Tim Romero, author of the very inspired Disrupting Japan podcast, delivers another very insightful analysis on the reasons underlying the failure of both Uber and AirBnB in Japan. 

Uber and, to a lesser extent, Airbnb are failing horribly in Japan. There have been quite a few articles that have tried to explain what this is, and most of those articles have focused on why the market conditions in Japan make it hard for those companies.

Japan, however, has a much clearer understanding of what a rule is. Defying convention is viewed as risky, sometimes selfish, but — and this gives me hope for the future of Japan — it is increasingly admired. More and more, defying convention to pursue one’s dreams is seen as a positive thing. Startups who defy convention to introduce new ways of doing things are welcomed.