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Business Trip to Japan - 1st time

DNice26

DNice26

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Hey all,

I may need to go on a business trip to Japan and I was just curious if anyone has any particular advise to consider. I believe I will be in Tokyo for the most part. Details are not yet clear. Not sure if I will get to play golf, but I hope to sneak in a round if possible. This will be my first time there and I don't really know what to expect. I'm excited and incredibly nervous and hesitant at the same time.

Thoughts in terms of how to travel there? Tips on travel. Thoughts on food, entertainment etc? Just kinda leaving this open for any and all thoughts.

Grateful for any nuggets of wisdom.

Thank you in advance!
 
Having travelled to Asia over 20 times, my best advice is get a good pair of noise cancelling headphones for the plane. I use Bose but with flight 15+ hours the ability to drown out crying babies, etc. So you can sleep , doze or catch a movie(s) is critical to survive the flight. Also usually flew first class but that doesn’t mean you are immune to noise but I always took some sleeping aid (no alcohol) and could usually sleep 8-10 hours. Sure made the flight pass faster.

In terms of food, I always ate at well know established restaurants where I knew the food/hygiene was top quality. Never got sick or food poisoning and I ate some crazy stuff. Also, I like to walk and see the sights, albeit in daylight.
On final word of advice, travel with a backpack (Tokyo and Hong Kong airport can have long walks), guard your backpack/wallet and get some of those credit card sleeves so thieves can’t swipe your CC info remotely. Lots of really good pick pocket thieves travel in crowded environments.

As far as golf, I only played when I was in the Philippines as my buddy who was the country manager loved to play golf so we would travel all over the island and play some really nice high end clubs on his generous expense budget or for free as a guest of a vendor/client. I would go over for usually 10-14 days so always took my clubs. I bet I played about 8-10 different courses while over there. Only time I shelled out cash was for the caddy and umbrella girl. Have some pretty fun memories

Lastly, have fun.
 
Jimmy3864 said:
Having travelled to Asia over 20 times, my best advice is get a good pair of noise cancelling headphones for the plane. I use Bose but with flight 15+ hours the ability to drown out crying babies, etc. So you can sleep , doze or catch a movie(s) is critical to survive the flight. Also usually flew first class but that doesn’t mean you are immune to noise but I always took some sleeping aid (no alcohol) and could usually sleep 8-10 hours. Sure made the flight pass faster.

In terms of food, I always ate at well know established restaurants where I knew the food/hygiene was top quality. Never got sick or food poisoning and I ate some crazy stuff. Also, I like to walk and see the sights, albeit in daylight.
On final word of advice, travel with a backpack (Tokyo and Hong Kong airport can have long walks), guard your backpack/wallet and get some of those credit card sleeves so thieves can’t swipe your CC info remotely. Lots of really good pick pocket thieves travel in crowded environments.

As far as golf, I only played when I was in the Philippines as my buddy who was the country manager loved to play golf so we would travel all over the island and play some really nice high end clubs on his generous expense budget or for free as a guest of a vendor/client. I would go over for usually 10-14 days so always took my clubs. I bet I played about 8-10 different courses while over there. Only time I shelled out cash was for the caddy and umbrella girl. Have some pretty fun memories

Lastly, have fun.
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Great stuff! Thank you! It is now official that I'm going. Buying some credit card protectors now. Also plan to bring my Ogio THP backpack and luckily have a nice pair of noise cancelling Sony head phones! Thank you. Also gonna buy a book on etiquette just to be more aware.

Doubt I'll get to golf, as my boss is suggesting a quick trip as he says the longer I'm there (e.g. a week Vs. say 4 days), the more the jet lag hits you.
 
If it is a quick trip, besides the noise cancelling headphones, in my experience (going to SE Asia 3-4 times a year for 6 years) I always tried to stay awake for the entire trip back. I would usually start at 4-5am have 16-20 hours of travel time and then get home and try to stay up until a somewhat normal time then crash for a good sleep.

Would help me get back on local time faster after the 3-5 day trips I would make. the worst jet lag I had was when I was over there for 10 days when I tied a work trip in with a wedding.

As far as food, I always was with locals so I trusted them on where/what to eat.
 
Maybe it's changed, but getting a tee time in Japan has been legendarily tough. So unless you've got connections, I wouldn't plan on it. Also, you didn't say when you are going. If it's in the next couple of weeks the weather should be okay. But most of Japan gets snow in the winter so keep that in mind too.

My first trip to Japan, I arrived at the Narita airport to a cover of snow. The bus into Tokyo was supposed to take me right to the hotel, but because of the weather, they announced they were making ONE stop at TCAT. Usually, you could get ground transportation from there, but again with the snow all the mass transit was down and all the cabs were in use. So, I started to walk...with my luggage (2 week stay). Because I had never been there every few blocks I would stop a local and ask, "Which way to the Imperial Hotel?" I didn't speak Japanese and most locals didn't know much English. So the typical exchange was I'd ask, get a quizzical look, ask a couple more times, then get the light bulb going off look. "Ah, Imperial Hotel!" and they would point which direction. This went on for about an hour and a half to two hours. It was about a 2 1/2 mile walk with the luggage, and I jumped inside a couple or three times along the way to warm up.

That was my introduction to Japan. In all the trips I've gone there I have found the Japanese to be a kind-hearted people. At one point, one of my best friends was a Japanese executive that I met on these trips and got to know quite well.
 
I've never been, and i know we don't know each other, but I would be eternally grateful, if you could snag me some Green TP5s while you're there.

b1350301b.jpg
 
DNice26 said:
...the longer I'm there (e.g. a week Vs. say 4 days), the more the jet lag hits you.
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This doesn't seem right unless he's just saying not to try to fight the jet lag on the shorter trips because it's not worth it.

I've done my fair share of traveling between U.S. and Europe, U.S. and Turkey, U.S. and Iraq, U.S. and Philippines, etc. and the longer I'm in place, the less jet lag affects me. The 1 week trip to the Philippines last year was brutal. Just about the time I was getting used to the time change, we were getting ready to leave to come back. If the longer trips really were worse, I'd be dead after an extended trip to Guam. Heck, we went there in July 2005 and didn't come back to the U.S. until November 2007!
 
Jet lag coming back from the Pacific Basin is the worst. It seems like all flights coming back leave around 6 PM local time. So, because of the International Date Line, it's typical to stay and work on Friday, take off early Friday evening only to arrive on Friday morning and get to face that day all over again.

It's like Ground Hog Day, except without the good night's sleep.
 
Japan is a great country to visit. I assume you're traveling for work. Are you traveling solo or with a colleague? In my experience, the hosting company does an amazing job of supporting logistics. I always stay at a 'western' hotel because the front desk staff speaks English. Many younger people speak English but you'll definitely experience a language barrier. Also, western hotels usually have one or two English speaking tv channels. We had a bus service take us from Narita to the hotel and it takes about 75-90 minutes, but feels like three hours. Welcome to jet lag, it's real. :) I use exercise to manage it. A favorite memory is running around the Imperial Palace grounds at ~4:00 am. If you get a chance, then I highly recommend visiting the fish market. Arrive early!

The food is amazing...IMO. If you're going to a work dinner, remember an empty glass or plate means you're thirsty/hungry. Hopefully, your hosts will take you to a geisha bar. It's a cool experience. FYI - there's no funny business with the geisha.

I never tried golfing in Japan but understand the points made by others. Tokyo is like Manhattan, or worse. Tokyo population is around 37M in a country with about 125M. In other words, it's a concrete jungle.

The last tip is learn a couple of Japanese phrases such as; good morning, good afternoon, how are you?, thank you, etc. This simple gesture is greatly appreciated.

Safe travels!
 
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Vortex said:
Japan is a great country to visit. I assume you're traveling for work. Are you traveling solo or with a colleague? In my experience, the hosting company does an amazing job of supporting logistics. I always stay at a 'western' hotel because the front desk staff speaks English. Many younger people speak English but you'll definitely experience a language barrier. Also, western hotels usually have one or two English speaking tv channels. We had a bus service take us from Narita to the hotel and it takes about 75-90 minutes, but feels like three hours. Welcome to jet lag, it's real. :) I use exercise to manage it. A favorite memory is running around the Imperial Palace grounds at ~4:00 am. If you get a chance, then I highly recommend visiting the fish market. Arrive early!

The food is amazing...IMO. If you're going to a work dinner, remember an empty glass or plate means you're thirsty/hungry. Hopefully, your hosts will take you to a geisha bar. It's a cool experience. FYI - there's no funny business with the geisha.

I never tried golfing in Japan but understand the points made by others. Tokyo is like Manhattan, or worse. Tokyo population is around 37M in a country with about 125M. In other words, it's a concrete jungle.

The last tip is learn a couple of Japanese phrases such as; good morning, good afternoon, how are you?, thank you, etc. This simple gesture is greatly appreciated.

Safe travels!
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Thank you! Business trip. Headed there in December. Thank you for the great tips! Will be sure to work on my Japanese. Bought a book on proper etiquette. I will be there for one week, with a weekend to myself thrown in there. I will likely be in Tokyo the entire time. I believe I will be staying at the Tokyo dome hotel.
 
Looks like the Mizuno golf store isn’t far from where I’m staying! Hoping to stop in there fo sho.
 
I lived near Tokyo for 6 years (on a military base). You don't need to worry about credit card protectors or any other safety measures unless something has drastically changed in the last couple of years. I don't have numbers to back it up, but I would bet my bank account that Tokyo is one of the safest cities on earth with an extremely low crime rate. The people are incredibly polite and respectful (outwardly, not necessarily always genuine). As someone mentioned, learn the greetings and business etiquette. Always bow and bring a hefty stack of business cards to exchange. You won't have to worry about any hygiene issues in restaurants. It's nothing like other cities in Asia where that can certainly be a problem. Be adventurous. Try things you normally wouldn't. Don't choose western chains (Outback Steakhouse, TGI Fridays, Hard Rock Cafe). Go to an izakaya. Most of the places in Tokyo have English menus, and even if they don't they have lots of pictures.

One of the fun ways to see Tokyo at night is to do the Mario Kart tour. Basically, a group of about 15 very fast street legal go karts with a guide at the front rip through the city on a pre-determined route. They have costumes from the video game that you can wear if you choose. If you do it, make your reservations for after dark because the city lights are amazing. It requires an international driving permit. Here's a link:

tokyocheapo.com

Mario Kart in Tokyo: Everything You Need to Know | Tokyo Cheapo

Drive a real-life Mario Kart in Tokyo! Dress up as your favorite character and have fun in a custom-built go-kart. Here's how to do it:
tokyocheapo.com tokyocheapo.com

If your business contacts can get you a tee time, go play golf. It's a completely different experience. It takes all day and usually involves a separate tee time for each nine with about a 45 minute lunch break in between. In many places the carts operate by remote control on a set path so you can either walk down the fairway or ride in the cart. People usually go to the onsen (spa) afterward to relax and socialize. Golf is largely for the well-off there and the courses I played were immaculate.

Enjoy your trip! As long as you don't act like the "ugly American" you will have an amazing time. I absolutely love Japan.
 
If you are an even remotely adventurous eater, try EVERYTHING! There is some great food over there. Bars don’t start to hop until about midnight but the small neighborhood joints are great and extremely hospitable generally. Try to get to know some locals if in small towns and villes. They are wonderful people in my experience.
 
I went to Japan on business once. My company's policy for the flight was business class, but they offered 25% of the difference if you flew coach. I took the offer and used that money to buy my wife a beautiful set of Japanese pearls. I will never fly coach to Asia again. So everyone who says to go first/business class is right.

I also went to China once, and got very sick at a hot pot restaurant owned by Yum Brands (KFC, TacoBell). My two Chinese colleagues also got sick, but they bounced back within a day. It took me four days, and I lost ten pounds.

If your company has a medical department, they may pack an overseas kit for you. If not, you should bring some Imodium, some ibuprofen, perhaps an antacid.

Both countries are interesting in their own way.
 
Reframmellator said:
I went to Japan on business once. My company's policy for the flight was business class, but they offered 25% of the difference if you flew coach. I took the offer and used that money to buy my wife a beautiful set of Japanese pearls. I will never fly coach to Asia again. So everyone who says to go first/business class is right.

I also went to China once, and got very sick at a hot pot restaurant owned by Yum Brands (KFC, TacoBell). My two Chinese colleagues also got sick, but they bounced back within a day. It took me four days, and I lost ten pounds.

If your company has a medical department, they may pack an overseas kit for you. If not, you should bring some Imodium, some ibuprofen, perhaps an antacid.

Both countries are interesting in their own way.
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Funny you mention - was at my Dr last week for a check up and mentioned my trip to Japan. He told me I need the Hep A/B booster and told me he’d give me a script for travelers diarrhea.

Will be flying business class thank goodness...
 
I’ve got a foodie bucket list, Sushi in Tokyo is REALLY high on that list. So consider me jealous. Have fun!
 
DNice26 said:
Funny you mention - was at my Dr last week for a check up and mentioned my trip to Japan. He told me I need the Hep A/B booster and told me he’d give me a script for travelers diarrhea.

Will be flying business class thank goodness...
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FWIW, I never had any digestion issues in Japan. The food is very, very good. Shabu Shabu and traditional sushi restaurants are (y)(y). I recall telling my hosts I was up for anything except whale. Their response; ah, you have feelings for the whale. Yep. A whole baby octopus, as a side dish, is the only item I can recall pausing on.

Hopefully, your hosts will take you to the Ginza district for dinner and/or drinks. It's a cool area. Also, start thinking about gifts. This tradition is very engrained in the Japanese culture. I always brought a bottle of Maker's Mark for the bossman. It created a genuine smile every time.

Digestion issues in China is a completely different story. Pretty sure I'm going back in Q1 and will bring a war chest full of prevention and remedy products. #NeverAgain. :oops:
 
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Vortex said:
FWIW, I never had any digestion issues in Japan. The food is very, very good. Shabu Shabu and traditional sushi restaurants are (y)(y). I recall telling my hosts I was up for anything except whale. Their response; ah, you have feelings for the whale. Yep. A whole baby octopus, as a side dish, is the only item I can recall pausing on.

Hopefully, your hosts will take you to the Ginza district for dinner and/or drinks. It's a cool area. Also, start thinking about gifts. This tradition is very engrained in the Japanese culture. I always brought a bottle of Maker's Mark for the bossman. It created a genuine smile every time.

Digestion issues in China is a completely different story. Pretty sure I'm going back in Q1 and will bring a war chest full of prevention and remedy products. #NeverAgain. :oops:
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Yes! Gifts is big, as they always bring me candy when they come by. The green tea kit kats are pretty awesome. Their candy in general is so nicely packaged and presented and tastes great.

Suggestions for gifts by chance?
 
Gifts are challenging. I wouldn’t bring alcohol, unless you know the person really well. My recommendation is something unique to your area/state. Ideally it’s very unique (i.e. something not available on Amazon ?). The act of giving is what’s important because it tells the recipient they’re important. The item is of minor importantance. Take extra time and put lots ‘fancy’ wrapping on EACH item. Also, don’t be surprised if the recipient accepts the gift and doesn’t open it when you’re together. It’s just one of the quirky differences between Japan and western countries.
 
Grew up in Japan... Tee times are not the easiest to get. Probably better to shoot for getting into a range (which they do better than anyone)... Enjoy your trip.
 
Vortex said:
Gifts are challenging. I wouldn’t bring alcohol, unless you know the person really well. My recommendation is something unique to your area/state. Ideally it’s very unique (i.e. something not available on Amazon ?). The act of giving is what’s important because it tells the recipient they’re important. The item is of minor importantance. Take extra time and put lots ‘fancy’ wrapping on EACH item. Also, don’t be surprised if the recipient accepts the gift and doesn’t open it when you’re together. It’s just one of the quirky differences between Japan and western countries.
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Great advice. For example, I gave them bottles of maple syrup.
 
Canadan said:
Everyone I've talked to who flies that far says one thing as an absolute....

"Get the first class upgrade"
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Yes, for sure, First Class or business Class, the seats recline to almost bed mode with your own cubicle are a Sweet way to fly. I would also suggest leaving late so you are ready to sleep and spend most of the trip that way. I lived in Okinawa so flew to Japan and then to Okinawa. Been a few years though. Never had the CC protection either, but would not say don't...your ease of mind is best.
 
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I follow this guy for his cooking. I even recently ate at his place in San Diego (Not, Not Tacos). Anyway, he is a favorite of mine and I didn’t know he had a trip to Japan Edition. This is actually Part 2 (watching part 1 now). Anyway, I found it tonight and thought of the OP’s trip and food. Enjoy

 
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