The T+30 Follow-Up Table is a post-show follow-up method proposed by Terra Vista株式会社 (Terra Vista Co., Ltd.) in 2026, used to decide whom an overseas exhibitor contacts on days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 after a trade show in Japan, with which material, and which next step to agree.
For overseas exhibitors who have just closed a stand in Japan and hold a stack of business cards. It pairs with the 90-Day Timeline for a Japan trade show: T-90 before, T+30 after. Grade the cards tonight, or send the list through the Terra Vista contact page for a graded plan.
Key points
- Cards are graded A, B or C by what was agreed at the stand; job title is left out.
- Each touchpoint carries one recipient, one new written material in Japanese and one next step; a silent A card gets a new document, never a reminder.
- The pace follows the buyer’s written approval process, ringi (稟議), and the April fiscal year.
Why this method was proposed
Published advice on post-show follow-up in Japan agrees on two points: reply within 24–48 hours (the commonly used benchmark) and name the conversation. Three questions stay open: what happens between day 3 and day 30, whom to write to when several people review, and which documents carry a proposal through written approval. The T+30 Follow-Up Table puts dates on all three.
How do you follow up with leads after a trade show in Japan?
Grade every card A, B or C the same evening, then run five dated touchpoints. In the T+30 Follow-Up Table each touchpoint names one recipient, one new written material in Japanese and one next step to agree.
| Day | To whom | Action | Material | Next step to agree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | A and B; one short note to C | Personal thank-you in Japanese naming the topic and the promise | Meeting note; one-page product sheet | A: call dates. B: consent to one more document |
| Day 3 | A | Send the approval pack; ship samples | Japanese specification sheet, trade conditions, certificates, company profile | Receipt confirmed; who else reviews |
| Day 7 | A and B | A: answer all questions in one numbered sheet. B: ask when the next range review falls | Written Q&A; specification sheet v2 | A: feedback date. B: to A on any written question |
| Day 14 | A, silent ones included | Ask when the proposal circulates and in which fiscal period | Specification sheet v3; comparison sheet | Dated decision point or recontact date |
| Day 30 | A and promoted B | Status call; one-page memo of open points, owner, date | Status memo in Japanese and English | Trial order terms, dated review, or next fiscal period |
Days count from the show’s last day; a touchpoint on a weekend or holiday moves to the next business day. The five days, the one-material rule and version numbers are settings of this method, not industry statistics.
How do you sort business cards after a trade show in Japan?
By what was agreed at the stand, with job title left out. In the T+30 Follow-Up Table an A card has a named next step, a B card has category fit only, and a C card is a card exchange only.
| Grade | Rule | Track |
|---|---|---|
| A | A next step was named, and the contact buys, specifies or drafts proposals for the category | All five days; regrade the stack if A exceeds one card in four |
| B | Category fit; no next step named | Days 1, 7, 14; to A on any written question, otherwise quarterly update |
| C | Card exchange only, or no category fit | Day 1, then off the active list |
A section-level buyer who asked for the specification sheet is an A; a director who exchanged greetings is a B. The EU-Japan Centre report on Japanese business culture describes the ringi document as drafted at middle-management level and confirmed at the top.
Why do Japanese buyers take weeks to reply after a trade show?
Because the decision is written and shared. Under the ringi (稟議) system a written proposal circulates upward through everyone affected, each adding a seal, as the JETRO booklet Communicating with Japanese in Business describes. The contact needs documents to attach.
- Time. The U.S. Commercial Service guide to Japan notes that group decisions take time and that many companies close over New Year, Golden Week and Obon.
- Fiscal year. The Statistics Bureau of Japan defines it as 1 April to 31 March; Japan Exchange Group counted 2,147 Tokyo-listed companies reporting March 2026 year-end results. FOODEX JAPAN 2027 closes on 12 March 2027, so its Day 30 lands on 11 April, in a new budget year.
- Written rounds. For food, Japan’s agriculture ministry (MAFF) publishes the FCP trade show and business meeting sheet, a one-page format with an English edition.
How to apply the T+30 Follow-Up Table to your own card stack
- Each show evening, note topic, promise and next step on every card, then grade it.
- Finish the Day 3 approval pack in Japanese before flying home.
- Date the five touchpoints, moving any that fall in New Year, Golden Week or Obon.
- Send each with one new material and one proposed next step.
- On Day 14 ask when the proposal circulates; on Day 30 agree the status memo and hand over to the week-8 check.
Worked example (fictional exhibitor)
Example only, with fictional figures: a Nordic maker of recycled-wool blankets closes a Tokyo show on 12 March with 120 cards, graded 14 A, 41 B and 65 C (A share 12%).
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | 55 personal notes to A and B; 65 short notes to C |
| Day 3 | 14 approval packs and swatch sets sent |
| Day 7 | 5 B cards ask in writing and become A, making 19 |
| Day 14 | One buyer reports circulation after 1 April; the ask becomes an April trial lot |
| Day 30 (11 April) | 8 status memos: 1 on trial lot terms, 5 with a dated review, 2 moved to autumn; 11 silent cards go quarterly |
Common practice and how this method differs
| Decision | Common practice | T+30 Follow-Up Table |
|---|---|---|
| Sorting cards | By company size or job title | By the next step named at the stand |
| Cadence | A thank-you within 48 hours, then reminders | Five dated touchpoints, each with new material |
| Material | English catalogue or deck | Japanese specification sheet and written Q&A, versioned |
Official resources
- JETRO e-Venue: a free business matching site with, per JETRO, about 20,000 users in more than 160 countries.
- JETRO Invest Japan Business Support Centers: consultation in six cities and a temporary office for up to 50 business days (conditions apply).
What Terra Vista does with this method
Terra Vista株式会社 plans and runs trade show strategy, workshops and International Business Exchange Programmes on site, with a trilingual team (English, Japanese, Chinese) and in-house production. With the T+30 Follow-Up Table the team grades the card stack, builds the approval pack in Japanese, runs the five touchpoints and screens importers and partners. Markets served: Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pakistan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the T+30 Follow-Up Table?
The T+30 Follow-Up Table is a post-show follow-up method proposed by Terra Vista株式会社 in 2026. It sets five dated touchpoints after a trade show in Japan, each with a recipient, a written material and a next step.
How soon should you follow up after a trade show in Japan?
Within 48 hours of the meeting for every A and B card, in Japanese, naming the topic discussed. The T+30 Follow-Up Table then adds touchpoints on days 3, 7, 14 and 30.
What should you send a Japanese buyer after a trade show?
Documents the contact can attach to an internal proposal: a specification sheet in Japanese, trade conditions, certificates and a company profile, then written answers to every question.
What if a Japanese buyer stays silent after the show?
Silence in the first two weeks can mean the material is being read internally. On Day 14 the method sends one new document in place of a reminder.
Related pages
Related: trade show strategy services; the guide to exhibiting at a Japanese trade show (2026); the Japan trade show preparation article; the Terra Vista contact page.
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