Kaizen Key Tag

Front: “Kaizen” (改善) · “Always evolving” · “Small steps · Big change”
Back: “Grow a little every day”

At a glance

• Theme: tiny daily improvement
• Good for: training, studying, a new skill, a business, a long recovery
• Gift for: a runner or athlete, an engineer or lean team, a coach, a student, anyone building something slowly
• Finish: Antique Bronze (brass alloy) with an antique patina, so each one is unique; key ring included
• Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA

The meaning

Kaizen is a Japanese word made of two kanji, 改 (change) and 善 (good): change for the better. It became known around the world through the Toyota Production System and Masaaki Imai's 1986 book on it, as the habit of improving a little, all the time, everywhere.

The back puts it in five words: grow a little every day. One percent better is too small to notice today and impossible to miss in a year.

On good days and hard days

• On good days, it keeps you from coasting: grow a little more today, even when things are going well.
• On hard days, when progress feels invisible, it reminds you that small steps still count and that one better day at a time adds up to big change.

Why a key tag

Kaizen is a daily practice, and keys are a daily object. Every time you pick them up on the way to training, class or work, the tag reminds you to take one small step forward. It carries the same artwork as the Kaizen Coin: Mount Fuji under a rising sun, with a small temple and a long flight of stone steps climbing toward it, KAIZEN across the middle and the kanji below on the front, and the quote between two branches of cherry blossom on the back.

Give it

It is a good gift for an athlete, a coach, a student or a team that works on continuous improvement. It also suits a New Year, a first marathon plan or someone recovering step by step. Pair it with the Kaizen Coin for someone who wants both.

Specs

• Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm)
• Thickness: 2.7 mm
• Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
• Material: brass alloy, Antique Bronze finish
• Made: die struck, minted in the USA
• Each key tag is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two key tags look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make yours one of a kind.
• Key ring included

Questions

What does kaizen mean?
“Change for the better” in Japanese. In business and training it means continuous, small improvement.

What do the kanji on the key tag say?
改善, kaizen: change (改) and good (善).

Is it the same design as the Kaizen Coin?
Yes, the artwork is the same on both sides. The key tag simply adds a loop so it can hang from your keys.

Will my key tag look exactly like the photos?
Very close, but never identical. Each key tag is antiqued with a special patina that settles differently every time, so small variations in color and shading from the photos are normal. They are what make yours one of a kind.

Want it in your pocket instead? See the Kaizen Coin.

Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.

Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.