In this episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast, we’re joined by Anna Skrypka, a cultural AI strategist, creative director, and founder of Anna Skrypka Studio. Anna is also the creator of the Augmented Human Method, a framework that unifies cultural intelligence and AI-powered go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

With over 15 years of experience in global tech and nearly a decade in Japan, Anna has helped scale SaaS and creative tech businesses for companies like Autodesk and Woven by Toyota. She now advises startups and corporates on how to enter and scale in Japan using culturally intelligent GTM systems.

In this episode, Anna shares how most startups are failing their Japan GTM — not because of product issues, but because they ignore cultural trust signals and scale with AI in the wrong direction. If you're a founder or marketer entering Japan, this conversation will change how you think about localization, AI workflows, and market fit.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why Japan is a high-context market and how it changes buyer behavior

• How cultural intelligence improves GTM messaging and product resonance

• The 3 biggest GTM traps (Great Translation Fallacy, Silent Excellence Trap, AI Acceleration Paradox)

• How to use AI marketing workflows with cultural nuance

• Visual and narrative localization: what most GTMs miss

• Japan tech trends to watch in 2026

Show Notes:

00:00 – Introduction

02:40 – Cultural Intelligence: The Missing Piece in Japan GTM Strategy

06:23 – Trust Signals and Misconceptions About “Difficult” Japan

12:04 – 3 Big GTM Traps Companies Fall Into

20:59 – AI Workflows for Culturally Intelligent Marketing

34:50 – Visual Localization and Creative AI Tools

43:33 – 5 Questions to Diagnose If Your Japan GTM Will Fail

Links from Guest Appearance:

🔗 Anna Skrypka – Founder, Anna Skrypka Studio

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaskrypka/

🔗 Website: https://annaskrypka.substack.com/

📄 Case Study: The AI Marketing Workflow That Actually Works in Japan https://annaskrypka.substack.com/p/the-ai-marketing-workflow-that-actually?utm_source=publication-search

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