What is Outcoast?

Outcoast is a business journal created by two entrepreneurs — Sofiane from France and Taehwan from Korea — offering insights into Japanese business from a foreigner's perspective. The name “Outcoast” comes from the idea of venturing beyond familiar shores, much like starting a business overseas. It represents our journey across the horizon into Japan.
We share the real, unfiltered experiences of two foreign entrepreneurs building their businesses in Japan — so you can gain deeper, more practical insights into doing business in this country.
And yes, everything you read here is written by hand — not generated by AI.

Meet the Team

Sofian

ソフィアン｜Sofian Meguellati
A global business consultant from Paris with over a decade of experience, Sofiane has worked across Singapore, Korea, and now Japan — where he recently relocated after meeting his Japanese partner.
  • 12+ years of experience in international business, working with global leaders across 15 industries to generate multimillion-dollar revenue
  • Founder of Hack40, a global startup accelerator with offices in Paris, Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo
  • Expert in open innovation and proof-of-concept (PoC) frameworks
  • Led 11 government-backed global programs, accelerating 89 startups in the past 2 years
  • Speaker and judge at major events in Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, and Tokyo; member of the Daejeon Global Committee; featured on TBS
  • Mentored and trained over 477 Korean startups in manufacturing, F&B, sustainability, mobility, and AI sectors

Taehwan

テハン｜정태환
A Korean founder eager to launch a lifestyle brand in Japan. With deep experience navigating Korea’s fast-paced, hyper-competitive e-commerce scene, he’s now applying that knowledge to take on new challenges in Japan.
  • Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Sogang University
  • Work experience at the Korean office of Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan’s five major general trading companies — providing a strong understanding of Japanese business culture
  • 7 years in e-commerce across F&B, fashion, and education content sectors
  • Top 2% scorer on the JLPT N1 — fluent enough to occasionally pass as a native Japanese speaker (!)

What You'll Find on Outcoast

Real-Life Business Stories from Two Founders

Honest, first-hand accounts of what it’s like to start and run a business in Japan as foreigners. Expect raw insights, unexpected challenges, and lessons you won’t find in typical guides.

In-Depth Analysis of Japan’s Startup & Lifestyle Brand Sectors

We dive into how startups and lifestyle brands operate in Japan — who’s doing what, how they’re positioning themselves, and what makes them succeed or fail.

Practical Info on Starting a Business in Japan as a Foreigner

We gather useful, hard-to-find information about support systems, programs, and legal steps for foreigners starting businesses in Japan. Most of this info is buried in Japanese — we’re here to make it easy and accessible.