Hey there, I just thought that now I was back in Canada I would calculate the total amount of money that I spent while in Japan.
Flights
Ottawa, Canada -> Osaka, Japan: An average of $1000
Osaka, Japan -> Tokyo, Japan: An average of $75
Tokyo, Japan -> Ottawa, Canada: An average of $1100
Hotels
Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport: (Rooms are a average of $160 a night) 4×160=$640
Narita Hotel International Airport: (Rooms are a average of $75 a night) 2×75=$150
Ohayo gozaimasu! (Just another one of the little Japanese phrases that I’ve picked up, meaning good morning). Th
is is our last day in the land of the rising sun…it’s a melancholic feeling. We’ve had a very successful trip and met so many potential partners. We’re sad to be leaving but we aren’t going to let that get in the way of on
e last day as tourists in Tokyo. First we picked up our Hakone Free Passes that gave us unlimited access to Odakyu trains, buses, boats, cable cars, and ropeways. We visited Hakone National Park, which was breathtakingly beautiful. In some ways, the views were similar to the scenery of Vancouver. We found a nice spot right off of Ashi-no-ko lake where we settled down with a lovely picnic of cold green tea and o-musubi (also known as o-nigiri). They are, in essence, rice balls with various ingredients in the middle. My favourites were the ume onigiri (stuffed with pickled plum) and salted salmon onigiri. After a filling lunch, we were off to Mount Fuji. It was a beautiful day and seeing such a well-known attraction was incredible. After enjoying Mount Fuji, we returned to the Tokyo Narita International Airport for a 6 pm flight back to Ottawa (about CAD$1,100 per person). Both of us have very much enjoyed our trip and we are eager to further expand our horizons with the Japanese companies with which we met.
Hey there readers! We took to an early start today, having had the chance yesterday to relax a bit and explore Osaka. 
We focused on our interactions with the Toshiba company for the day. We stopped by a nearby bakery for a quick breakfast of Yakisoba pan, which we took on the road with us as we made our way to the Toshiba headquarters by train. Our Suica cards seem to be coming in handy a lot during this trip! In our previous research, we’ve found that Toshiba has a history of loyalty to their business partners. We were also impressed to find that they are listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and that it is part of several stock exchanges. When we arrived at the headquarters, we were once again led to a conference room. We began by exchanging business cards. The head of the meeting gave us a brief understanding of the standards that Toshiba holds for both its own company, and for the relationships it holds with other companies. The impressive company holds claim to several Japanese “firsts”: radar, the TAC digital computer; the MRI system; laptop personal computers, and HD DVD. We were also informed as to their membership in the Mitsui keiretsu, a conglomerate known for its close ties to many large and growing companies. The companies that are part of this group 
are loyal to one another, this even affecting the kinds of beer that the companies drink. After general discussions about both the Toshiba Corporation and our own company, we were given a tour of the headquarters. We were very impressed at how organized the Japanese workspaces seem to be in comparison to Canada. I would’ve liked to have seen the Toshiba Museum as well but we couldn’t fit that into our itinerary, so perhaps this shall be for another return to this amazing country. Overall, this was a very successful day and I think we will be corresponding with the Toshiba Corporation further through e-mail and telephone means. It would be a privilege to have a business arrangement with such a prestigious company.
Hey there bloggers! Today is our last day in Osaka, we are flying to Tokyo tonight for meetings with another ele
ctric company and we are looking to conclude our business discussions with SANYO and figure out if any future business would be mutually beneficial. Our meetings with SANYO were not until early in the afternoon, so my partner and I spent a few hours looking at the different stores in the Umeda district, a district which is famed in all of central Japan for its shopping boutiques and cheap/reasonable prices. After stopping for a quick lunch of rice, assorted vegetables and fried fish at a small local restaurant, we took a cab to our hotel to drop off our purch
ases before we left for SANYO headquarters. Seeing as we had a few hours left until our meeting, we decided to take a rickshaw taxi to the building. Along the way we saw many interesting sights, including the Floating Gardens, which is a highrise with a majestic garden on it where you can catch a glimpse of Osaka from high up. When we arrived at SANYO headquarters, we were taken on a tour of the building, while being told what makes SANYO stand apart from other electric companies. One of the most interesting things that we were told about was a 5 month socialization process that is mandatory for every new SANYO employee. During the process new employees eat together, share company-provided sleeping quarters and learn what the company expects from their employees. The goal of this is to acclimate their employees to SANYO’s corporate culture. During the conclusion of our last meeting, SANYO and Canadian Appliances & Electronics decided that there is a good chance of future business dealings, and that they would be in touch. With our meetings concluded, we headed to our hotel to check out, then we headed to Kansai International Airport to catch our flight to Karita International Airport, Tokyo. Once we arrived in Tokyo, we took a taxi to our hotel, the Narita Tobu Hotel Airport.
ご挨拶 readers! 
That is a common Japanese greetings that means “Greetings.” Yesterday my partner and I concluded our business with Sharp Corporation after coming to the conclusion that business between our two companies would not work out. Today my partner and I are going to be starting meetings with SANYO Electric Company, another Osaka-based electronics company. SANYO is a major Japanese electronic company, and is also a member of the Fortune Global 500. SANYO is 50.2% owned by world renowned electric company, Panasonic, which makes them a subsidiary company of Panasonic. Tired of our hotel buffet, my partner and I started our day by walking down the street and eating breakfast at the first restaurant that caught our eyes. We then hurried to the nearest Suica station and used are new prepaid Suica cards to take a train to the Moriguchi district, where SANYO’s headquarters are located. When we arrived we were led to a meeting room when SANYO’s Board of Directors was waiting for us, and after we exchanged business cards the meeting was underway. The meeting head gave a few brief descriptions of the different services and products that SANYO has to offer, with products varyin
g from radios, televisions and laptops to rechargeable batteries. He also pointed out that by being a subsidiary company to Panasonic, they have close ties with them and that it is not uncommon for them to join in SANYO’s business deals. After our introductions and meetings were finished, my partner and I went back to our hotel for an early night, in preparation for our late flight tomorrow night.
Hello bloggers! Today my partner and I started our day off by eating another traditional Japanese breakfast in our hotel lobby. We decided to take a different form of transportation than a taxi to get to our meetings today, with hopes of experiencing more of the 
everyday Japanese life style. We decided to take a train, which is called the Suica. Before coming to Japan, we researched public transportation and found the the Sucia has a prepaid card that we can purchase, so we went to a local pharmacy down on the same street as our hotel and bought one. The Suica took more time to get to Abeno-ku then the cab did, but we were able to see much more of Osaka from the raised platform that the train runs on. When we arrived at the Sharp Corporation’s headquarters, we were taken to meet key officials in the company and for a tour of the facilities. While on our tour, we were shown exciting products that are in the process of being developed, including a new 3D TV that follows voice commands. After we finished our tour, we were again led to a room to conduct our meetings in. Our meetings with Sharp Co. today were much more directed towards the goal of figuring out if business between our two companies would be successful or not. My partner and I questioned them on their past legal issues, namely the past lawsuits filed against them for fixing the prices of different pieces of hardware. Sharp Co. assured us that the allegations were unfounded and they were safe to do business with. Despite these assurances my partner and I believe that any business between Canadian Appliances & Electronics and Sharp Corporation will be unsuccessful and an overall failure. We are not willing to potentially compromise our company’s moral standings for this deal. With our business with Sharp Co. concluded, my partner and I headed for the Namba district to eat dinner, a place commonly known as the heart of Osaka night-life.
Hello readers! Today we got our first look at the culture in Japan, and were able to witness the differences between everyday life here and in Canada. People in Japan are numerous and famously hard working, so much so that there is a term for working yourself to death, Karoshi.
We started our day off by eating a traditional Japanese breakfast in our hotel buffet, which included green tea, rice porridge, eggs, pickled vegetables and a glass of water. After we finished our breakfast we took a cab to Sharp Corporation’s headquarters which is located in the Abeno-ku district. Once we arrived, we were shown to the elevator and brought to the meeting room where the Board of Directors were waiting for us. After exchanging business cards, the meeting started. 
The meeting was mainly an introduction for my partner and I, where we met the leading members of Sharp Corporation and exchanged small talk to solidify the friendship between our two companies. While we were leaving one of the board members, Shigeaki Mizushima (who on top of being a board member is also the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Sharp Corporation) stopped us and invited us to join him for dinner that evening at a restaurant in Dotonbori, a district which is famed for having the finest food in
Osaka. We accepted, and later that day we met him at a restaurant named Chibo. While eating, it is seen as disrespectful to have any form of footwear on, so we had to leave our shoes by the door. During introductions my partner and I surprised Mr. Mizushima by introducing ourselves with a traditional Japanese greeting and in turn received a surprise when he greeted himself by saying “Bonjour, comment ca va?” Overall the dinner was very casual with very little business included, but instead mostly small talk was exchanged.
Hello again, today was the start of our travels to Japan in hopes of expanding the horizon of our business, Canadian Appliances and Electronics. We started the day out early by meeting at the MacDonald-Cartier International Airport for our 7:00am flight to Osaka, Japan- where the headquarters for Sharp Company a
nd SANYO Electric Company is located. Sharp Co. and SANYO Elec. Co. both are companies who deal in many forms of cutting edge technology who along with Toshiba, we are looking as possible business partners.
During the flight we made sure to save some time to practice a few greetings and phrases in the Japanese language, which was part of a video in a earlier post. Once our 22 hour flight was done, we had to go through the customs booth, so we took that chance to practice saying “Hello, you have a very beautiful country.” in Japanese to the officer there at the time, who seemed surprised but also very impressed that we took the time to learn part of their language. Once we found our luggage we went outside and hailed a taxi to take us to our hotel, the Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport. We then headed to our rooms for some much needed rest.
The hotel that we’re staying at in Osaka, the Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport
I’ve found this segment of CNN Business Traveller to be of particular use in my preparations for our trip to Japan. It brings up the issue – that I had never thought of before – of all of the receipts being in a different language. The expert on the matter, Steve Crane, states that the perception that business in Japan is expensive is an inaccurate one, and he budgets 22,000 Yen per diem. This translates to an impressive CAD$240, including accommodation costs.
It was also reassuring to see that the subway is relatively easy to navigate for English-speakers, especially with the English option on the ticket systems. With regards to entertaining at lunch, the differences between North American and Japanese business lunches are identified. A rule of thumb with Japanese food, according to the episode, is to be open-minded, and to make a valid attempt at eating the food and using chopsticks. The biggest “faux-pas” is to give a business ultimatum. This is a very important piece of knowledge for our own business ventures in Japan.
I thought it would be useful to brush up on some basic conversational Japanese before we submerge ourselves in the culture. These are some easy phrases that may prove useful in our exchanges. The video also identifies the circumstances in which the phrases are appropriate.
Canadian Appliances & Electronics 