Day 22: Feedback and Flight

Sorry for the delay on this post - since getting back some I have been on work experience and have finally had the time/energy to sit down and write this post.

Our final day started with most of us cramming out suitcases before 11:40am. I had mostly packed the night before but chucked on some casual clothes to run down to the post office and finally post my postcards. I'd written some in Hiroshima and most of them the night before. Fortunately, I had purchased stamps beforehand, which made it a very quick trip. Unlike Italy, it's very easy to send postcards in Japan. And the register worker was very helpful and happy. I liked that.

At 11:40, for the last time, we left the hotel and caught taxis to Mitsui's head office. We started out with a brief meeting with the Japanese organiser of the tour to provide our feedback on our experiences. Everyone was in agreement that this tour was exceptionally well organised and we all had a lot of fun. We discussed a few hints to be put in the guidebook next year (such as "Don't Forget your Passport") and then headed downstairs to a restaurant for lunch. It was an interesting place, which four restaurants joined together - one for pasta, Japanese, Chinese and Western. The food was really good, and quite cheap as well.

After lunch we headed up to the Executive floor and had a meeting with the head of Corporate Social Responsibility about our experiences. It was a really fancy room, with automated shutters and a fantastic view of the Imperial Palace and gardens. It felt a little James Bond villainesque corporate office - that typical evil corporation board setting. The discussion was lively and it was great to have an opportunity to talk with corporate management and have them seem to be interested in who we were, our dreams, passions and what we learnt most from the trip.

Sadly, this was our last item on our itinerary. We got changed out of our business attire and looking far too casual to be slinking through the office corridors, we took our bags and ourselves out to our bus and watch Tokyo disappear as we headed to the airport. At the airport we did some last minute shopping, grabbing items to spend our Yen coins (which can't be exchanged at home). Whilst there I also checked out the cameras - the price isn't actually cheaper than Australia when tax is taken into account. Finally, we climbed on board the plane and left Japan.

The flight was good. I slept for most of it. My best tip for flying was the zip off pants I wore - which gave me warm long pants in Japanese winter and then shorts for the warm plane and summer Australia. Actually, I was surprised when I arrived that it wasn't that hot in Australia. I thought it was supposed to be summer here!

That's all from Japan. It was an incredible experience - certainly a country rich in culture. It's beautiful and exotic, managing to seamlessly blend West with East, Ancient with Modern. I am so grateful for the experience. My Mitsui Journey isn't over yet - I still have a report to write and a presentation to deliver. Not to mention that Alumni events will ensure I remain a part of the MEF Family for years to come!

Day 21: So Much Food. So Much Fun.

Today was our last full day and our last opportunity to really see Tokyo. We travelled to Shinjuku for our first task. Along the way we saw a couple of politicians out campaigning, due to the election next week. It was interesting to see the politicians themselves standing on the top of minivans using speakers to yell out campaign messages to the crowds of people. One of the people working for one of the politicians (the one who wasn't trying to improve smoker's rights) was a frog. They were very friendly. It was a busy day in Shinjuku as it is a Sunday, so most people are not at work and are instead enjoying a day off.

The Friendly Politically Motivated Frog

Our first appointment was bowling. And for no real reason I had a completely terrible game. Clearly I need to practice a little bit more because I was one of the worst in the group. On the plus side, I did manage to win a free game voucher (which I gave to Roy from the MPEs due to obvious locational difficulties utilising the voucher) by knocking over all but the single pink pin in the first bowl - completely accidentally. So that was nice. Bowling is quite popular in Japan, so unsurprisingly most of the MPEs were reasonable at it and had a good grasp of technique and theory. Most things in the alley were self-serve. The shoes had a vending machine which was very cool and the signs on sizing were super helpful. By some miracle I had the correct size shoe the first time!

Bowling Alleys - unsurprisingly the same as Australia

After bowling we caught the train to Shibuya for lunch where we had Shabu Shabu again. This place was really cool, for 90 minutes we had all you can eat. The thing is with Japanese food is that whilst individual food items are small, they bring out many plates. The MPEs kept ordering more meat and with unlimited vegetables and ice cream we were all incredibly full afterwards. However, during our free time, Shoichi (my MPE partner) took me to an amazing little cafe to watch the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and we did have to buy something, so I enjoyed a little sundae there as well which was very nice. 

The crossing itself is amazing. There were very few cars on the road, although I imagine this is quite typical as you would struggle to get through promptly, pedestrians seem to spend more time crossing than the cars get to drive. Hundreds of people gather at the sidewalk and the moment the light goes green it is like a dam wall opens and they spill out in every direction. Being amongst it is just as crazy. It feels fine for half the trip as everyone is walking in the same direction as you, but when you hit the centre all of the four streams combine and it becomes chaos as you fight to reach the other side, particularly if you are walking with a friend and don't want to lose them. 

Waiting to Cross

Go!

From Above...

Chaos!

 

Right in amongst it

We had a walk around Shibuya for the rest of our free time and sadly, failed to find any DDR places (Dance Dance Revolution.) Instead, we found a Disney store and it was AMAZING. This had three floors and was built like a mini-castle. There was heaps of merchandise and we burnt at least an hour just looking around the place. I was a bit disappointed they had nothing from 101 Dalmatians, which also surprised me given the sheer size of the place. Obviously my favourite Disney isn't anyone in Japan's favourite Disney. The time went by so quickly and we soon had to be back on the train to Shinjuku for dinner.

It took us a little to find dinner, there was another store by the same name that we went to first, but it turned out to be just around the corner from the Robot Restaurant. No one ate much, but we had a fantastic time singing Karoke. Unfortunately I couldn't do much,  despite not feeling sick any more, my voice isn't better yet. We heard the MPEs give us their own renditions of some of their favourite J-pop songs and taught them a few of our favourite songs as well. It was a really fun evening. At the end we exchanged presents - they had made us some amazing photos albums that captured the weekend beautifully - and then said a few sad goodbyes as not all of our MPE friends could come back to the hotel with us. 

All in all, this weekend has definitely been a highlight of the three weeks. The MPEs know their food and their fun exceptionally well. I hope they can all one day come to Australia so we can work as a team to repay them the favour. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and I wish them every success and happiness in the future.

Sadly, tomorrow,at 7:35pm, we fly out. These past three weeks have absolutely flown by. I have learnt to eat with chopsticks  (I no longer get handcramps!), eaten raw fish, explored temples and shrines, climbed three towers, seen robots build cars, deliver scientiffic presentations and perform at a restaurant and most importantly, spent some great weekends in the company of wonderful people - be it my Homestay family or the MPEs. There have been so many money-can't-buy experiences and I am so grateful to have had these opportunities.

There will be no blog post tomorrow, as I do not land until 7:20am Sydney time. It's going to be hard to adjust to Australia, normal life and hot weather.

Day 20: Tokyo - College Style

Our final weekend is being managed by the Mitsui Prospective Employees. Between the 9 of them they have come up with an amazing itinerary to show up the college/young adult side of Japan and more specifically Tokyo.

Our first stop was to make a Wind Bell. These are glass objects that are hand blown, traditional from the Edo Period of Japan. They are hand painted and the trick is that they are painted on the inside of the bell. Tragically, I am not particularly artistically talented, although I did my best and was quite proud of my results. Thankfully there was a lot of instruction and inspiration to copy off.

Mount Fuji on one side

Maple trees on the other

We then went downstairs to watch some of the wind chimes being made. It was incredible to watch a man who had trained for three years and worked for a few decades demonstrate his craft. He also allowed a couple of us to attempt to blow a wind chime, but with no success. Thus, he demonstrated that not only is it harder than it looks, but that this skill takes a lot of time to learn.

Blowing a wind chime

For lunch we headed to Odaiba, near where the National Museum of Emerging Science and Technology is. To get there, we took the Monorail again and enjoyed a spectacular view of Tokyo - the weather was much nicer today, as expected given we weren't going up Sky Tree today. We got off a few stops earlier and went to a really cute shopping area dedicated to America and Hawaii. Japan loves Hawaii because when international travel to exotic locations started, Hawaii was the closest and naturally became the most popular. For lunch we had Ramen, although I had fried rice due to the inability to get Ramen Noodles without food I can't eat.

Gardens that flew by on the train

More gardens

Look at that view

Across the Harbour

Rainbow Bridge 

Sun on the water

Some Christmas Light Setup

Statue of Liberty

After lunch we had a little bit of free time to explore the shops. Aside from finding some vintage arcades, I also found a Coca Cola store, with shirts, jumpers, polar bears, glasses, bottles - everything. You name it, Coke has merchandised a version of it. We also went to see Legoland (although it was way too expensive to go in) and finished up in Palette Town near the Ferris Wheel (there were no starting Pokemon to be found.) We played a quick game of Uno before heading to the Onsen.

Everything is better with Cola

Lego was also feeling Festive

Palette Town was quite colourful

Ferris Wheel - at this stage it was still quite cold

Long time blog readers will remember that I first undertook an Onsen in Hakone. They will also remember that these Hot Springs are done completely nude. This one was a little different to Hakone. Firstly, the building itself was like a mini city, full of food and services, as well as the hot springs. Upon arrival you were given a Yukatta of your choice to wear inside. Secondly, the room was much bigger, with multiple baths of different temperatures and styles, including a spa bath, microbubbles, outdoor and a 20 degree cold bath. This meant we could cool down if we overheated and also gave us a few new experiences. There was also a sauna available, which was actually more comfortable than I expected. All in all, I had a great time at the Onsen.

Finally, we had dinner with the MPE's and experienced Monjayaki, which is like Okonomiyaki except instead of layers and a pancake, it's more blended together and looks a little like vomit - but it tastes amazing. We also had chocolate crepes for desert which was so good.  After a short train ride home, I've spent the rest of my night packing my bag for the trip home. Only two days to go.

Day 19: Presentations!

Today was a quiet day, all inside Mitsui's temporary head office. As such, sadly there are no photos of today - there really wasn't anything to see today. However, I can show you the video of the Robot Restaurant from last night:

Robot Restaurant Show Clips

Our first presentation was with the Energy Business Unit. We had an interesting discussion regarding Mitsui's investments in Coal and Oil, with a growing focus on Gas as the future fossil fuels. It was also mentioned that whilst renewable technologies are increasing, the demand for cheap, reliable energy in the developing world will require fossil fuels and gas is the cleanest alternative. We also talked about Japan's future power make up as since 2011, no nuclear power plant has generated power for the country. It will also be extremely difficult in the coming years as nuclear power plants become decommissioned due to their advanced age to provide enough electricity for Japan. This is why gas is becoming increasingly popular in Japan.

Our next presentation was the Mineral and Metal Resources Business Sector. In this area we discussed the iron ore and coal aspects of the business, which revolved around how Mitsui organises the logistics to allow for trading of mineral resources into Asian markets. It was interesting to note that Australian coal is prized for use in Metallurgical areas because of its purity however, is only used as a thermal power source when in close proximity to the location of use, for cost reasons. As such, whilst we dominate Japanese and Chinese markets, India does not import much Australian coal for thermal use.

The third and fourth presentations were about the Medical Healthcare Business. This is a relatively new area for Mitsui. Their investments in Private Hospitals and Pharmaceuticals is to respond to the ageing population in Asian areas, as well as providing ways to increase market access for smaller pharmaceutical companies to develop technologies in the industry. 

Our final presentation was about the Woodchip Industry. This presentation was particularly interesting as this is one of the few business areas where Mitsui is owner of the company in its entirety. Mitusi tends to be an investment firm which uses its contacts to also operate as a trading partner and intermediary. However, for some of the projects (all of which are in Australia mind you), Mitsui is the entire owner, meaning they are in charge of management. Given that Mitsui rotates its employees through different areas, the main challenge is the transfer of knowledge between employees, particularly when there is limited experience in this form of company work.

Tomorrow starts our last weekend. We will be spending it with the Mitsui Prospective Employees learning what a young Japanese person does on a Tokyo weekend. It's very exciting. 

Day 18: Embassy, Head Office and Robots

With only a small number of days left, today we turned our heads towards more formal items on the itinerary. Starting with a visit to the Australian Embassy. This place is exceptionally beautiful, mixing Australia and Japanese interior design to create an exquisitely unique blend. We met with Bruce Miller, the Australian Ambassador, as well as other staff members of the embassy. During the chat we were told that it is apparently illegal for an Australia to eat whale anywhere in the world (oops) although after much googling, I'm yet to find a website that backs that claim. I also unfortunately had a coughing fit and had to leave quickly from the room till it stops so I did miss a little of the discussion. But it was a lively chat about politics, the Ambassador's life and what led him to his career and a wonderful morning tea was enjoyed by all. Before we left, we took the time to explore the gardens, which are absolutely wonderful.

Before the Ambassador arrived. I was too short for the couch - my feet didn't touch the ground

The garden - so beautiful

The past two days had had beautiful blue sky. Today, the day we were planning to climb the Tokyo Sky Tree, it clouds over and rains. Again. We went up anyway, but the view in the distance was obscured by rain clouds and it was a little disappointing. Had we gone up yesterday or the day before, I'm sure the view would have been incredible. That being said, the Sky Tree is still amazing. Firstly, the lift goes up incredibly fast and is gorgeously decorated. That was the first thing that blew me away. The second thing is the glass floor. I originally expected you to be able to see more through it - the gap between layers obscured most of it, but it was still a small thrill to walk out onto glass and look down over 300m to the ground below. Definitely a highlight of the climb.

Look how fast the lift goes!

Pretty Decorated Lift

The View

The tower was celebrating some serious Christmas

Josh and I - fearless

Pretty Lift on the way down too

After lunch we had a presentation meeting at Mitsui regarding Japan's focus in Asian markets. We discussed the challenges and behaviours within the Japan-China relationship, including noting that investment in China is actually reducing in favour of investment in other emerging markets.  We also talked about ASEAN, which as a group is the 7th largest economy in the world. Interesting thing noted from these talks: Australia is the 12th largest economy in the world, but is number one on a per captia basis. We are seriously outperforming ourselves. I also learnt that the biggest challenge for Asian countries to develop is a lack of natural resources, which makes development harder to start, but easier in the long run, compared to countries in Africa with lots of natural resources which restricts their development.

After this meeting we had free time to do whatever we felt like. So I went to Shinjuku and visited the Robot Restaurant. I am so glad I went there because I had an absolutely blast. I can see why some reviews complain about no robots because a majority of the cast are men dressed as androids. However, the props are either robots or remote control and they were seriously cool. The building itself is impressive and the waiting lounge has an adorable interactive robot dinosaur and a band that looks like Daft Punk's cousins. The show itself is intense, loud and full of lights and movement, in a surprisingly family friendly way, considering Shinjuku is supposed to be the Red Light District (and some of the shops I saw certainly gave that impression.) They even had audience participation. The girl right in front of me was chosen to box against one of the "robots" and won herself a prize.

The outside of the restaurant

Two Robots you could sit on and pose with

Neon Fan!

Mermaid Mosaic

The stage in the 3rd floor lounge

Cute little Dinosaur Robot

Daft Punk's Classic Movement

Down ready for the show - I had a great seat.

Girls on the drums at the start. Got the heart racing and it was really loud.

Rock "Robots"

One of the robots that carried singers around

We all were given light sticks to wave

The dancers were really good too

After the show we could get up close to the robots

Me on one of the robots, with a cast member

One of the dancers had a really pretty dress on

I do have a video but it is rather long, so I shall include in tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another day of presentations before we head on an exciting weekend with the Mitsui Prospective Employees. Only four days to go!

Day 17: Back to School

Today we had a blessed sleep in - not needing to meet until 9:35am. So I enjoyed a blissful rest before gathering up a pile of pencils and USB drives as gifts for the students of Keio University.

Our first stop today was the Meiji Shrine. For the first time in a long time we were without a tour guide, so Kaoru showed us around - as an expert from visiting the shrine for the past few years. This shrine was built to honour the Meiji Emporer, who opened up the country to foreign traders in the late 1800s, early 1900s (the birth of Mitsui). He was a revolutionary Emperor who brought Western culture to Japan - a running theme for today. The shrine itself is actually huge, it extends back to near our hotel, yet we caught the train around it for a number of stops to get to the best side. It is surrounded by a park which includes a baseball field amongst other sporting areas. The shrine is simply immense.

Massive Wooden Tori Gate

The main Shrine itself

The Emperor was well known for eating Western food and wine and these barrels were donated to his shrine

Our next stop was Keiro University, which was founded in 1858 during the Meiji reforms. It was done in response to its founder, Fukuzawa Yukichi (who appears on the 10,000 Yen note) believing that Western standards of education should be adopted as the country opened its doors to the world. The campus itself is beautiful, although it does operate a little differently to an Australian University. Primarily, there are still bells in this University and periods. Classes are listed on TVs to inform students what classes are on where.

We first had lunch at the cafeteria, which was amazing. For 300 Yen ($3) I had a chicken breast, chips and roast pumpkin. That is a ridiculous price for the food! And the food was amazing. The actual eating hall was full of students and there was a surprising number of Western exchange students. Josh and Clint made friends with a group of French students. After lunch we had a tour of the beautiful campus grounds with a number of students who will be going on exchange to Australian Universities in February including UQ, ANU and UNSW. 

The campus itself is really beautiful, although much more compact than Newcastle's. There is a reasonably large quadrangle, but most buildings are more like small apartment blocks. There are a couple of heritage sites, including the first public speaking hall - which was made to reflect founder Fukuzawa Yukichi's fondness for making speeches and his belief that this was an important tradition from the West. (I happen to agree wholeheartedly.)

The original University Library - now used as a meeting hall

Bust of Fukuzawa Yukichi

The main stained glass window in the old Library - showing a goddess (Western Civilization)  meeting a samurai warrior (Japan). The latin underneath is the Keio Uni's motto and means: The Pen is Mightier than the Sword.

After our tour we joined in on a political science class where the Professor utilised the presence of us Australians as an opportunity to discuss the roles of Japan and Australia as "middle powers" particularly in regards to the rise of China as an economic, political and military superpower. There were two Australians per group, I was paired up with Clint. We had a fantastic time discussing the influence China has, particularly regarding the purchase of property and farming in Australia, migration, as well as the fear of the unknown behaviour of China, compared to a cultural understanding with the United States. I think we all learnt a lot. Steve said that he discovered a lot about Australia that he didn't know (Josh was his group partner and I believe Josh knows a lot about international relations.)

This evening was a free evening. The girls organised their own trip which later turned out to be the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku. It received rave reviews from them so I intend to go tomorrow and see it. However, Steve and I went back to Akihabara to have a look at the night life. And it was like a completely different space. There were big crowds, lots of noise and plenty of shops vying for your attention. The craziest thing was that if you walked two meters away from the shopping area, it was like coming up for air - the area was so much quieter, less crowded - even less traffic. We dove head first in and I did a little bit of shopping (even successfully found some anime things I had been searching for for 17 days for a friend). We had McDonald's for dinner, like disappointing western tourists, but food was hard to find. 

Lights and Crowds everywhere!

Tomorrow we are visiting the Australian Embassy and if the weather remains good, going up the Sky Tree. Hopefully a lot more photos for tomorrow (and a great Robot Restaurant story!)