I have been back in the US for around a month now. I initially intended to write a reflection to the trip immediately, but jet-lag and an impending trip for my wife and daughter pushed back my efforts until it fell off the short list of things to be done on any given day. That said, I have been asked by too many people to count how the trip was, and so I have done a lot of reflecting.
One of the things that stood out to me most in my time in Japan was just how diligent the workers are. We read a book called The Japanese Mind before leaving which introduced us to a number of concepts that describe the psyche of Japanese. One of the ideas introduced was gambari which is perseverance or doing ones best. Every person we met with in the country seemed to embody this ideal in all of our interactions. This was true regardless of whether we were in a business meeting or we were at the corner store asking for help.
Another aspect of Japan that was remarkable was how safe and clean it was. Tokyo is a city with 13+ million people and yet we would routinely see children of 7 or 8 riding the subway alone to or from school or an activity. At no point in our time there did anyone in our group (to the best of my knowledge) feel at all unsafe. This was true even the first morning we were there when many of the students arose at 3am and walked miles through a still empty city. In addition, just as Paul said, we saw essentially no trash anywhere. Indeed, when we were touring the imperial palace in Tokyo, we say large groups of people picking up sweeping and picking up leaves and grass by hand. Clearly the Japanese take cleanliness very seriously.
There were many other aspects to this trip that were truly remarkable, and have made me want to go back again as soon as I can arrange it. The food is excellent and truly different from most of what I have had in the US. Shopping is an experience because of the effort which is put forward by most everyone working anywhere you might wish to spend your money. There is also so much interesting history. Kyoto was full of amazing shrines and temples where you could really get a sense of what it is to be Japanese just based on the architecture and decorating.
I cannot say enough about how much work Paul and Keiko Myer put into this trip and I was honored to be invited as another faculty member. If you ever get a chance to see Japan, I would recommend it highly!!
Signing out for now...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Kyoto to Date
We left Tokyo on Monday morning via the Shinkansen (bullet train) to head to Kyoto. We got here at lunch time and Paul and I watched the accumulated luggage while the group went off to eat. We are staying at a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) where everyone sleeps on a futon on the ground. Surprisingly, these beds are quite comfortable, and the way the room is made up makes them appear that much larger.
To date, we have been to two incredible temples and a zen garden. The first temple we visited is called the golden temple because the outside has been covered in gold foil. It is situated right on the water and would be an amazing place to live. The second temple is one Paul and I visited this morning. It is at the top of a steep hill and is built into a mountain side with wooden scaffolding supporting a good portion of the main building. The zen garden we visited was part of a larger complex of buildings, and is one of the most famous zen gardens in Japan. It is amazing how simple the garden is in concept, but how powerful the effect is. The garden is about 75 feet long by 30 feet wide, and it is 15 boulders that have jutted out of the ground to a greater or lesser degree surrounded by white rocks that have been raked to provide uniformity.
Both of these temples and the zen garden have not only been amazing to look at, but they are truly peaceful places where (when you are not surrounded by hundreds or thousands of Japanese students) you can find little places to sit down, observe nature, and think. What amazes me about all of the places we have visited in Kyoto is how in tune with nature the grounds are. There has been a conscious effort at each of these places to have the buildings fit within the landscape rather than stand apart from the surrounding scenery.
In addition to the sights, we have had a couple of very noteworthy meals. The first was conveyor belt sushi. This type of sushi service is almost fully automated and the restaurant creates plates (each 100 yen or about $1.20) with various pieces of sushi and anyone can take them as they come around. The second particularly noteworth meal was Tempura. Paul, Keiko, Tony and I had tempura coated shrimp, pumpkin, eel, corn and many more pieces and all of the food was cooked right in front of us. In spite of its cost ($75 with a beer and some sake), it was an amazing meal and certainly an experience.
Tomorrow all but Paul and Keiko leave for home. We fly out at about 6pm local time and fly through Seattle and Detroit before arriving in Bangor. While our time here has been incredible, I know I am not alone in wanting to get back to friends and family after 12 days away from home.
I will post one more post once I get back to give you my final impressions.
To date, we have been to two incredible temples and a zen garden. The first temple we visited is called the golden temple because the outside has been covered in gold foil. It is situated right on the water and would be an amazing place to live. The second temple is one Paul and I visited this morning. It is at the top of a steep hill and is built into a mountain side with wooden scaffolding supporting a good portion of the main building. The zen garden we visited was part of a larger complex of buildings, and is one of the most famous zen gardens in Japan. It is amazing how simple the garden is in concept, but how powerful the effect is. The garden is about 75 feet long by 30 feet wide, and it is 15 boulders that have jutted out of the ground to a greater or lesser degree surrounded by white rocks that have been raked to provide uniformity.
Both of these temples and the zen garden have not only been amazing to look at, but they are truly peaceful places where (when you are not surrounded by hundreds or thousands of Japanese students) you can find little places to sit down, observe nature, and think. What amazes me about all of the places we have visited in Kyoto is how in tune with nature the grounds are. There has been a conscious effort at each of these places to have the buildings fit within the landscape rather than stand apart from the surrounding scenery.
In addition to the sights, we have had a couple of very noteworthy meals. The first was conveyor belt sushi. This type of sushi service is almost fully automated and the restaurant creates plates (each 100 yen or about $1.20) with various pieces of sushi and anyone can take them as they come around. The second particularly noteworth meal was Tempura. Paul, Keiko, Tony and I had tempura coated shrimp, pumpkin, eel, corn and many more pieces and all of the food was cooked right in front of us. In spite of its cost ($75 with a beer and some sake), it was an amazing meal and certainly an experience.
Tomorrow all but Paul and Keiko leave for home. We fly out at about 6pm local time and fly through Seattle and Detroit before arriving in Bangor. While our time here has been incredible, I know I am not alone in wanting to get back to friends and family after 12 days away from home.
I will post one more post once I get back to give you my final impressions.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Packed Away the Suit
Friday afternoon we went to the Tokyo Edo museum. First of all, this is one of the most uniquely designed museums I have ever seen. It looks from the outside like they have put a museum up on 4 pillars (I don't have any pictures that would do it justice so you will have to Google it). Inside they have a couple of full scale buildings they have rebuilt/recreated from the Edo period (when Japan was ruled by Shogun's). I learned a lo about life in the Shogun period including a lot about the system of commerce.
Following that, Paul, Tony, Ian, Jeremy, Jane, Joe and I went to the Asakasa district to see a famous temple. As has been the case in the rest of Tokyo, there was a unique market that exists in the mall leading to the temple where they sell any and every form of tourist knick-knack. We left then for Odaiba which is a relatively far away part of Tokyo across their rainbow bridge. We got there just in time for Tony (who was the only student with Paul and I at this point) to get a couple of great shots of the statue of liberty lit up. We had dinner there in a Hawaiian restaurant (which served distinctly non-Japanese portions) and headed back to the hotel.
My last activity for the night was to go off on my own and get my ears picked (think of it as a very thorough cleaning of your ears). A couple of months ago, I read a story in the New York Times about ear picking in Korea. The story said that many travelers to Seoul would go and get their ears picked first thing upon arriving. The story said that many people interviewed indicated that this experience was very pleasurable. My experience suggests that that is only half of the story. Some of it felt great, but some of it was quite uncomfortable/painful. I'm not sure I would every do that again. That said it was a very good experience and certainly worth doing once (and for the record she did get a lot of wax out of my ears). At that point it was midnight.
One thing I have noticed that is very surprising about Tokyo is how early it shuts down. While there were places open at midnight when I was leaving the ear picking, there were a lot of bars that had closed and there were relatively few people about. This wouldn't be surprising if we were staying in the financial district, but we are staying in a part of Tokyo with lots of bars, clubs, and restaurants. Very different from my experiences in Manhattan.
Saturday was a long day of riding a bus to see mount Fuji and an authentic tea farm followed by kareoke. First, we drove to get a good view of Fuji. Fuji is about 2 hours away from Tokyo...unless everyone in Tokyo is going there in which case it can take forever. To make up for the fact that getting to Fuji was not going to happen, we changed route and headed for park where you could get a good view of the mountain. Following a short break for lunch and pictures, we headed to a working tea farm and tea processing factory before heading back to Tokyo. Once back in Tokyo, the whole gang headed out for some kareoke. Everyone from the course sang and I believe all had a good time.
Sunday was a day off for students and faculty. Paul, Keiko and I got to see some more of Tokyo and do some shopping for loved ones while the students headed off to a baseball game. While the game was a pitchers duel, fun seems to have been had by all.
Given that it is late here now and I have to be up early for a train ride to Kyoto, I am signing off.
Following that, Paul, Tony, Ian, Jeremy, Jane, Joe and I went to the Asakasa district to see a famous temple. As has been the case in the rest of Tokyo, there was a unique market that exists in the mall leading to the temple where they sell any and every form of tourist knick-knack. We left then for Odaiba which is a relatively far away part of Tokyo across their rainbow bridge. We got there just in time for Tony (who was the only student with Paul and I at this point) to get a couple of great shots of the statue of liberty lit up. We had dinner there in a Hawaiian restaurant (which served distinctly non-Japanese portions) and headed back to the hotel.
My last activity for the night was to go off on my own and get my ears picked (think of it as a very thorough cleaning of your ears). A couple of months ago, I read a story in the New York Times about ear picking in Korea. The story said that many travelers to Seoul would go and get their ears picked first thing upon arriving. The story said that many people interviewed indicated that this experience was very pleasurable. My experience suggests that that is only half of the story. Some of it felt great, but some of it was quite uncomfortable/painful. I'm not sure I would every do that again. That said it was a very good experience and certainly worth doing once (and for the record she did get a lot of wax out of my ears). At that point it was midnight.
One thing I have noticed that is very surprising about Tokyo is how early it shuts down. While there were places open at midnight when I was leaving the ear picking, there were a lot of bars that had closed and there were relatively few people about. This wouldn't be surprising if we were staying in the financial district, but we are staying in a part of Tokyo with lots of bars, clubs, and restaurants. Very different from my experiences in Manhattan.
Saturday was a long day of riding a bus to see mount Fuji and an authentic tea farm followed by kareoke. First, we drove to get a good view of Fuji. Fuji is about 2 hours away from Tokyo...unless everyone in Tokyo is going there in which case it can take forever. To make up for the fact that getting to Fuji was not going to happen, we changed route and headed for park where you could get a good view of the mountain. Following a short break for lunch and pictures, we headed to a working tea farm and tea processing factory before heading back to Tokyo. Once back in Tokyo, the whole gang headed out for some kareoke. Everyone from the course sang and I believe all had a good time.
Sunday was a day off for students and faculty. Paul, Keiko and I got to see some more of Tokyo and do some shopping for loved ones while the students headed off to a baseball game. While the game was a pitchers duel, fun seems to have been had by all.
Given that it is late here now and I have to be up early for a train ride to Kyoto, I am signing off.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Almost a Tourist
4AM on Friday rolled around exactly as early as was expected, and the whole crew was down stairs in time to grab the taxis over to the fish market. We got there only to see signs posted indicating that the tuna auction is closed to the public until further notice. While we told the students this could happen, I think everyone was a little disappointed. I know Keiko, Paul and I were particularly frustrated because the website indicates that they are still allowing the first 140 people into the auction each day. Since we were there and everyone was game we headed to find a sushi restaurant and got a wonderful breakfast.
A quick aside -- One thing that is very clear about Tokyo is that taxis are NOT the way to get around. For 9 people in 3 taxis, we spent almost 100 dollars for a 10 minute ride. Clearly in this town where there is great public transportation, taxis shouldn't be pursued unless you have to (or don't really care about how much you spend).
After we got back and everyone decompressed from the morning for an hour or two, we headed to our last business meeting with American Express Japan. The presentation focused on their business in Japan and how different the Japanese market for credit and charge cards is from the US. For instance, 90% of all consumers in Japan pay off their whole bill each and every month (compared to about 50% in the US). The presentation was great and given at a very high level as though we were visiting executives from America.
Thus ends the business visit portion of this trip. I will be posting on the rest of Friday and Saturday later today.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Longest Day
Yesterday finished up with meetings with Avaya where we got a lesson in the perceptions of quality by Japanese consumers and a tour at NTT Docomo where we were enlightened about their perception of the future of mobile communications. Both were good visits and just served to reinforce how different in many ways the Japanese consumer is, and yet how similar.
We left there and headed to electric city. While Paul tells me that it was once the city of electric components from which anything electronic could be assembled, it has turned into a place to buy anime, play in an arcade, or buy a computer. We did find a small market where you could buy any component you wanted to, but that was the minority of electric city, not the majority.
Also in electric city are the maid girls. There were dozens of girls dressed in maid outfits soliciting passer-buys. Since Paul and I were alone, we have no idea what they were soliciting us for, but it involved paying them money for something, so we passed. While walking around this part of the city, I did get my first Mos Burger. I am still not entirely clear what all was on the burger, but suffice it to say it was delicious. The big differentiator for Mos Burger seems to be that they make everything fresh as you order it; even the fries. Thats about it for yesterday.
Today was 3 business visits that took up almost the whole day. We started with a very interesting lecture by Suzuki san about some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese people as it comes to confronting the challenges in the coming decades for Japan. Following that, we ate lunch standing up before going to the American Chamber of Commerce - Japan. The talk from the president elect of the chamber (Mike) was insightful and dealt with many of the issues facing companies looking to do business in Japan and America. Finally, we had an interview with two, relatively new employees at Itochu (one of the big 5 trading firms). While they gave us a very interesting briefing on the company, the real insights came in the form of answers about questions on how they got their jobs and how they worked.
Suffice it to say, working in a traditional Japanese company is certainly different from my job and the job of most American companies. We finished our night in Shibuya which is the young persons district in Tokyo. We saw people dressed in all different fashions. Paul, Keiko and I headed to a Japanese version of Korean BBQ while the students walked around and scouted out the scene. Following dinner, we headed back to the hotel for a couple of hours of sleep before heading to the Tuna auction tomorrow morning at 4:30am. As such, I have to get some sleep.
We left there and headed to electric city. While Paul tells me that it was once the city of electric components from which anything electronic could be assembled, it has turned into a place to buy anime, play in an arcade, or buy a computer. We did find a small market where you could buy any component you wanted to, but that was the minority of electric city, not the majority.
Also in electric city are the maid girls. There were dozens of girls dressed in maid outfits soliciting passer-buys. Since Paul and I were alone, we have no idea what they were soliciting us for, but it involved paying them money for something, so we passed. While walking around this part of the city, I did get my first Mos Burger. I am still not entirely clear what all was on the burger, but suffice it to say it was delicious. The big differentiator for Mos Burger seems to be that they make everything fresh as you order it; even the fries. Thats about it for yesterday.
Today was 3 business visits that took up almost the whole day. We started with a very interesting lecture by Suzuki san about some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese people as it comes to confronting the challenges in the coming decades for Japan. Following that, we ate lunch standing up before going to the American Chamber of Commerce - Japan. The talk from the president elect of the chamber (Mike) was insightful and dealt with many of the issues facing companies looking to do business in Japan and America. Finally, we had an interview with two, relatively new employees at Itochu (one of the big 5 trading firms). While they gave us a very interesting briefing on the company, the real insights came in the form of answers about questions on how they got their jobs and how they worked.
Suffice it to say, working in a traditional Japanese company is certainly different from my job and the job of most American companies. We finished our night in Shibuya which is the young persons district in Tokyo. We saw people dressed in all different fashions. Paul, Keiko and I headed to a Japanese version of Korean BBQ while the students walked around and scouted out the scene. Following dinner, we headed back to the hotel for a couple of hours of sleep before heading to the Tuna auction tomorrow morning at 4:30am. As such, I have to get some sleep.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Oh what a difference a day makes
When yesterday started I was still exhausted. After being up for 28 hours, I could hardly think and 8 hours of sleep only got me part of the ay back to normal. With another nights sleep, I feel like I have fully recovered.
After visiting with JETRO yesterday, I went and got a beef bowl for lunch with Paul and Keiko. What a great concept for lunch; thin slices of beef and onion on perfectly cooked rice for about 3 dollars. We went from lunch to a guided tour of the imperial palace.
The grounds of the palace are amazing and we were within 50 feet of the actual residence of the royal family. The tour was all in Japanese so we listened to pre-recorded information on the grounds, but we learned a lot. We got a chance to see some of the biggest bonsai trees I have ever seen (okay, so they weren't actually bonsai, but they had been pruned in a similar manner to give them a very similar look).
We walked through Habia park and the Imperial Palace Hotel (a very, very high end hotel where I found a bottle of whiskey that they were asking 55,000 yen for (at an exchange rate of 78, that is $705). the hotel itself is absolutely beautiful, but I cannot imagine the price of staying there.
Following that, we went to the Ginza which is a high end shopping district. Paul and I set off for coffee (Starbucks of course) and the apple store for some free wifi before heading out to a bookstore with the best selection of fountain pens I have ever seen. The book store was cool (though books and magazine from America in English were really expensive), but the pen shop was awesome. We hung out and went to a variety of different stores before heading for Shaba Shaba for dinner.
All you can eat thin slices of meat cooked in broth accompanied by all you can drink. I'm sure you can guess why I didn't post anything last night.
This morning we were back at Starbucks for breakfast before heading to a great meeting at Interlink. Interlink is a British company that helps European and US firms to enter Japan and other North Asian countries. The meeting was very insightful and provided a real counterpoint to the message from JETRO about how to do business in Japan.
Thats all for now. More tomorrow.
After visiting with JETRO yesterday, I went and got a beef bowl for lunch with Paul and Keiko. What a great concept for lunch; thin slices of beef and onion on perfectly cooked rice for about 3 dollars. We went from lunch to a guided tour of the imperial palace.
The grounds of the palace are amazing and we were within 50 feet of the actual residence of the royal family. The tour was all in Japanese so we listened to pre-recorded information on the grounds, but we learned a lot. We got a chance to see some of the biggest bonsai trees I have ever seen (okay, so they weren't actually bonsai, but they had been pruned in a similar manner to give them a very similar look).
We walked through Habia park and the Imperial Palace Hotel (a very, very high end hotel where I found a bottle of whiskey that they were asking 55,000 yen for (at an exchange rate of 78, that is $705). the hotel itself is absolutely beautiful, but I cannot imagine the price of staying there.
Following that, we went to the Ginza which is a high end shopping district. Paul and I set off for coffee (Starbucks of course) and the apple store for some free wifi before heading out to a bookstore with the best selection of fountain pens I have ever seen. The book store was cool (though books and magazine from America in English were really expensive), but the pen shop was awesome. We hung out and went to a variety of different stores before heading for Shaba Shaba for dinner.
All you can eat thin slices of meat cooked in broth accompanied by all you can drink. I'm sure you can guess why I didn't post anything last night.
This morning we were back at Starbucks for breakfast before heading to a great meeting at Interlink. Interlink is a British company that helps European and US firms to enter Japan and other North Asian countries. The meeting was very insightful and provided a real counterpoint to the message from JETRO about how to do business in Japan.
Thats all for now. More tomorrow.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Finally...sleep
Up and somewhat awake this morning. ohayou gozaimasu (or good morning in Japanese)
After getting into Tokyo at 4:30pm local time (3:30am at home), we hopped a bus and headed for the hotel. The ride was nice and traffic was light, but by the time we got to the hotel at 7pm all of the trip participants were feeling the strain of a 12.5 hour flight.
We dropped our stuff in the hotel ad sought out sustenance. We found it in the form of a ramen noodle shop!! 1000 yen (about 14 dollars) got a freshly made bowl filled with assorted broths, freshly cooked noodles, pork belly and a hard boiled egg. It was quite a meal!
While the students then headed out to see some of Tokyo, I headed straight back to my bed. I got back, unpacked my suit for today and next thing I new it was 5:30am local time.
This morning I went to Starbucks with Paul and Keiko and had a solid breakfast before we headed to JETRO (the Japanese external trade organization) to hear what it is they do and how the recent earthquake/tsunami have affected their mission. The briefing was wonderful and we had a chance to ask a lot of good questions of our presenters.
Time to go see some of Tokyo. Sayounara.
After getting into Tokyo at 4:30pm local time (3:30am at home), we hopped a bus and headed for the hotel. The ride was nice and traffic was light, but by the time we got to the hotel at 7pm all of the trip participants were feeling the strain of a 12.5 hour flight.
We dropped our stuff in the hotel ad sought out sustenance. We found it in the form of a ramen noodle shop!! 1000 yen (about 14 dollars) got a freshly made bowl filled with assorted broths, freshly cooked noodles, pork belly and a hard boiled egg. It was quite a meal!
While the students then headed out to see some of Tokyo, I headed straight back to my bed. I got back, unpacked my suit for today and next thing I new it was 5:30am local time.
This morning I went to Starbucks with Paul and Keiko and had a solid breakfast before we headed to JETRO (the Japanese external trade organization) to hear what it is they do and how the recent earthquake/tsunami have affected their mission. The briefing was wonderful and we had a chance to ask a lot of good questions of our presenters.
Time to go see some of Tokyo. Sayounara.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The journey begins
We left this morning almost on time from BGR in rain and mist. We got into Laguardia and took the very quick trip to JFK where we have proceeded to wait, and wait, and wait. We should begin boarding the plane shortly and begin the long leg of this trip. I asked after an upgrade or a better seat just now and was told the flight is way overbooked and there are no upgrade seats available. This is shaping up to be quit an interesting 14 hours. I'll leave my next message from the other side of the pacific. Tomorrow.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Day Before...
In spite of knowing for some weeks now that this trip was actually going to happen, I still haven't got most of my packing done. I know conceptually what I will need, but given that this will be my first trip to Asia, it will be interesting to see if my conceptions are met by reality. There is still plenty to do in the remaining 15 hours so this is it for now. See you tomorrow for the longest flight of my life.
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