Work woes

So for the most part, I'd say work is going pretty well. I feel very lucky that I have been given this opportunity. It's very rare I think to have a chance like this. To be sent to another country (a cool one at that!) at no real additional financial expense to me personally. Also for a short period of time with no strings attached or committment beyond a year. Besides the personal experience and gain, from a career standpoint it's a great move for me. To do more sales and business development. To train others and share my knowledge in online research. To learn about business in a new region. To virtually build a new market for our products in the new region....

At the very basic level, I am doing much less day to day operational work and much more strategic work. It's a change of pace which is so nice when you kind of get stuck in the rut of the same day to day work. I am also learning the challenges of doing business in Asia, doing business in Japan specifically, the differences in the online market out here, product pricing, sales technique, and a whole lot of other things.

There are many challenges of course. One I've mentioned already is doing business in Japanese. There is certainly a language barrier and it makes things very difficult when there is a need for translation. I'm also responsible for work in all of Asia Pacific which means it's hard to really get a hold of any one market (though I am concentrating on Japan). Operationally things are still a bit hairy. I am working with the larger company which acquired my company which means we are trying to fit or teach our processes into theirs. Sometimes it really is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. They are also a much bigger research company so in my opinion, they move so much slower and have more bureaucracy than a smaller company does. That just doesn't work well in the fast-paced online world in my humble opinion.

So the work woe today is that I feel frustrated that I am limited in what I can accomplish given the circumstances. I am working hard and trying to succeed and do well and sell more and make money. The problem is, I don't think they are capable of executing as quickly as I would like. There is a lot of talk and desire for business to pick up and for client interest to grow but realistically someone will have to manage and execute these projects and give clients quality work. I am not confident that they're equipped fully for this yet. I am doing everything I can to help with the project management and client contact and even operational work (which technically I am not responsible for). But I am only here for one year. The time will go by quickly and they will need to learn how to manage these things once I am gone. I also feel bad because one girl here who is a native Japanese speaker gets stuck doing all the translations which I am sure is not glamorous work. Today she was complaining to her boss about it and I can't help but feel bad for her because she has plenty of more important work to do here. I almost wish they could just hire a translator for these things.

So I am not quite sure what I should do, I feel a little stuck. If I continue to push business through and develop clients, my fear is that more work will come in that they can't handle or will handle with poorer quality that it should be. If I don't continue to do what I'm here to do, it's just a waste of my time and company $$.

Well, nice ranting. I'm sure this post was more for my chance to complain than for anyone's reading pleasure. :)

Sometimes I forget

It's so easy to get into a routine and I sometimes forget I am in Tokyo! Being here just over 6 weeks now, I can mindlessly commute to and from work just like I used to in NY. Without thinking, I walk my usual route to the subway station, dodge people, take out my subway pass and stand on the platform exactly where I know the doors will open where I want to get out. The funny thing is also that everything is in Japanese, the announcements and all but I don't even notice it anymore. Even when I am in the office and people are talking on the phone in Japanese, I just tune it all out. It's like background noise to me because I don't understand it so it's just sound. I'm also really used to the fact that most everyone is Asian. I don't even notice that anymore when I walk around. Every once in awhile like last night when I was commuting home, it will hit me. I am in Tokyo! A whole other city in a whole other part of the world....

Another good weekend

Friday night I went to Sarah's birthday party (I met Sarah through Sophia). We went to a really good french restaurant and then to Feria yet again - that's the same club/lounge I've been to 3 times now but it's Sarah's favorite place. I have to start going somewhere new. It's a fun place but getting sick of it. It was also super crowded to the point of annoying but we had fun anyway.

Saturday I met up with Gen again (girl I know from church I used to go to in HS) and Serena's husband. Serena is another girl I knew from back then and her husband Justin was in town for an interview. They may be moving to Tokyo in January. Would be fun to have more familiar people around to hang out with. Anyway, we went to this World Expo thing, it was at a convention center with booths representing different countries trying to get people to travel there. That's how much the Japanese like to travel I guess, they have a whole convention advertising places to go. Gen's friend was in a performance there so that's why we went to it. They had music/dance performances from different countries and her friend was in the one for Jamaica. Afterwards we went to dinner in Shinjuku.

Sunday I met up with my coworker Yuki (she's the one in the middle). She invited me out with some friends of hers that were in town and we went to Yokohama. We ate at Chinatown (which is one of the biggest in the world) and walked by the port/harbor and then over to this mini amusement park area. We rode a couple of their small roller coasters and the giant ferris wheel (kinda like the London eye). It was a goregeous day today, perfect weather. It was really nice walking around today.

A good work week

It's been a fast 4 day work week with tomorrow already being Friday for me. I've also kept myself busy and interested by working on some presentations and gathering information on the online advertising markets in Asia. Had a few good meetings this week also. My meeting today was in Japanese again. It went well but the conversation was so frustrating. Answering client questions about research methodology is already sometimes challenging but having to first understand the interpretation of the question and then responding back which in turn gets translated just doesn't seem efficient at all. This is why it is always best to know the language in the country in which you are doing business in. In this case, we're doing the best we can since I don't think anyone at my company speaks Japanese. Translation is also happening through coworkers which is hard because 1. they are not trained translaters and 2. I feel like there are things I say that I want them to translate but they don't. If I had a real translator that would not be any better because the technical terms for online advertising and explanation of some things really takes at least a little understanding of it. It's not straight translation of words or phrases. All in all we are making a lot of progress and seeing a lot more interest in business than we projected at this point in the year.

Food update. What have I been eating lately? I haven't been cooking much this week. Tokyo has so many "quick food" options like ramen, precooked meals, seaweed wrapped rice balls, etc that it makes eating simple if you want something fast. 2 day example of my diet: Yesterday I had cereal for breakfast (home), curry and naan for lunch (restaurant), and peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner (home - thank you DL ppl for sending me the PB - probably Debbi/Michelle/Rachel). Today I had a late breakfast after a client meeting (egg sandwich), small premade salad for lunch (it had potato and egg in it), and precooked noodles and rice ball (bought on the way home). Not very exciting I know.

Think I'm going to crack open a Kirin now and unwind.

Calling all movies

So I am desperate for something to watch in English. As I mentioned my options right now are:
- CNN or BBC News
- Discovery, History or Animal Channels(but all boring shows, none of the good stuff)
- 5-6 random channels with old TV shows or old movies

Last night I actually watched "When a Man Loves a Woman" with Meg Ryan as an alcoholic. And "Ladder 49" with Joaquin Phoenix as a fireman. Ouch, was I desperate or what?

I have not only completed watching every episode of my Sex and the City series collection but I've watched every deleted scene, interview and bonus extra.

I am happy when I find a Felicity episode on or if I am really lucky an old episode of Lost.

I've considered watching Simpsons or Friends in Japanese.

I know I should move on to reading books but I can't help but be a TV bum.

So here is my desperate call for movies... if you have some spare time or spare movies, please feel free to mail me some dvds. I'm not asking for originals, burned copies are fine. :) I'll watch action, drama, comedy, romance, cartoons, foreign with english subtitles, copies of TV episodes - basically anything in English.

My mailing address should in the farewell email I sent with all my contact info. If you need it again, email me and I'll forward it.

Thanks!

Mori Art Museum

I forgot to mention that when I was in Ginza on Saturday I stopped in the Sony building to check out the showroom. There were some really cool laptops and awesome flat screen high def TVs.

Cloudy and gloomy today and I thought it was going to rain so I didn't take a day trip anywhere. Decided to walk over to Roppongi Hills again and check out the Mori Art Museum. Same building where I saw the Pixar exhibit the weekend I first got here. They have rotating exhibits so this time there were paintings and sculptures from The Cleveland Museum of Art's Monet to Picasso collection. Very nice. There are also other galleries so I saw a BMW Heritage exhibit that had vintage BMWs. Gorgeous pieces of machinery. And I stumbled into some weird exhibit that had some handbag theme and was all these random pictures, short films, and things. I didn't get it. Also in that building is the Tokyo City View. Panoramic views of the city from the 52nd floor. Though it was cloudy, it did get bright enough to see decent views. After awhile I got dizzy looking out those floor to city windows. I ended my afternoon excursion eating at a conveyor belt sushi place.

Btw, if you have my Kodak gallery link, I uploaded this weekend's new pics.

Lost in Translation

Went out with Sophia and some of her friends last night. Went to a restaurant/bar/lounge in Shibuya where one of Sophia's friends plays piano. It was on the 15th floor and had a pretty cool view. I love the views in Tokyo because it just seems like endless buildings that go on forever. After a bunch of cosmos I went with 2 of Soph's friends to some party. Not a private party but like a place rented out that had DJs and a cover charge. Felt like an old school NY party. It was pretty cool, decent house music and nice checking out that scene in Tokyo. When we first got there these 4 guys did some break dance routine thing. So random that they just had this whole routine they did in the middle of the party.

So today was a sleep in, movie day. I had a big mac meal at McDonald's today. It actually did taste the same as big macs in the States. Then I did a little food shopping and I finished watching the entire DVD series of Sex and the City. I also borrowed 2 movies from the movie library. They have a limited library of DVDs in downstairs. A whole lot of old movies, movies I've already seen, and movies I am not interested in. I watched the second Bridget Jones Diary movie and Lost in Translation. I've seen Lost in Translation before but it was really cool watching it now that I am in Tokyo. It made me realize, wow, I really am living in Tokyo. That's pretty cool!

Ginza and Imperial Palace Gardens

Today I went to Ginza, another shopping neighborhood like 5th Avenue in NY. High end shops, department stores and they close one of the main streets on the weekends for pedestrians.

A short walk from Ginza is the Imperial Palace. The only day of the year you can visit the palace itself is New Year's day but you can visit the gardens. Very pretty, supposed to be even prettier when the cherry blossoms bloom.

Thought people would like to see the squat type toilets they have in Japan. Most public places also have western toilets but you will see these in public restrooms, authentic Japanese restaurants and outside of Tokyo.

Blog is down

For some reason my blog link is not working but I can create a post. Maybe it will be back up later.

And I know, I haven't posted in a few days. Nothing too interesting to report. Pretty much just work all week. Had a few client meetings which were held partly in English, partly in Japanese. It will be interesting getting used to doing business like this. Meetings were good. My biggest concern about doing business in Japan is getting Yahoo Japan to be willing to work with us. They really dominate the online market here, you can't imagine how much. They have something like 80% reach!

I had dinner with Gen, girl from the church I used to go to in HS, my brother put me in touch with her. She's lived here for 4 years or so. Also went to a jazz bar in the Hyatt near my apt last night with Lauren and Sarah. Good jazz and drinks but was super expensive.

It's a long weekend this weekend, we have off on Monday. I didn't even realize it until the office manager sent an email reminding people. I don't have any plans but I am thinking of taking a day trip somewhere.

It's finally getting cooler here. Really nice today, upper 70s. Might get a little hot again for a week or two then stay cool.

It's 7:20 on a Friday, I am still at work but should just go home. What am I doing here?

Happy Birthday Kenn!

It's Kenn's birthday today--- Wish him a happy one...
He doesn't look a day over 25!! He won't let me put his pic up on my blog so I'll respect his wishes. :P He definitely does NOT look his age - lucky man.


Ever since I sent my pics (if you haven't gotten the link from me, just ask), I have gotten sooo many comments that my apt looks nice or looks really clean. It's definitely really comfy. It's like an extended stay hotel or full service apt. Plus I don't have clutter because I don't have much stuff and haven't been here very long. Here are some pics of items those from home sent or gave me. Just wanted to let you know I look at these every day. Miss you all!





So here are some more cultural tidbits I've been taking notice of:
-Despite the cleanliness here, Japanese do not mind sharing food at all. No qualms about putting a fork or spoon into someone else's meal or cake for a taste.
-Service industry is really polite and VERY helpful (for basic requests). Taxi drivers and hotel staff are often uber polite to the point it makes you uncomfortable. They are in a constant state of "Sorrys" and "Thank yous".
-You have to get used to people asking your age or about your personal life, it's completely common even among coworkers.
-The side ponytail on women is common here

Btw, I think I have finally mastered the moving walkways!

Meiji shine and Cos-play-zoku

Today, I visited the Meiji Jingu shrine which some say is the nicest shrine in Tokyo, if not Japan. It was very pretty as was the shrine gardens. The gardens didn't really have any flowers in bloom this time of year though so I'll have to go back next spring.

The shrine gets a lot of weddings and while there, I caught two processions of ceremonies with bride and groom in traditional garb. That was really cool.







Outside of the shrine on Sundays especially are the Cos-play-zoku or "Costume Play Gang". They are a subculture made up of teens in goth and punk garb. This site has some more pics if you're interested: http://www.cosplayzoku.com













I also checked out bands that play outside Yoyogi Park again this week. Free entertainment for a Sunday afternoon.

I had a good day but don't know why I decided to spend the day walking around outside. It was HOT. By the time I was ready to head home, I was exhausted and practically had heat exhaustion. Getting into the subway station was really rough, it was jam packed with people and soooo hot. I made it home though and have the rest of my Sunday evening to relax. Have a great week!

Btw, I am posting ALL of my Tokyo picks to Kodak Gallery so you would like access to them and I haven't sent them to you already, drop me an email and I'll send the link your way!

My new phone!

Very exciting, I finally got a cell phone. It's a pretty nice one actually because as I mentioned you would be surprised how bulky phones are here. Though phones here do have quite a lot of functions. Check out the phone I got- I got the green one - only 10,000 in that color:
http://www.vodafone.jp/mb/en/product/3G/705sh/index.html

The screen is really nice, super crisp color. It has web functionality that you can view maps on. This is so convenient and so key in Tokyo because as I also mentioned, you really need maps to find where you are going around here. I only got the phone for 1 Yen too! Yes, 1 Yen- that's less than 1 penny. Vodafone has these deals that if you get a 2 year contract and web/email service, you can get the phone for 1 yen. So realistically since I have to break my contract after 1 year, I will pay about $85 in the end. I can also cancel the web service right away with no penalty but I might keep that because of the map access. Email me if you want my number to text me (will cost you int'l txt rates - probably 20 cents a txt) or if you want my phone's email address. You can send me emails which will go straight to my phone, pretty cool.

I slept in today and then had brunch with Lauren. Afterwards I did a little shopping in Daikanyama where I bought a cute top and a handbag/shoulderbag. Here's a little blurb about that neighborhood:
Sandwiched between Shibuya and Ebisu are the bustling back streets of Daikanyama, one of the city's hotspots for fashion, avant-garde architecture and cafe culture. A delightful blend of haute couture and vintage fashion, Daikanyama's boutiques jostle with patisseries, salons and seriously funky accessory shops providing something for metropolitan hipsters of all ages.

Ain't all peachy

Every day in Tokyo isn't all fun and games. Last few times I've tried to get somewhere I got lost, it's so annoying. Finding your way around here sure is not easy.

Weather cooled off a little but it's still humid so I'm still sweating up a storm over here. Yesterday I went to a client meeting and I was wearing a suit. I arrived already feeling hot, their office was not very air conditioned, and I was just sweating like crazy. To the point where it was embarrassing really, I didn't quite know what to do, wipe the sweat as I was talking or what. One guy was even like "if you're hot, feel free to take off your jacket"... but I wasn't about to sport a wet shirt at that meeting! To top it off, I dropped my new hankerchief on the floor and left it there by accident. Needless to say it wasn't the best day ever. Oh and my business cards still have not arrived so I looked like an idiot yet again with clients.

I pinched a nerve in my neck or something the other night and my neck has been hurting. It's a little better today but yesterday I was having trouble turning my head to the side.

On the brighter side, I picked up my foreign registration card so I will hopefully be getting a cell phone today. Everyone has this misconception of phones here being really cool and small. Honestly, most people here have big phones. They have great functions, all kinds of emailing and texting and cameras on them are really good. But they are mostly not sleek and small.

Last night I met up with Lauren, one of the girls I met last weekend. We had dinner at the Grand Hyatt bar/restaurant. I had an expensive burger and really expensive red wine. The burger was good but not great. The wine was really good (Cabernet) but it was way overpriced.

On to another weekend.....

Steve Irwin RIP

I'm so sad that Steve, our favorite crocodile hunter, died. What a freak accident since sting rays are generally safe animals to be around and that the one that killed him just happened by chance to get him in the chest. I read that although Steve always put himself out there in dangerous situations, he always said he didn't think he would die from an accident on land but if it ever happened it would be in the water. Reason being that he was more agile and in control on land but water was just another element that put things out of his control. His death was caught on tape because he was filming a documentary and the tape revealed he actually tried to pull the barb out after it stabbed him. Just so tragic... He was a great entertainer and educator, he will be missed by many. May Steve rest in peace.

McDonald's

Yes, McDonald's - one of the guilty pleasures in life. I really only eat McDonald's in the US when on a road trip. Kenn made a great point to me the other day that really I am just on one really long road trip so it would be ok to eat McDonald's. I also tell myself I need a little taste from home every now and then. And today I've decided I will go on a little "test the American fast food in Tokyo and report back" adventure. Really it's just an excuse to eat fast food.

So last Friday I forget to mention that I had a sausage mcmuffin for breakfast. It didn't taste the same as in the US, it was kinda gross. The hash brown tasted the same though. Today for lunch I ordered what looked in the pic like a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato. It was actually a bacon lettuce tomato burger. This also tasted nothing like any McD's burger I've eaten so I was kinda disappointed. The burger meat and cheese tasted different and it also had some sort of spicy mayo sauce. It was ok, not great. The bacon was more like pancetta then regular american bacon. When I looked at it, it was fatty and nasty looking. Of course I ate the burger anyway. The fries also tasted different. They were hot and perfectly cooked but they must use different oil here or something. I actually didn't even finish them all! For those of you that know me and fries, that tells you something about my disappointment. Perhaps next time I will try another McD's sandwich more standard like the regular cheeseburger, big mac, or filet-o-fish and I'll report back on my findings :)

Also to come in future blog posts: Wendy's (there's one in my neighborhood), KFC (these are all over Tokyo), and anything else familiar I can find. Don't worry, I will limit myself to once or week or less. Though I've also reasoned with myself that I can eat what I want here because I am working out now. ;)

Yoyogi Park

Another fun Saturday evening outing as the pic I took when I got home after eating the most delicious ramen noodles I've ever had suggests. :) Went to one really crowded place which was so narrow you couldn't do anything but stand and try not to get pushed around. So then the group decided a change of venue was in order and we ended up at the same place we went to last week. I met another friend of a friend of a friend who is an expat here and she seemed cool, I'll probably try and hang out with her again sometime.



Sunday I went to Yoyogi Park because I saw a listing for a free music festival that sounded interesting.
(Flyer: http://www.pingmag.jp/party/) Live electronica, breaks, hip hop, etc. It was pretty cool. Similar to something like Summer Stage in NYC - bunch of people hanging out with friends, sitting on the concrete or dancing. There were food vendors too that sold beer and these delicious fruity type drinks that are kind like wine coolers sort of. I ate some random vendor food that was a doughy crepe-like thing that had lettuce, egg and what I think was radish topped with a vinegarish sauce and mayo. Sounds weird I know, but it was good.



This park kinda reminds me a little of Union Square Park and also Washington Square Park. All sorts of people hanging around. Right outside it on Sundays are the gothic and sub-culture youth that dress up in outrageous outfits you hear about. The pic is of some guy in drag performing something. I also saw a group of middle-aged men dressed up in 50's "Grease" outfits dancing to 50's music. Down one road next to the park was a whole bunch of rock bands. One after another, all set up with speakers and their music equipment playing songs. Pretty wild people watching to be had at this park, it was fun.

3 weeks

Ah ha! Shane Battier - thanks whoever the anonymous commenter was. That was him I saw at Nobu, very good looking guy btw.

I've been here for 3 weeks now. I feel like I've been here forever. I did realize in the last few days though that although Tokyo is convenient to get around, it's also easy to get lost. There's no grid system like NY and there are practically no street signs. You basically always have to have a map of exactly where you are going. Even then, good luck. At least there are police boxes on many corners that you can get directions from. Despite the convenience of subways, streets are not always direct so it takes a lot of walking to get to your actual destination.

So today I went to the Tokyo National Museum. I took a detour (read: I got lost) and wandered around some shopping area/flea market place for awhile (pic below). I also walked through a nice park. The museum was good (all the other pics are of the museum). I really liked the Japanese art - calligraphy and paintings were among my favorites. There was also an archeology wing that was sort of boring. I mean, if you see one really old clay pot and ancient wood or metal tool, you've seen them all. After awhile you're just like, ok I get it, a whole lot of really old stuff.... Ok fine, on a serious note at the very least it gives you some perspective on where you are and who you are at this moment in time which is nice. It's even interesting to wonder what an individual was thinking or doing when they used that pot or painted an old scribe. Yes, I can be deep sometimes people.

But on a less serious note, I actually saw an episode of Sex and the City that I haven't seen. The first episode after Carrie broke up with Aidan and they went to LA to get away. Weird, I thought I'd seen them all. Tonight, I plan to meet up with some of Sophia's friends. Sophia herself is actually home sick with a cold but she put me in touch with some of the folks we went out with last week. I'll be sure to report back.

Good eats

So last night at Nobu was great! We did Omakase which is "chef's choice" and is a series of courses. I can't remember how many courses now- let me try to recount: some type of shellfish (1), salad with some kind of sashimi on it (2), another kind of sashimi on a gelatin-ish thing (3), slices of delicious steak (4), 5 pieces of sushi (5), soup (6), assorted desserts (7). I think I'm missing something. It was all really really good, my favorite was the steak. We also had a really good sake and a very expensive tab :) - it was worth it though! We saw some basketball player there, he's from Michigan but played for Duke... personally I had no idea who he was. Sophia's friends were all from the States so it was nice getting to know some more expats and hear all English conversation. Since it was one guy's last night in Tokyo, afterwards we went to a bar in Roppongi (where i live) and met up with their coworkers. Lots of expats and the bar reminded me of one at home.

Had my first all Japanese meeting today. Some clients came in to our office and Steven and another coworker presented our company info in Japanese. Steven translated what they were talking about and the questions I needed to answer.

After work, I went to dinner with Steven and 2 of his friends to an authentic japanese place. Cheap and dirty place, all japanese menu with no pictures and sitting on the floor style, no shoes. We had a ton of little dishes including tuna sashimi, salad, clams, asparagus, fried cheese, cheese and potato, edamame, chicken wings, kimchee, fish, mushrooms, octopus, and Sapporo of course. All really good stuff and that was all for less than $30. I also used my first squatting toilet there. I managed not to pee on myself. :)

I'm still getting used to taking out enough cash from the ATM. It's a very cash only city so I need to start taking out much more. I've already had to borrow money from Sophia and Steven at the last 2 dinners, how embarrassing.

I'm going to relax for the rest of the evening. Admittedly I was out later than I should've been last night. Tomorrow I want to get up early and hit up a museum or something. Then I think I'm going out with Sophia and her friends again.

Thanks for all the comments on the last post. Apparently I have to eat at famous restaurants or be in an earthquake for comments. ;) j/k
Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone! I have to work on Monday....