2015 – 03: Tokyo

 

Lots of photos – minimal text from Tokyo, Japan.

We will move to Tokyo this summer to begin the next assignment. BMW’s office is in the heart of downtown.

Brand visibility is extremely high here next to Tokyo Station.

As the largest city in the world, Tokyo moves via mass transit.

Commuters are fixated by their phones.

Many wear masks to avoid germs and pollen.

Citizens are highly disciplined. On escalators, they stand on the left and leave the right lane open for those in a hurry.

The streets can be crowded…

 … with locals wearing American garb (Kayla is a freshman at Dickinson).

Indian restaurants are plentiful in Tokyo…

… and Gandhi is revered.

Our first cultural lesson: always remove your shoes when entering a home. Slippers are often provided.

And what a marvel… heated toilet seats!

They also come with many features (Greg later found an electronic seat with three positions: men / women / closed).

This is the Ginza area of Tokyo.

Night time in the city is quite bright.

This is not Paris, but Tokyo Tower (for communications and viewing).

Is Greg independently wealthy with10,000 yen? Actually, no. It’s worth $84 USD.

This MineCraft exhibit was focused on teaching skills to young gamers.

For several centuries, Japan has been known for cherry blossoms (which were just starting to bloom as we were leaving).

Americans are familiar with the annual cherry blossom festival in Washington DC, but how many Americans know that the trees were a gift from Japan? First Lady Helen Taft presided over the first ceremony in 1912.

2015 is a year of transition, from Delhi to Tokyo. We look forward to this new adventure.

Bonus photo: The Cricket World Cup started in February (it only comes around every four years). Defending champions, India, were undefeated throughout the tournament, but then lost to Australia in the semi-finals. Thanks, Kumar, for this click, taken at our CyberCity office complex where thousands watched India defeat Bangladesh in the quarter finals on the jumbo screen.