Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Last of Tokyo/Kyoto
On our last day in Tokyo we decided that we would attend something dear to our American hearts and attended a Tokyo Giants baseball game. The game itself was quite eventful but very different than any Sox game or MLB event I had ever been to. First off the amount of pride that the audience had for their home teams was amazing, there was chanting, flag waving, and a general sense of welcoming to those who were both casual fans as well as the more veteran followers. The big difference to me though was the amount of respect that was paid to the other team and their fans. When one team was up at bat their followers cheered and rooted for their respective team, but as soon as their team was finished they quietly sat down and waited for their chance to cheer again. There was not a sense of rivalry, and absolutely no negative comments, but rather an unspoken respect between two teams that were at the peak of the competitive baseball world in Japan (which is huge). On a side note, I've never seen that many bunts in one game though.
The following day we took the N-700 bullet train to Kyoto. The ride was interesting because I was able to see much of the countryside which I had not yet seen being in Tokyo (although at 200 km/hr). It was neat to see the mixture of traditional and modern practices merging into such a distinct culture and it was reflected to me in that ride by the architecture and tools being used to agriculture and fishing.
Kyoto itself was beautiful and in my mind the highlight of the trip from a cultural standpoint. Although modern skyscrapers existed, you did not have to venture very far to find a shrine or temple that had been virtually untouched since it's creation hundred to thousands of years ago. We saw the tourist attractions including the original Imperial Palace, Zen Gardens, and the Philosopher's Walk and they were all very impressive, but I found the people in Kyoto to be very different from the average Tokyo resident. As we walked through the streets children came running up to us to say hello and practice their English. Our host was amazingly wonderful and a kind soul. And most of all everyone that we encountered just seemed generally happy to see tourists were actually visiting Kyoto is light of what had happened recently. As an example I purchased a kimono for a family member as a souvenir, and as I made the purchase the store owner literally followed me out of the store bowing at every opportunity and thanking me for coming to Japan. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for the people affected by the natural disaster, but I hope that travelers will realize the natural beauty, friendly people, and unique culture of Japan as something that should not be overlooked and in the short term needs help to protect these spirited and kind people's way of life.
The following day we took the N-700 bullet train to Kyoto. The ride was interesting because I was able to see much of the countryside which I had not yet seen being in Tokyo (although at 200 km/hr). It was neat to see the mixture of traditional and modern practices merging into such a distinct culture and it was reflected to me in that ride by the architecture and tools being used to agriculture and fishing.
Kyoto itself was beautiful and in my mind the highlight of the trip from a cultural standpoint. Although modern skyscrapers existed, you did not have to venture very far to find a shrine or temple that had been virtually untouched since it's creation hundred to thousands of years ago. We saw the tourist attractions including the original Imperial Palace, Zen Gardens, and the Philosopher's Walk and they were all very impressive, but I found the people in Kyoto to be very different from the average Tokyo resident. As we walked through the streets children came running up to us to say hello and practice their English. Our host was amazingly wonderful and a kind soul. And most of all everyone that we encountered just seemed generally happy to see tourists were actually visiting Kyoto is light of what had happened recently. As an example I purchased a kimono for a family member as a souvenir, and as I made the purchase the store owner literally followed me out of the store bowing at every opportunity and thanking me for coming to Japan. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for the people affected by the natural disaster, but I hope that travelers will realize the natural beauty, friendly people, and unique culture of Japan as something that should not be overlooked and in the short term needs help to protect these spirited and kind people's way of life.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
5/21
Woke up bright and early today and got a taxi ride over to the Tsukiji fish market. The actual market was closed, but we were still able to take in the general hustle and bustle of the atmosphere. Vendors lined the streets and it was interesting to see the fresh catches of familiar seafood as well as some things that we had never seen before (like Joe trying a sample of random street food only to find out that it was kimchi and beyond what he could handle... hilarity ensued). The highlight of the morning was a sushi breakfast, which isn't a new concept to me, but the selection was much more broad than anything I had ever tried stateside. I truly enjoyed the fatty tuna and wanted to broaden my horizons so I tried some other foreign options such as octopus.
After we returned to the hotel and showered we went to our final business meeting of the trip. The meeting with American Express was very professionally done. We learned about the direction that American Express was attempting to go in the Japanese market and learned about the industry as a whole in Japan. I found it very interesting to find out that the Japanese are very adverse to debt, and will go out of their way to keep debt levels low, even in the short term. This lack of debt creates an interesting task for American Express in how they positioned themselves in the Japanese mind and stay competitive in a foreign market. Also I was not surprised to find out about mobile banking and mobile financials being so large in Japan and it makes me think how it will paint a picture for America's future.
Next we went to the Edo museum and attempted to see a sumo match. The sumo match didn't happen, but the Edo museum was still very impressive. The history of the country was so deep and colorful that there was no shortage of exhibits to see.
That night we went to the Asaksua district and wandered the streets in a very tourist fashion. The area was filled with trinkets and certainly attempted to appeal to the tourists (which worked for us getting gifts for home).
After we returned to the hotel and showered we went to our final business meeting of the trip. The meeting with American Express was very professionally done. We learned about the direction that American Express was attempting to go in the Japanese market and learned about the industry as a whole in Japan. I found it very interesting to find out that the Japanese are very adverse to debt, and will go out of their way to keep debt levels low, even in the short term. This lack of debt creates an interesting task for American Express in how they positioned themselves in the Japanese mind and stay competitive in a foreign market. Also I was not surprised to find out about mobile banking and mobile financials being so large in Japan and it makes me think how it will paint a picture for America's future.
Next we went to the Edo museum and attempted to see a sumo match. The sumo match didn't happen, but the Edo museum was still very impressive. The history of the country was so deep and colorful that there was no shortage of exhibits to see.
That night we went to the Asaksua district and wandered the streets in a very tourist fashion. The area was filled with trinkets and certainly attempted to appeal to the tourists (which worked for us getting gifts for home).
Thursday, May 19, 2011
5/20
The first meeting of the day was at a Japanese university with Dr. Kazunori Suzuki. The meeting was very entertaining because of Dr. Suzuki's viewpoints in comparison to many other more reserved Japanese. He was not afraid to tell us his political opinions or ideas about how to solve the various problems and issues that Japan is facing such as a declining population, social security, and traditional thought processes dominating decision making. It was also fascinating to hear about how a Japanese school works and how teaching styles must vary to accommodate a lack of student/teacher interactions.
The day proved to be quite busy and after an on the move grocery store lunch we met with the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and the president Michael Alfant. Mr. Alfant was a unique character who was very charismatic and made his own success in Japan with his company Fusion. He told us about his entrepreneurial strategies and how they worked in Japan as well as some about nonprofits and charities. Although his discussion with us seemed over the top at points, it was very entertaining to hear him speak on his own experiences with the mentality that only a salesman from Brooklyn could. We had an extensive question and answer period and created a very useful contact if we ever needed it for the Japanese market.
The third meeting of the day was with two employees of Itochu, Shinya and Mamie. They gave us a quick summary of Itochu and what they dealt with (apparently every industry), as well as answered personal questions that we might have about work/life balances and common job practices. I personally found it very interesting to hear about the interview process and how teams of applicants are sent to different companies to take exams, have individual/group interviews, and prepare for these interviews about 4 months in advance. Another interesting difference was learning that the employees of Itochu work in very close proximity to each other surrounding a table with their boss at the head of the table overlooking all of them daily for 12 hours (something that I personally would be very uncomfortable with everyday). But from a business model approach to viewing Itochu it was very large and spread out with not one clear focus, and left me curious about how business expansion decisions were made.
Later that night we went to Shibuya which was the apparent equivalent to Time's Square. The only real difference at first glance was that the general age demographic of the district was between 15 and 30. It was a very young, lively, and colorful area where we had very little trouble finding some way or another to occupy our time, whether it was looking at the club nightlife scene or visiting the 6 floor tower records. But the most enjoyable part for me was just to people watch and take in the sometimes comical outfits and conversations. We called it a night semi early due to us having to wake up at 4 am the next morning, but plan on potentially going back on our free day this weekend.
The day proved to be quite busy and after an on the move grocery store lunch we met with the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and the president Michael Alfant. Mr. Alfant was a unique character who was very charismatic and made his own success in Japan with his company Fusion. He told us about his entrepreneurial strategies and how they worked in Japan as well as some about nonprofits and charities. Although his discussion with us seemed over the top at points, it was very entertaining to hear him speak on his own experiences with the mentality that only a salesman from Brooklyn could. We had an extensive question and answer period and created a very useful contact if we ever needed it for the Japanese market.
The third meeting of the day was with two employees of Itochu, Shinya and Mamie. They gave us a quick summary of Itochu and what they dealt with (apparently every industry), as well as answered personal questions that we might have about work/life balances and common job practices. I personally found it very interesting to hear about the interview process and how teams of applicants are sent to different companies to take exams, have individual/group interviews, and prepare for these interviews about 4 months in advance. Another interesting difference was learning that the employees of Itochu work in very close proximity to each other surrounding a table with their boss at the head of the table overlooking all of them daily for 12 hours (something that I personally would be very uncomfortable with everyday). But from a business model approach to viewing Itochu it was very large and spread out with not one clear focus, and left me curious about how business expansion decisions were made.
Later that night we went to Shibuya which was the apparent equivalent to Time's Square. The only real difference at first glance was that the general age demographic of the district was between 15 and 30. It was a very young, lively, and colorful area where we had very little trouble finding some way or another to occupy our time, whether it was looking at the club nightlife scene or visiting the 6 floor tower records. But the most enjoyable part for me was just to people watch and take in the sometimes comical outfits and conversations. We called it a night semi early due to us having to wake up at 4 am the next morning, but plan on potentially going back on our free day this weekend.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
5/19
This morning we went to a meeting with the business Intralink. This experience was very beneficial because it contrasted with the Jetro meeting yesterday, and in my opinion contained more "real world" information about operating in Japan. The man giving the presentation (Jeremy) was from England, and as such we were able to get the opinion of a fellow foreigner on the Japanese market and talk from an outside viewpoint about how businesses must adapt to succeed. I found it very interesting to learn that in Japan many large companies actually rotate their employees throughout different aspect and areas of the company on roughly a biyearly schedule in what I believe is an attempt to broaden employees skill sets, to fight job repetition, and increase employees relationship with the business.
After Intralink we had a meeting with Avaya. We were welcomed and given a small presentation by an acquaintance that we had met at the dinner the night before and learned about the size and scale of Avaya's operations. The second half of the presentation was by a regional sales manager from England as well, and was quite drawn out and confusing. I did find it interesting to see the clash between the high context presenter and low context presenter on similar content.
Later in the day we experienced the shear technological marvels that many of the Japanese apparently take for granted at a guided (and very professional) tour of DoCoMo and their mobile devices and later that night at our visit to the Akihabara district, the "Electric City". At Docomo we learned about current technology being used in mobile phones that makes me a little envious and leaves me wishing the U.S. would catch up. The tour was very well done, and I was quite surprised that we were able to be on it because I would assume that it is normally for high level potential investors.
That night we took in the sights of the "Electric City", hit up the Sega arcade, and found some great tempura for dinner. Although the sights were really cool and electronic shopping centers were everywhere, I couldn't help but feel that the price points of the products were still very expensive compared to online markets. My feelings are that the Japanese are quite price inelastic when making these purchases so that they end up paying for quality and supporting local businesses over comparing and contrasting prices worldwide.
After Intralink we had a meeting with Avaya. We were welcomed and given a small presentation by an acquaintance that we had met at the dinner the night before and learned about the size and scale of Avaya's operations. The second half of the presentation was by a regional sales manager from England as well, and was quite drawn out and confusing. I did find it interesting to see the clash between the high context presenter and low context presenter on similar content.
Later in the day we experienced the shear technological marvels that many of the Japanese apparently take for granted at a guided (and very professional) tour of DoCoMo and their mobile devices and later that night at our visit to the Akihabara district, the "Electric City". At Docomo we learned about current technology being used in mobile phones that makes me a little envious and leaves me wishing the U.S. would catch up. The tour was very well done, and I was quite surprised that we were able to be on it because I would assume that it is normally for high level potential investors.
That night we took in the sights of the "Electric City", hit up the Sega arcade, and found some great tempura for dinner. Although the sights were really cool and electronic shopping centers were everywhere, I couldn't help but feel that the price points of the products were still very expensive compared to online markets. My feelings are that the Japanese are quite price inelastic when making these purchases so that they end up paying for quality and supporting local businesses over comparing and contrasting prices worldwide.
5/18
The business meeting with Jetro was a great experience where we learned about the way that the Japanese government is attempting to promote foreign direct investment in Japan. We received a presentation as well as a tour of their offices and temporary work spaces that are given to companies for a brief time to allow foreign business to get used to the Japanese market firsthand at little to no cost.
For lunch we adventured to Yoshinoya (a Japanese lunch/dinner franchise), where we learned that in many of these establishments they focus on turnover and you are expected to eat as fast as you can (which is difficult while learning to use chop sticks). We then toured the Imperial Palace (where the emperor lives), and took in the beautiful architecture and sights as part of a guided tour. It was a very educational tour and packed with historical facts about the emperor's residence, but I think that it will be more interesting to see the original in Kyoto.
After touring Hibiya park and exploring some of the Ginza district we had what in my opinion has been the highlight of the trip so far, an all you can eat/drink dinner with an old friend and classmate who lives here as well as with a couple of locals who work for Avaya. After the soju and Sopporo started to flow there were many laughs to be had and memories to be made from the experience.
For lunch we adventured to Yoshinoya (a Japanese lunch/dinner franchise), where we learned that in many of these establishments they focus on turnover and you are expected to eat as fast as you can (which is difficult while learning to use chop sticks). We then toured the Imperial Palace (where the emperor lives), and took in the beautiful architecture and sights as part of a guided tour. It was a very educational tour and packed with historical facts about the emperor's residence, but I think that it will be more interesting to see the original in Kyoto.
After touring Hibiya park and exploring some of the Ginza district we had what in my opinion has been the highlight of the trip so far, an all you can eat/drink dinner with an old friend and classmate who lives here as well as with a couple of locals who work for Avaya. After the soju and Sopporo started to flow there were many laughs to be had and memories to be made from the experience.
Monday, May 16, 2011
5/17
13 hours on a plane proved to be very uncomfortable and a test of patience. I assumed I would be able to sleep on the ride, but underestimated my own excitement and underlying nerves. But after 2.5 meals, 5 movies,and over 100 games of cards with Joe, we're here.
Last night we arrived in the early evening and got a van ride to Akasaka, Minato. We unpacked in our nice but Tokyo sized hotel room and quickly went to find some food. Professor Myer and Keiko took us to a ramen noodle restaurant and after enjoying our meal we set off to explore our surroundings.
The nightlife was not as busy as we had anticipated it might be but was still a unique experience. The lights, smells, and people make for an adventure every time we step outside. And today we plan to take more of the culture in after stopping to recharge our batteries. First we have a meeting with the Japanese External Trade Organization and then we travel to the Imperial Palace and Ginza district.
Last night we arrived in the early evening and got a van ride to Akasaka, Minato. We unpacked in our nice but Tokyo sized hotel room and quickly went to find some food. Professor Myer and Keiko took us to a ramen noodle restaurant and after enjoying our meal we set off to explore our surroundings.
The nightlife was not as busy as we had anticipated it might be but was still a unique experience. The lights, smells, and people make for an adventure every time we step outside. And today we plan to take more of the culture in after stopping to recharge our batteries. First we have a meeting with the Japanese External Trade Organization and then we travel to the Imperial Palace and Ginza district.
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