So that’s another week done in Tokyo.  Every single day is still full of surprises such as discovering that the closing train doors don’t automatically open when you put your arms in the way.   This happened to me on Monday and when you have to prise them open and jump in to a carriage full of Japanese people, you tend to feel a little bit silly.  The same goes for elevators too by the way.  But apart from small things like these, there are pretty much no negative points to report about in this city.  Everyone has been so nice to us to the point that I only had to pay for one lunch during my first week.  Sadly, normal service has resumed this week and I’m on my own again!       

In last week’s blog I was discussing my relocation to one of DHL Supply Chain’s distribution centres.  Last Thursday, my first full day there, I did not anticipate having to present myself to the 50 or so staff in my office at the daily morning briefing.  I felt a little bit awkward because the manager had to translate my words into Japanese, sentence by sentence so everyone could understand me.  This is probably the most Japanese part of DHL’s business because DHL took over Fujitsu’s logistics a few years ago and a lot of the staff remained there.  The staff are a manager’s dream because they are so very diligent.  My colleagues routinely take just a 20 minute break for lunch even though everyone is entitled to an hour.  In Britain I’m certain that no one would settle for any less than their entitlement!  That said, my work ethic has taken a hit due to the 35C weather that’s been here since the rainy season ended last week.  Hopefully I’ll be able to adjust soon.  So far I haven’t started work on my project but I have been learning some key tools that will allow me to achieve a better outcome.  Understanding some efficiency improvements methods such as KAIZEN should help my project deliver a useful conclusion.  KAIZEN is a Japanese management technique that DHL has implemented that empowers the employees to take action in order to improve the way they carry out their everyday tasks.  DHL have sent us on several site tours to meet staff and gain a complete understanding of the different things they do. 

Last weekend was our first full weekend here and gave us the opportunity to explore a bit more of what Tokyo has to offer.  It was Happy Friday at the head office in the evening.  Initially I thought it was a monthly event but it turned out that our golf crazy President, Kawamura-san, hosted and funded the event to celebrate his recent hole in one!  You couldn’t ask for a better boss!  What shocked me was that while we were having a beer or two there were people still working past 7.30 on a Friday night!  After this we had our first experience of karaoke in Japan.  It was so much fun but my voice was very very hoarse in the morning – must have been all that Queen!

Zach Thomas, our mentor, invited us to the annual Scottish BBQ at the British Embassy on Saturday.  It was a lot of fun and it was interesting trying to eat BBQ food with chopsticks!  I wasn’t feeling nostalgic but it seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet other Scots who had found their way to this part of the world.  There weren’t too many Scots there but we made some Japanese friends and even tried to show them some ceilidh dancing!  Sunday saw us going to onsen – a traditional Japanese spa.  This place was particularly nice and was laid out like an Edo-era village that contained bars and restaurants.  The best thing about this place was having to wear a Yakata which is traditional Japanese dress!

I bought into another Japanese tradition by getting myself some business cards printed.  I was fed up of not having any cards to give when I received one myself.  In the 7 days I’ve worked at DHL I feel as though I’ve collected a business card from nearly everyone in the building!  I definitely want to keep on giving out business cards when I get back to Scotland because it makes me feel quite important.

It's safe to say I’ve been struggling with my Japanese so far but I’ve been able to remember funny phrases from my lonely planet phrasebook.  Such a phrase was ‘chot ta mat te’ which was supposed to mean ‘easy tiger.’  Clearly this wasn’t the case as my manager says it to me on a daily basis.  Back to the drawing board then I guess.  I want to learn more Japanese and Rachel gave me a useful tip to write short phrases on q-cards so they’re always at hand when I need them.  I’m not expecting to become a master but being able to order food in a restaurant or comment on the weather at work would be a nice touch. 
The rest of this week has some promise too.  Zach and Scottish Development International are taking us all out for dinner tomorrow night and I’m looking forward to that.  The weekend is nearly here and I can’t wait to see more of this city.  Maybe I’ll butcher some more classics at karaoke too…

Hope everyone is working hard and playing harder in their respective cities!!