there is a lot of ship-of-Theseus kind of stuff that goes on in the west too. Two categories come to mind offhand. One, there have been restoration projects on ancient Greek and Roman buildings that have involved completely dismantling them, stone by stone, and then reconstructing them from the original stones. And two, it is fairly common for independent shops and restaurants to advertise things such as, "[City's] oldest restaurant, serving you since 1833", but since 1833, the restaurant has been sold three times to new owners, changed location twice, and completely overhauled its menu many times.

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#36

Post by jdavis703 »

Danieru wrote: post #6

Do you remember Ship of Theseus? The thought experiment about if a ship which has been fully rebuilt bit by bit is it still the same thing? Japan appears consistent in saying, yes, rebuilding or swapping out components keeps the identity. You see this attitude in "Japan's oldest temple, burned to the ground and rebuilt every 20 years". In the west we might argue that burning a building and rebuilding, would count as…

I lived in an old, converted GE lightbulb factory. I doubt the management around back in 1912 would recognize the company today.

Imagine explaining that GE would make a thing called a “jet” engine that would let people fly between continents in a few hours. Or that they’d be building power plants that worked by splitting atoms. And then tell all the workers that all light bulbs they’re making will be made in China instead.

By this Ship of Theseus reasoning it would seem that GE is not the same company it was when they were making incandescent bulbs in 1920s Oakland.

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#37

Post by Danieru »

ekianjo wrote: post #33
Danieru wrote: post #6

Do you remember Ship of Theseus? The thought experiment about if a ship which has been fully rebuilt bit by bit is it still the same thing? Japan appears consistent in saying, yes, rebuilding or swapping out components keeps the identity. You see this attitude in "Japan's oldest temple, burned to the ground and rebuilt every 20 years". In the west we might argue that burning a building and rebuilding, would count as…

> You see this attitude in "Japan's oldest temple, burned to the ground and rebuilt every 20 years". Thats only in Ise. Dont make generalizations. For about every other old building in Japan something burning down is a tragedy, even if they try to rebuild it afterwards. For example Osaka castle is technically standing now but nobody is fooled by the fact that its an empty shell compared to the original building. That…

What generalization? There is no other "japan's oldest temple" which is being raized every 20 years.

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#38

Post by brigandish »

droithomme wrote: post #25
swampthing wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But in the West, even if you just gave your business away to another person who continued to run it, we would still consider that the same business.

Even in the West we consider adoption to be legitimate.

Of adult males for the sole purpose of keeping a business as a "family" business?

Re: Japan has 33k businesses at least a century old

#40

Post by chriscatoya »

Interestingly, this feels related to the low levels of entrepreneurship (Japan ranks 4th lowest in the world)

https://bradchattergoon.com/japan-and-entrepreneurship-e468a...

These things are neither universally good nor bad: I do believe the Japanese conception of duty (and how it diverges from an American sensibility) plays a large role in the fact 33k businesses are over 100 years old. As an American this many businesses is definitely an impressive number, but then again, 100 years ago the US was only 143 years old. We’re ~3 lifetimes (8 generations) away from the signing of the Declaration of Independence. ️

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