I am not sure if it is because my friend looked like a foreigner during my latest trip to Japan or sales staff are now more courageous to speak English. Even an "obaasan" (auntie) waitress could ask us "English Menu?", which was quite a surprise for me. It seems that the depreciating yen really helped Japanese tourism and the service line is finally picking up English.
Now... I wonder if that Immigration Bureau at Shinagawa has more staff who could speak English or Chinese. It was strange that nobody there could speak a foreign language although everyone who goes there is a foreigner. Luckily the forms are in English and Japanese, whew!
Monday, November 24, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Day 9: Shinjuku Awaodori Review (Japanese traditional dance theme restaurant)
If you want a nice restaurant in Tokyo to chill out with friends/colleagues and experience traditional Japanese culture at the same time, this is it! Shinjuku Awaodori Restaurant (新宿 阿波おどり) is a new Japanese traditional dance themed restaurant located right outside Shinjuku station's East exit and sits right next to ABC Mart (shoe shop). Very convenient!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Day 8: Hitachi Seaside Park to see Red Kochia
Day 7: Kawagoe Festival 2014
Kawagoe Festival is an annual event held every year in the 3rd weekend of October. The place is within 40mins train ride from Ikebukuro and has buildings preserved from the Edo period.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Trompenaar's Cultural Dimension: Internal Direction Versus Outer Direction
Based on Trompenaar's dimensions of culture: Internal Direction Versus Outer Direction
(How People Relate to Their Environment)
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/seven-dimensions.htm
Americans are vocal about their opinions and believe they can change their environment. On the other hand, Japanese tend to avoid conflicts and remain silent to maintain harmony with other people. Foreigners often find it irritating because we do not understand if their silence means consent, still thinking, or rejected. As for Singaporeans, we are a mix of both due to our traditional values but westernised education.
Previous cultural dimensions:
Collectivist and Individualist
Neutral and Emotional
Universalist and Particularist
Specific and Diffuse
Achievement and Ascription
Americans are vocal about their opinions and believe they can change their environment. On the other hand, Japanese tend to avoid conflicts and remain silent to maintain harmony with other people. Foreigners often find it irritating because we do not understand if their silence means consent, still thinking, or rejected. As for Singaporeans, we are a mix of both due to our traditional values but westernised education.
Previous cultural dimensions:
Collectivist and Individualist
Neutral and Emotional
Universalist and Particularist
Specific and Diffuse
Achievement and Ascription
Day 6: Otaku Special at Akihabara, Odaiba and bonus: Nakano Broadway
Well actually we went to Tsukiji for early sushi lunch first but I won't blog about it since I already covered the topic in my Tsukiji article last year. Do note that they will be moving out of Tsukiji in early 2016 to allow redevelopment for Olympics 2020.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Day 5: Mt. Fuji, Oshino Hakkai and Grape-picking day tour
My friend had never visited Mt. Fuji before so we signed up for a day tour from HIS Travel. We departed from Shinjuku early in the morning and we reached there within 2.5-3 hours by bus. This wasn't my first time at Mt. Fuji's fifth station and you can read about my previous trip here, when I visited a farm and an ice cave.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Blogspot.jp domain is down
It is strange but the entire blogspot.jp has been down since this morning.
If you clicked on a link in my article that doesn't work, please change ".jp" in the url to ".com"
Thank you!
If you clicked on a link in my article that doesn't work, please change ".jp" in the url to ".com"
Thank you!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Day 4: Chilling out and being interviewed
So the main reason why I visited Tokyo again was because of an interview by a Japanese major company for their staff magazine. I am not allowed to disclose any information right now but hey, I can post my "selfie" first!
The interview took like an hour or so with me sweating profusely because of the walk from the station to the office. (I hope my photos turn out fine...)
The interview took like an hour or so with me sweating profusely because of the walk from the station to the office. (I hope my photos turn out fine...)
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Day 3: Tokyo Disneyland Halloween special 2014
October was still freakin HOT when there's sun! So if you are going to Disneyland on a sunny day (except for Winter), bring a cap or something!!!
My friend and I were both horribly bad at waking up early so we ended up arriving late (like 11.30am) at the park. By then, queues for all the popular rides had become very long. For tips on getting fast passes, etc. you might want to check the following Tokyo Disneyland survival guides here:
http://tdrexplorer.com/tips-for-dealing-with-massive-crowds-at-tokyo-disney-resort/
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3016_tickets.html
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201308/3624/
My friend and I were both horribly bad at waking up early so we ended up arriving late (like 11.30am) at the park. By then, queues for all the popular rides had become very long. For tips on getting fast passes, etc. you might want to check the following Tokyo Disneyland survival guides here:
http://tdrexplorer.com/tips-for-dealing-with-massive-crowds-at-tokyo-disney-resort/
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3016_tickets.html
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201308/3624/
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Day 2: Nissin Cup Noodle Museum at Yokohama
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Day 1: Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro Review
I finally have some time to blog about my 9-days Japan trip (12-21 Oct) for work and holiday so I decided to start with my budget hotel review. It definitely feels good to be back after I left there for a year!
Monday, November 3, 2014
Coffee on the go in US, Japan and Singapore
My lovely coffee with bread~
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