I started my morning with a starbucks run and then got back to the hotel in time for them to pick us up at 7:45 for the first training session in Osaka. We drove to the offices, which were once called Elk, but they were bought by Canon but still retain the name even though all the other offices are Canon.
I love going into facilities and offices around the world and seeing our product either going out the door or in use! Wheres Waldo... Find the gallon boxes and those are ours!
Ron and I have gotten the training down pretty well so we can get through it pretty consistent in 3 hours, which we did and then headed to return the rental car and eat lunch before we got on the express train to Nagoya.
As promised - they got me my Okonomayaki at a little restaurant in the train station that loudly welcomes you by everyone on staff giving this Cheersy-Norm like yell.
And then we were seated in these little booths where they lift the seats and have you put your bags underneath then you sit down at a table that has a hot metal table top on it where they place the okonononayaki once it's been cooked. You put on these paper bibs and sit there for about 15 minutes waiting for them to place this amazing delight for your mouth in front of you!
This one was smaller then I've had before and it came with noodles. Okonomayaki is this pancake like thing that has veggies and or meat mixed into it. The big ones I've had before are kind of like layered pizzas but nothing like a pizza. And then they put this amazing sauce on the top. Seriously my mouth is watering - I think I need to get another one before I leave...
After lunch we headed up to the express train again where we took off on a train headed towards Tokyo.
Unfortunately, mom, this is as close as I got to seeing Kyoto...
About a half an hour later we arrived in our last city, Nagoya.
We're doing our last training here...
And then Ron and I catch a taxi back to the train that goes to Tokyo and were done for this speed business trip!
So cultural discovery...
In China they send their kids to their parents to raise them while both parents work.
In Japan the women do usually stop working to raise their kids, but it's very typical for the husband to be sent somewhere else to work. You can say no but it just means you've probably shot your career in the foot. For instance a few of the guys we worked with were from Nagoya or Osaka and have been sent to Tokyo to work. Because housing is not as easy to buy or sell, the wife will stay in Nagoya with the kids and her husband will go and live and work in Tokyo and come home like one or two weekends a month. One of the guys who is with us is from Osaka and spent 15 years in Tokyo while his family was still in Osaka. He's just been transferred back to Osaka and they're now trying to readjust to actually living together. Crazy!
Incidentally, internationally speaking, my friend Ioana in Romania had been texting me news... She was just part of a 30,000 person protest who were standing up to corruption in the government. As of yesterday, the prime minister stepped down - and now she's asking for prayer that they get good and honest people in the government!
Update... It's now 6:15 pm and we were supposed to leave to get the train at 6 and the director of sales here is like "blah blah blah in Japanese" and in my head I'm screaming "shut up shut up shut up!" And my butt is so sore after sitting here for three hours and I have no clue what these people are saying and I just want to be on that train headed back to Tokyo! This can't last forever...right??!!!!
And we finally did get on the train about 7:25. We got back to Tokyo station about 9:3 and then got on the train to Shinjuku. I love Japanese people! First of all, we get to the escalator to the train and everyone forms this politely perfect like - if it were China, we'd still be back there trying to fight our way onto the escalator! And then we get on the train and everyon is falling asleep. There's so many people on the train that people can just sleep standing up because they're pressed in like sardines. And then there this little Japanese business man standing in the corner by the door doing this sleep dance with is upper body - around, forward, backward, swaying... Totally out of it!
I'm ask at the hotel and so happy I'm in he south tower that's newer and has nice beds... Can't wait to go to sleep!
Seiko comes tomorrow and we go out and have some fun including pedicures!!! Yay!!! My feet are so stinky and tired and ugly right now! I'll be so happy!!!
Back in Tokyo!
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