Rui L.

I conduct on-the-ground market research in Japan with the analytical rigor of a Goldman Sachs + academic research background and the cultural fluency of someone who genuinely lives, eats, and moves through this country every day. My most recent project: an undercover benchmarking study of select-service business hotels in Japan. I stayed as a regular guest and evaluated numerous dimensions of the customer experience including room features, F&B operations, spatial design, and customer profile. I produced structured comparative reports including 500+ labeled photography and delivered strategic recommendations. This project sits at the intersection of my strengths: detail-oriented, analytical observation skills, and the ability to translate raw experience into insights for real business impacts. **My Core Strengths** 1) Field research & mystery evaluation: I've stayed at, eaten at, and documented venues as both a researcher and a food content creator (30k+ likes/saves on RedNote covering Tokyo dining culture). 2) Structured analysis: My research toolkit includes consumer survey design, qualitative interview methods, quantitative data analysis (multivariate regression), market competitor analysis, and AI-automated data-scraping / search workflows. 3) Visual documentation: I shoot food and hospitality photography professionally (check out my portfolio) 4) Language and cultural fluency: I am trilingual (English, Japanese, Chinese Mandarin), and have lived in New York, Vancouver, Beijing, and currently Tokyo. My international background allows me to approach and evaluate "customer experience" from a breadth of perspectives. I'm based in Tokyo full-time, available to travel across Japan, and open to both on-the-ground field work and remote desk research. Industries: Hotels · Restaurants · F&B brands · Retail · Consumer brands entering or operating in Japan · Hospitality consulting · Travel platforms Deliverables typically include: structured evaluation reports, comparative analysis, photography, and strategic recommendations. --- Professional background: - Analyst, Global Banking & Markets Division, Goldman Sachs (New York HQ) -Marketing Lead, Gelato Bravo (Artisan gelato shop in Tokyo) - AI Strategy & Market Research Intern , Matsuo Institute (Tokyo) - Academic research with publication (in English), currently working on a project funded by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs cross-national aboutworkplace AI adoption across APEC countries Education: University of Pennsylvania — BA in Communication University of Tokyo — MA in Information, Technology and Society