I will be traveling to Tokyo, Japan for six months on a business trip. I will betraveling with five other members of my organization at Lucent Technologies to assistLucent- Japan in their process of developing and implementing an Indirect Channel inSince I will be living in Tokyo for six months, it is expected of me to research andlearn as much as possible about the Japanese culture and the proper etiquetteexpected of me as a representative of Lucent Technologies, Inc.
To search for the best priced Round Trip Airline ticket, I received six differentquotes of prices with two different airlines, United Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Thetwo ends of the pricing spectrum are non-stop, direct flights from Newark International(EWR) to Tokyo, Japan Narita (NRT). The total cost of my round trip ticket is $1362. 50and my flight schedule is as follows: (www.
cheaptickets. com)Departs Newark: 9:00amArrives Tokyo: 5:05pm (1/4)Departs Tokyo: 4:00pmArrives Newark: 7:28pmI will be employed by Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Indirect Channel) USA and sentto assist Lucent Technologies Japan, Ltd. in establishing an Indirect Channel in Japan. The Indirect Channel is responsible for distributing Lucent products through AuthorizedDealers or phone stores.
Lucent Japan does not currently have an Indirect Channel inplace and five of us from various departments within my organization, will be going toTokyo to assist them in this process. I will be working directly with the legal department and with other members of myorganization to establish applications and contracts for Authorized Dealers. I will alsobe working with the person responsible for performing day to day duties in theContracts/Legal Department in Japan to help establish a daily routine, similar to ours inLucent Technologies Japan, Ltd. Mori Building, No.
25Cash is still widely used in Japan, although credit cards are widely usedThe currency in Japan is the Yen. The exchange rates on August 1, 2000 were$1. 00 (United States Dollars) is equivalent to 109. 680 (Japanese Yen). (UniversalThe time zone in Japan is GMT/UTC, plus nine hours. (Lonely Planet, p.
7)Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, is the third largest city in the world and iscurrently occupied by 12 million people. (Japan National Tourist Org, p. 2)Tokyo is avast conurbation spreading out across the Kanto Plain from the Tokyo-wan Bay. (Lonely Planet, p. 8) The city of Tokyo was almost completely rebuilt after anearthquake devoured most of the city in 1923 and again after US air raids struck duringThe city is split between the flashy, glitzy, commercial and business districtslocated west of the central Ginza shopping area, and the more down to earthresidential neighborhoods are to the east of the Ginza.
Tokyo is said to be very westernized and foreigners will find many internationalcompanies represented there. The Japanese Immigration Bureau reported that 42,802Americans lived in Japan in 1999. (Immigration Bureau). Some attractions that I would like to see while I am living in Tokyo are the TokyoNational Museum, which holds the largest collection of Japanese art; the Senso-jiTemple, a Buddhist place of worship and the Shinjuku, which is west of the center(Ginza) and is Tokyos present day entertainment corner.
Tokyo is a very overcrowed city and searching for rental houses and apartmentsis very difficult for foreigners. Foreign renters are required to pay a non-refundabledeposit, called a reikin apart from the deposit and you need to have a guarantor, or acitizen to take responsibility for you. (Tokyo, p. 315)Since I am traveling on business, I will not have to rent something in my namenor worry about getting a guarantor.
Lucent will provide my co-workers and myself witha company owned apartment to stay in while we are working there. Since space islimited, all six of us (3 male & 3 female)will share a two bedroom apartment, a fewApartment Location:7-14-4 RoppongiTransportation in Japan is quickest using the rail or subways. Train maps are providedin English at big stations, so language will not be too much of a burden when using thetrain. Busses are a conveient way of transportation if you are traveling a shortdistance, however, the bus stop signs are not in English. Our office building is withinwalking distance from our apartment, so we will not have to concern ourselves withsubways and trains on a daily basis to get to work. We will have to use publictransportation to go shopping and for leisure purposes since we are living in a sectionof town that is primarily office buildings and hotels, block after block.
The Japanese have a very different culture than the United States. Inresearching the Japanese culture, I have found many interesting everyday etiquettefacts. One of the main things that the Japanese thrive on is politeness. Crime ratesare very low in Tokyo, especially for the number of people who live there and much ofthis stems from their polite and respectful manner.
Also, the people in Japan bow a lot. Visitors are not expected to know the complexities of the bow, however, it is consideredrude to ignore the greeting or over bow. Another rude gesture in Japan is blowing yournose in public. It is better to excuse yourself and go to the restroom and blow you noseWhere and when shoes are worn in Japan can be confusing. Generally, shoesare not worn in Japanese homes, temples, and various other public places (includingrestaurants).
Planet Tokyo, a company that publishes visitor guides, suggests thatforeigners follow the lead of the locals in these situations since the customary rules areWestern-style restrooms are found in the larger department stores and manyrestaurants, however, a Japanese-style toilet requires one to squat and aim facing theraised lid. Not every restroom stocks toilet paper in Japan, so it is necessary to carrytissues or toilet paper around with you when in public. (Planet Tokyo, p. 2)The number of public baths has declined in Tokyo, however, the custom is stillprevalent. Man and women bathe separately except in outdoor hot springs.
Foreignersare generally guided through the process, if they wish to partake. The water in the bathis very hot and the Japanese do this to relax their bodies and let peace enter their soul. Although the Japanese have many customs and daily rituals that are quitedifferent than ours in the United States, Tokyo is a city that is highly industrialized, plusmost of the Japanese speak English, since they are taught the language at a youngage in school. It will be very smart to have an English-Japanese dictionary handy justin case, but Tokyo does not seem to be a city to be scared of as an outsider.
Bibliography:Works Cited:CheapTickets. com. Online. Available: http://www. cheaptickets. com.
5 August 2000. Immigration Bureau: Statistics on Foreign Residents. Number of Non-JapaneseResidents in Tokyo by Country, as of 1999. Ministry of Justice Office, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan. January 2000. Japan, The World Book Encyclopedia.
1998 ed. , Vol 11, p. 32-58. Japan National Tourist Organization, Travel Bureau.
Travel Tips. Tokyo, Japan. 2000, p. 2. Lonely Planet. Destination: Japan.
Travelers Guide to Japan. Melborne, Australia. Tokyo The World Book Encyclopedia. 1998 ed. Vol 11, p.
312-320. Universal Currency Converter. Xenon Labs. Online.
Available: http://www. xe. net/ucc/convert. cgi. 1 August 2000.
