Japan to Boston - Day 15

We got in so late (5:30 AM) that we did not do much on the final day.  We checked out of the hotel and took the shuttle bus to the airport before spending most of a day on an airplane.  I can't say enough how fun the trip was and how gracious I am to Joonhaeng for hosting us in Korea, the CLFM students for hosting us in Shanghai, and for the 11's who planned the rest of the trip.

Japan - Day 14

Last full day in Japan and the weather could NOT be nicer!  As was the case last year (in Easter Europe), March is not the best time to visit some places from a weather point of view.  Most of the trip has been cold and rainy but today was spectacular.  So what do you do on a beautiful spring day in Japan?  Well, if you are lucky you spend the day admiring cherry blossoms…and this is what we set out to do.

• Bottom right: I found Dr. Pepper in a vending machine.

First we headed to the Imperial Palace to walk around the garden.  You can only go inside the palace on two days during the year, and this was not one of those days, but the gardens are always open.

• Top left: Look at the stone work...no mortar.

Next we headed to the electronic district of Tokyo to check out the stores.  None of us were in the market to buy anything, but it is pretty cool none the less.  Imagine a Best Buy on steroids crammed into ¼ of the same space…then add lots of flashing lights and excited/screaming advertising.

• Top and bottom right: These girls got pissed when I took pictures of them, but that did not stop me.  You dress up funny in public and I'm going to take your picture.
• Bottom left: Apparently they don't have trash cans in Asia.  I carried that Dr. Pepper can for a couple of hours.
• Bottom middle: Victory!  Not only did I find a trash can, but a recycle can.

After that we headed to the Tokyo museum which has an awesome lane of cherry blossoms.  We knew none of this at the time.  We were heading to the museum because someone in our group was reading the New Yorker (obviously a hippy) and he read about a tea house there that we should visit.  When we got to the museum area we were blown away with the cherry blossoms and the number of people celebrating outside.  It felt like the fourth of July in the US.  We headed to the museum and the hippies went to the tea ceremony and a few of us went in the museum.

• Bottom right: The picnic looked fun.

• Bottom left: I love samurai swords.  This one was from the 12th century.

After the museum we just wandered the area for a little while.  The festive atmosphere was just too good to leave.

• Bottom left: Everyone was taking pictures of the cherry blossoms.
• Bottom right: Worst case of Asian Plush that I have ever seen (I only recently learned about this term but apparently many Asians turn very red when they drink).

• Bottom right: This dog loved to eat cherry blossoms.

Next we stopped into a sushi shop so the boys could get a snack (I don't eat sushi) and a drink before dinner.  Then we headed to dinner (taking a few pictures along the way).

• Bottom left: At the end of the day, I am American...which means I have to insult foreign cultures and their works of art.

Dinner was an event and a half.  The place does not typically take English speakers but someone in our group had their mother (who speaks Japanese) call all over town to find a place that would take us.  The dinner setup was fantastic.  It was all you can eat and all you can drink (beer and sake) for 2 hours.  Since only one person in our 28 person group spoke Japanese, dinner took about three hours…but they did not charge us extra.  The end result was a group in quite good spirits…so it was time to go clubbing.

• Top right: I was more than full.
• Bottom left: Steak.
• Bottom right: Pork.

From 3-27-10 Tokyo

• Sake Bombs!  After this, we did a round with everyone there.

We stayed in the club until about 3:30 AM and since it is a Tokyo tradition, after a quick bite to eat, we took the first subway home (5 AM) with hundreds of our new best friends.

Japan - Day 13

Today was our final plant trek and it was to Hitachi and their facilities where they build nuclear power plants.  For the first time this trip we got the tour we wanted!  Hooray!  Hitachi spent almost the entire day with us and gave us a tour at a pace that allowed for questions and with people capable of answering them.  Well done.

We spent the morning getting an overview (in powerpoint form) about a number of the things that they do, especially the engineering and project management.  It was easy to see why they have such an impressive track record on big projects.  We also talked a bit about nuclear energy and I really hope the US gets over its NIMBY (not in my back yard) and embraces new nuclear plants.  Hitachi hopes for this as well. ;-)

After Hitachi we had a two hour bus ride back to Tokyo (hitting rush hour traffic as we expected to).  Luckily for us (and unluckily for our bladders) they gave us beer for the ride.

• Bottom left: Never turn down free beer even if you don’t drink…cause your friends will want your beer.  Also, Hitachi had sanitary paper hats for the hardhats so naturally I wore that for the rest of the day...and the people at the rest stop may have thought I was Muslim with the hat and the beard.
• Bottom right: As was the case last year, those with smaller bladders struggle on buses without bathrooms.

Once we got back into town we headed out for dinner.  Once again coordinating dinner took forever (despite our best efforts to coordinate on the busride) but eventually we made it and I had the best ramen (noodles in water) that I have ever had.  After dinner we were debating what to do and most people were “tired” and went home like a bunch of bums.  I understand that it has been a long two weeks but it was Friday night in Tokyo…time to party.  Six of us went bar hopping but we were not very successful at our endeavor.  We elected to go out near our hotel so we could walk home (subway stops at 12:30) but most of the bars in the area were more like restaurants…but not exactly.  They all serve food, but not a full meal, and this can get expensive if you just want to try a place out for a drink and then move on.  They definitely got mad when we said that we did not want food.  It also gets tough on me because I can only drink so many Cokes before I just don’t need any more caffeine or sugar.  We made it home by about 3 AM (I had a date with JP at 5 AM to go to the famous Tokyo fish market where vendors from around the world purchase their sushi) and it was definitely bedtime.

• Top middle: We went up a free observation building for a night view of the city.
• Bottom middle: I never got pushed into a subway but I got to see the other side get pushed in.

Japan - Day 12

Today we visited the holy grail of manufacturing (according to all of the classes that I’ve taken in school) Toyota.  Similar to the first auto tour of this trip (but not to the same extent) the tour was a bit short and we did not have a chance to ask many questions.  We got the typical window tour (it was actually a catwalk above the floor) tour with a PR person (which does not allow for operations questions).  Despite this, the tour was nice and it was impressive to see the floor.  People all over the factory were certainly moving at full speed.

The better part of the day came at lunch (which was like all of the other company meals in Asia, very classy).  During lunch we got a Q&A with a Sloan alum and he was quite candid with us.  It was refreshing to hear someone discuss the mistakes that Toyota has made and where he thinks the company is going.  We could not take any photos on the tour (standard for most companies), but we got to hang out in their showroom area and take pictures to our heart’s desires.

• Top left: A classy meal filled with things that I don’t eat.
• Bottom mid-left: This chair was weird and I don’t get it.
• Bottom right: They had a trumpet playing robot…I don’t know why.

After that we took the bullet train to Tokyo.  The departure and arrival were…interesting…because we purchased a group ticket, so all 50 of us had to go through the entry and exit gate at the same time…which meant we had to stick together as we went through one of the biggest stations in Tokyo.  Like I said…interesting.  After that, things went well.

We got to our hotel easily enough and then headed out to dinner…which was also…interesting…because everyone decided that they could not read a single guidebook or ask the hotel reception desk but instead they had to get a recommendation from one of the two students who had been to Tokyo before.  So we once again had to try to organize and unofficial event with 35 people, which never works and always takes forever (took us an hour to get out of the lobby).

• Top left and middle: Tokyo had amazing markers for blind people.  You could get around every subway and many public places by following the textured tile path.  The paths even walked up to the blind assistance ticket machine.  Best system for the blind that I’ve seen.

After dinner we went out to see the city.  We went to the busy area of Tokyo, Shibuya.  If you’ve ever seen a movie clip of Tokyo and they show “that” intersection (like Times Square in New York) where people cross in any direction at a crosswalk (so people are crossing cattycorner) then you know Shibuya.  It was raining that night and only a Thursday so it was not as busy as it can be, but it was fun either way.  After a walk around the area, we caught the last subway train back to the hotel.

• Top left: More than 180 degree view of Shibuya.
• Bottom left: Even the Don (our program director) came out with us (only for one drink, but he’s a good sport).
• Bottom right: I never got the story of why this dog is well know, but everyone else was getting a picture so we joined in.

I noted as we walked around (and everyone agreed) that I have never felt as safe in New York, even the nicest areas, as I did in Tokyo, even the sketchier areas.  Tokyo just felt safe.  It was bright and people did not hassle you…everyone was just so darn polite.

China to Japan – Day 11

This was our last day in China and with the CLFM students.  We started the morning with a case competition with teams mixed between CLFM and LGO students.  Overall it was a fun event, but I wish we had more time for the case because some of the CLFM students needed more time to read the case (it was in English and to be honest it was not the best written case).  This prevented some of the CLFM students from really participating.  Hopefully the next time we do this they factor that in when picking a case.

• George, me, Kal, and Nina...my hosts from CLFM in Shanghai

After that we hopped on a plane to Nagoya Japan.  By the time we got checked into our hotel it was quite late and there was NOTHING around the airport, so some of us took the time to do some laundry and then went to bed.

• Top left: Look at the legroom you get in economy on an Asian airline.
• Top right: The rooms in Japan...a bit small.
• Bottom right: Stewart found the pajamas that they leave on the beds in Japan...it was not awesome for everyone else.