Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Filed under: japan

Ryokan style living

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At Takayama, we stayed at a Ryokan (a Japanese Inn) which offers tradition style living such as futon beds, tatami mats for tea time, onsen and a authentic local dining/breakfast experience. Although traditional they have modern touches such as attached Western style bathrooms that make the stay very comfortable. Our Inn was called Hotakaso Yamano Iori. Although a little surprised by our early arrival, we were given a very warm welcome by the Inn keeper. The entrance to the Ryokan was very Zen and right before the entrance door they had hand painted our names on the welcome sign. Our room was very tidy and they even kept a thermos with warm water for tea time.  We treated ourselves to a vegetarian local breakfast on day 2 (more on that later, it deserves an exclusive post). The staff at the Ryokan was very friendly, they went above and beyond especially the Inn Keeper.  This was by far the most memorable and charming accommodation. I highly recommend the Ryokan experience in Japan. 

 

Exploring Harajuku in Tokyo

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We explored Harajuku - a very colorful neigborhood in Tokyo on Day 2. This neighborhood features locals dressed in outlandish outfits most times as thier favorite manga characters. Takeshita Dori - a famous street in this neighborhood showcases Tokyo street fashion (check out the polka dotted moustache pants in the pics). In this neighborhood, we also came across young girls giving free hugs to keep people happy right outside Yoyogi Park. 

Oh Lovely Japan!

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Japan - "The Land of the Rising Sun" is a unique nation. Nishant and I got back from a 8 day trip to Japan and it was by far one of the most memorable trips (more on this later). Our 8 day itinerary was as follows:

Day 1,2,3 - Tokyo

Day 4,5 - Takayama

Day 6,7 - Kyoto

Day 8 - Tokyo

Posted above are some pics from the trip (more coming soon - really)!

 

 

"Meishi" - Japanese visiting card

I am currently reading "Bargaining for advantage" which has a mention of meishi (ie Japanese visitng card). It brought back memories of my exposure to the Japanese culture at Guidewire

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Japan, is the largest insurance market in the world just after USA. So its no surprise that it is strategically important to Guidewire. At Guidewire, I interacted with a number of Japanese and one of the first things you need to know about conducting business in Japan is the ceremonial exchange of meishi. 

The exchange of business cards in Japan is very formal. There is a proper etiquette to exchange and hold business cards. The presenter of 

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the card should hold the visiting card in the top corner, such that the company name and title do not get hidden from the receiver. It is considered extremely rude to sweep the visiting card in your back pocket. One needs to spend time reading the company, the designation and name of the card presenter. The Japanese often carry the meishi in a leather case, to protect it from creasing and fluctuating temperature. According to the book, the Japanese send their young executives out for days to collect as many meishis. The idea being once you have a meishi, you are then connected to a person and either side can call the other without any hesitation for future business.

If you'd like to see the exchange of meishi in action, see this fun video.