-
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
Meta
Category Archives: Japan
Sayonara
A few observations that I realize I touched upon but never wrote about in great detail: 1) white glove service – the taxi drivers and people at the hotel all wear white gloves. even the people who handle the baggage. … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Before the plane
A few random thoughts and pictures before heading to the airport. And of course I’ll start with food. 1) I think I actually gained weight these past two weeks in Japan. When I wasn’t splurging on pastries and other snack … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
The last night
My Japan host (an American coworker who relocated to Japan on his own dime – not here on assignment) met me at the hotel and was very excited to introduce me to two authentic Japanese experiences: eating Chinese food (LOL) … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Site-seeing day
For two weeks, I’ve looked forward to this day. A whole day to myself, site-seeing, enjoying Tokyo, without any schedule or real agenda. I would wake up whenever my body clock was ready, and do whatever I felt like, see … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Tokyo Yomiuri Giants
Friday night I attended a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome where the Seibu Lions beat the home team, the Yomiuri Giants. A 15 minute subway ride brought me from the Nihonbashi district to the Bunkyo district where the massive … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Tsujiki Fish Market Videos
Here’s two quick videos from the Tsujiki Fish Market experience yesterday: 1) The prep before the live auction: http://youtu.be/z1EbIKD4NNk 2) The beginning of the live auction: http://youtu.be/0YqmsHnmmag An auctioneer signals he’s ready to host an auction by ringing a bell … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Final day in the office
It’s our final day in the office and the Tokyo portion of our work assignment has come to an end. We’re handing out the remainder of the gifts we brought from the states, and reminiscing about the things we’ll miss: … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Cultural observations
I’ve already written a bit about various cultural nuances, so consider this post a mishmash of observations that I want to document before I forget. 1) Elevators Everyone stands in silence. No talking. And they jam in as many people … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Yakitori
Last night I enjoyed yakitori (meat and veggies on sticks) arranged by one of our hosts in the Roppongi area of Tokyo. Roppongi is a fast-paced area with a lot of night life catering to males, but is not to … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Tsukiji Fish Market
Today’s adventure begins at 4:30 AM for a visit to the Tsukiji Fish Market. Every day, more than 2,000 metric tons of seafood, worth about 19 billion dollars, changes hands here. A single tuna can sell for approx $20,000 here. … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Hotel observations
The Royal Park Hotel in the Nihonbashi district caters to a lot of non-Japanese clients. It’s walking distance to the office. Everyone speaks some level of English, and there are Japanese-to-English translations listed everywhere. I like to immerse myself in … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are very common in Japan. On the local TV stations there are commercials appealing to ex-pats touting their “seismic ready” condos built with the latest technology to withstand massive quakes. The night before I arrived, there was a small … Continue reading
Omakase, part 2
Finally I had the opportunity to dine at the place down the street that is either closed or full. And now I know why: 8 seats in the joint, a sushi chef, and a woman serving drinks. A nondescript entrance … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
It smells like hot dogs in here
In high school, I learned to say “it smells like hot dogs in here” in Armenian since the music department sometimes smelled a little funky. Our American friends thought it was funny to learn how to say the phrase too, … Continue reading
Kyoto, part 2
Some photos and a video from the day trip to Kyoto: Here’s the high speed Shinkansen train pulling into Kyoto station, and a quick video of the view from the train.
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Omikase
So the sushi place recommended to me for dinner was closed which means another dining adventure. (Future travelers staying at royal park hotel in Nihonbashi should seek out this place: walk a block down the street away from the train … Continue reading
Japanese Office Style
The advice I was given about attire in the workplace was spot on. And from what I’ve been told, our office is more casual than others. The offices are WARM and the air conditioning is not on full blast in … Continue reading
Tokyo Life
A random collection of photos to give more of a sense of life in Tokyo. Notice how the bike rack is covered. The melon muffin that I had for breakfast was really yummy…light and flaky on the inside, and the … Continue reading
Harajuku
Took the subway to Harajuku for the day – a section of Tokyo which is like Harvard Square in the 1970s and 10x the size. Basically the teenagers here are setting fashion trends and designers from around the world visit … Continue reading
Kyoto
Saturday I visited Kyoto, the former capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years. Kyoto has hundreds of temples and shrines and former imperial residences to see, but I only had 8 hours to explore. Kyoto is in the central … Continue reading
Tokyo views
An assortment of photos from walking around Tokyo: a $400 bouquet of roses, a shopkeeper refilling drinks at a beverage vending machines (beverage vending machines are EVERYWHERE in Tokyo), last night’s dinner, a no-smoking sign on the sidewalk, and bike … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Shoes
Since arriving in Tokyo my feet and ankles have been swollen. They dont feel any different except for the fact that all my shoes are extremely tight. Any excuse to buy some new shoes, right? So I left work at … Continue reading
First full day in Tokyo
Breakfast at the train station near the hotel was a cup of American coffee and a cream filled sweet donut thing…yum. Lunch at a thai place near the office FILLED with chatchkes…I was too in shock to take a picture. … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
Leave a comment
Travel to Tokyo
I was fortunate to fly the new Japan Airlines 007 direct flight from Boston to Tokyo — 13.5 hours — in business class which meant my chair reclined all the way into a bed! Only complaint was that the plane … Continue reading
Lilla Travels 