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XP - I need help planning a last minute (work) trip to Japan
I've asked my local board -- DC - for help as well, but any advice I can get from you all is most appreciated!
Yesterday, I was offered a fantastic opportunity to travel to Japan with my association leadership for a conference. I think I leave on Sat., 9/23 and I think I am there for 10 days. (I am in Chicago on a business trip now, and trying to get all the details from a colleague back at the office.) The conference is in Tokyo, that much I know for sure.
So -- what do I wear? what do I pack? what do I expect? My international travel to date includes a brief sojourn to London and Paris more than 10 years ago (like, a 5 day trip), Italy in 2001, and my honeymoon in Australia 6 years ago. So - not much -- and none in the Far East.
Any and all tips, advice are appreciated!
(I have heard that the milk and beef are still likely to have radiation, and so not to eat them. Sadly, I am not a huge fan of sushi -- but I'm guessing that's about to change.)
We are staying at the Imperial Hotel. (I'm trying to give you all the information I have, in case you have different advice based on that location.)
"What is a week-end?"
Re: XP - I need help planning a last minute (work) trip to Japan
Caveat: I do not claim to be a Japan expert compared to some of the ladies on this board.
My #1 piece of Japan advice: American ATM cards only seem to work at ATMs in 7-11s. (This is the case with mine anyway.)
What industry do you work in? That will likely influence what you wear. My H does a lot of business in Japan and he tends to dress nicer there than he does elsewhere. His normal work clothes are a dress shirt and dress pants, but in Japan he usually wears a suit and tie. As a point of reference, he works for a US based automotive/industrial equipment company and spends most of his time in Japan in a factory.
There are plenty of non-sushi, non-beef foods in Japan, so don't worry if you don't like sushi and are avoiding the beef. There will be many noodle shops and, for some reason, tons of Indian food as well.
You will have an awesome trip. Tokyo is super easy to navigate by public transportation and the people in Japan are possibly the most helpful that I have ever encountered when I have found myself staring at a subway map looking confused. What a great opportunity!
Duke's House: Eating and Running with the Big Dog in Chennai: eatrunbrit.com
2010 Race PRs:
5K - 24:57 10M - 1:28:20 13.1M - 1:57:29 26.2M - 4:28:29
great tip on the ATMs - I'll have to call my credit union and see what they say about use there (as well as informing the other CC companies that yes, I am in Japan and please let me use the card).
I work for an architectural association - so business casual is our norm. Sounds like I may need to step it up a notch.
and thanks for the info that the locals are helpful - the language barrier is one that worries me, esp if I am allegedly "in charge" of taking my leadership around. (Mostly, I think they just want me there to make sure they are in the right place at the right time...so it would be good if I could do that, w/o losing anyone!
)
"What is a week-end?"
I had forgotten that! I guess I'll need to unearth my own bus cards that I never use here in the US!
"What is a week-end?"
Good point! If you are at a table, leave it out on the table next to you until the end of your meeting.
Also, if you are greeted with a bow, return with a bow as low as the one you received.
ETA: If you need to bring a gift for your Japanese hosts, it is ideal to have it wrapped in Japan if possible because there is a lot of ettiquite around how gifts are wrapped. They should never be wrapped in white paper.
Duke's House: Eating and Running with the Big Dog in Chennai: eatrunbrit.com
2010 Race PRs:
5K - 24:57 10M - 1:28:20 13.1M - 1:57:29 26.2M - 4:28:29
I completely agree with all advice given above. The only other thing that comes to mind right now is to try to wear/bring shoes that are easily slipped on and off. If you go out to any meals at traditional Japanese restaurants, it's quite possible you will be asked to remove your shoes before you sit at the table. The same goes if you happen to be invited as a guest to somebody's home. Perhaps you can use this as a good excuse to get a nice pedicure before you leave!
You will have plenty of food options there. Sushi is often just served as a starter to a main meal. If you like fish you will be in good shape. Noodle dishes are quite prevalent. And there are a ton of international food restaurants around.
And Brit's Luna, I love the way the Japanese wrap their gifts! I wish I could do it like they do. I've tried to replicate it after I've unwrapped items, but it never works out.
Cecilia arrived 12 October 2012
thank you all for the advice! I did some Googling, too, and realized that not only could it be hot and muggy still this time of year, apparently wearing black might not be a good idea (seen as funereal). So damn, now I have to figure out what to pack that I can still mix and match.
I am thinking I could still get away with dark bottoms (pants) and more colorful tops? I need to wear the same things more than once, or else pack two suitcases (and I even I know that's not good). I am not in a size I like right now, so I don't have suits that fit... although I may have to overcome that issue and just buy one to deal with this.
I know this is a good problem to have to solve -- I'm lucky my boss likes and respects me and invited me, a week out, to attend. I just appreciate the advice you all have provided to quell my fears!
"What is a week-end?"
There is a lot of food besides sushi, I haven't even had a bite since living here in Japan over a month and I've tried lots of amazing things!
The thing about the business cards is a great tip, I've seen it done and while it seems a little awkward to us it's totally normal!
As for food/beef/milk/etc, you can eat and drink anything you normally would feel comfortable eating/drinking. The food supply (and water, etc) is being monitored very carefully. This site is the Ministry of Health and they update every time any part of the supply is called into question, and as you can read here it is almost always WELL before beef is even slaughtered/milk is milked so it doesn't even reach the market. In our prefecture there is also a site that updates air and water radiation readings hourly and you can keep track yourself. I'd be willing to guess nearly every prefecture, especially those near such huge business and tourist areas like where you are heading, do the same. I check the readings occasionally and they are always lower than, say, New York City.
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SOOOOO HOT. And so muggy. The mug is unbelievable. I really truly had never expected Japan to be this way, I packed one pair of shorts!
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I don't know the exact etiquette rules, but a lot of things actually won't be passed hand to hand. Business cards will. But change at a store, for example, will be placed in a little tray by the cashier and you take it from the tray. Basically just take your lead from whoever is passing the item.
Cecilia arrived 12 October 2012
I was in Japan in October a couple years ago and it was gorgeous but still warm so I'd imagine it's really hot now.
My favourite Tokyo website is - http://www.tokyo-subway.net/english/ it was endlessly helpful during our week in Tokyo. Getting around on the metro is so, so easy but this helped make it cheaper also.
I absolutely adore sushi so ate it whenever I could, but there were tons of other options. The huge bowls of miso soup with tofu and veg were amazing. Honestly, all the food we had there was incredible.
Generally speaking, people are very, very, very polite and there's tons of etiquette involved. Buying a soda at a convenience store was more involved than I was used to! There are tons of tourists in Tokyo though so as long as you're polite, I'm sure you'll be fine. We just tried to copy what happened around us.
Oh - something that surprised me was how covered up most people were. I wore jeans and a tank top and was by far the most revealed person most places we went in Tokyo. Women dress beautifully (again, generally speaking) so I pretty much always felt under-dressed in either sense! I would definitely aim for business attire - when we were out during business hours most of the people we saw were in suits. Tons of people in black suits too so I wouldn't necessarily worry about that.
Japan was one of our all-time favourite trips, it's such a beautiful country, everything is spotlessly clean, and there are tons of surprises. Check out any vending machine you find, there's always something amusing about it.
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
I've only been there for 2 weeks (1 week work conference + 1 week sight-seeing) in July a couple of years ago. I'm not an expert by any means.
Most people wear white tops and black bottoms for work. Women wore skirts almost exclusively at work. (But this probably depends on the industry).
Here're a few important tips that a lot of westerners are not aware of. You'll find many more by googling.
Don't stick the chopsticks straight up on foods. Don't point at things with chopsticks.
Don't point at anything with your feet.
Don't refill your own alcoholic drinks, unless you're doing it right after refilling everybody else's drinks. If you see somebody with an empty glass, do refill theirs. If you don't want any more drinks, leave your glass half-full.
Don't tip at restaurants. They may even feel offended.