So I guess we have to not only hire the foreign companies, but also listen to them.

I think the lesson here might be to solve your problems on a more local scale, as the fit of the solution is as important as checking the boxes.

What works in Japan works in Japan because it was a solution built for the problems, politics, and people of Japan. Sometimes there are lessons we can take from projects in other countries, other times it turns out like Cali HSR where the proposed 'foreign' solution might be logical but not politically tenable.