Heading to Tokyo or a different part of Japan for a business trip?  Heading there in the summer time?  Get ready for some hot times.  It’s going to be “jungle hot” or “swamp hot”.  Can you say, “humid”?  Actually, you should probably learn how to say that.  It will be a great conversation started with your Japanese counterparts.

“mushi atsui desu neh.” – It’s hot and humid, huh?

Here is a short list of things I bring on summertime business trips.

1.  It will be in high 88F most days and feel like 95F due to insane humidity (or hotter, depending on when you go)

2.  Be prepared for potential rain

3.  You’ll have no issues with electrical outlets if traveling from the USA

4.  Enable the international capability on your cell phones or research how to rent cell phones from Narita Airport

5.  Bring a snack that can be shared by teams as a gift.  NO CHOCOLATE or COFFEE (too hot for chocolate and they both have free or heavily subsidized coffee/drink vending machines).  Must be wrapped and inside a nice bag.  Or at least in a nice bag with nice tissue paper.

6.  No neck ties (if you are going to meet with existing clients that have already expressed that you shouldn’t bother with them)

7.  Dress nice on the very 1^st day, since you may meet new team members that you’ve not met in person before.  Then follow their lead for the following days of meetings

8.  On other days, dress in short sleeve button-ups with super nice denim or cotton pants.  (be aware of swamp-ass since you’ll be sitting on hot trains walk quite a bit and the offices may not have much AC)

9.  You can’t purchase deodorant there.

10.  No flip flops

11.  Bring stack of business cards (at least 30)

12.  Bring more cash than you think you need or feel comfortable walking around with in your home country.  Don’t rely on credit cards.  I bring about $700-800 USD for a week’s trip to Japan

Stuff Brendon typically brings:

1.  tiny travel umbrella (or buy one there)

2.  at LEAST 1 undershirt for each work day (M-W) day I’m there.

3.  short sleeve (starched) button up from Ross or Marshalls for work days

4.  at LEAST 1 pair of socks for each day we’re there in Japan

5.  Shoes that can “stand up” to rain travel and slogging from meetings to cabs to restaurants, etc

6.  Very light rain jacket/shell

7.  handkerchief (3-4)

8.  shoulder bag for night time and off days (for camera, passport, umbrella, food, water, trash, etc)

Remember that it get’s really hot in Tokyo during the summer time.  It has what is called the “heat island” effect.  Since there is very little vegetation, the heat simply radiates off of the cement and buildings.

Tips:

1. Gather a few words you use in your normal life in English (don’t pick lame book vocab…pick stuff you actually say in your native tongue)
2. This of a scenario recently where you planned “A”, but “B” happened.
3. Write down some simple situations. Ex: “I planned to go to the party, but it was canceled.”
4. Find the Japanese translation

ところが　- Connector phrase for situations when something contradictory happens.  “A” was planned, but “B” happened.

NOTE: it can be a good situation or a bad situation. Must always follow the “ta” form of the verb…regardless of tense.  The tense of the sentence will be dictated by the main clause/point.

Bad Situations

例１：

I went to Ginza Ramen Shop, but it was already closed.

銀座ラメン屋に行ったところが,もう閉まっていた。

例２：

I planned on sending the email to Mr. Kobayashi, but my Internet access crashed.

小林さんにメールを送くるつもりと思っていたところが、インタネット・アクセスがクラッシュしてしまった。

Good Situations

例３：

I wasn’t expecting much, but the food was great.

あまり期待していなかったところが、食べ物は美味しかった。

例４：

Although I was expecting a bad traffic, it only took 10 minutes to get to the restaurant.

光津渋滞を期待して思てったところが、レストランへは10分かかった。

Allison day of SushiDay.com and Brendon David of BrendonDavid.com at WordCamp LA 2010. photo by Bryan Villiran

This past weekend, LMU hosted the 2nd annual WordCamp LA.  Like 2009, WordCamp LA 2010 was an undeniable success.  Of the many great sessions I attended, Allison Day’s session was the type of lecture I love to see at events like this.  All too often many perspective attendees opt not to attend due to the intimidation factor.  The truth is, that many felt WordCamp LA was going to be too advanced.  I can think of 3 different associates that decided against attending for those very reasons.

Day’s session was the perfect type of session for a person new to using WordPress:  Web Development for Beginners: Decoding the Code Behind Your WordPress Theme. She did a masterful job of  presenting a topic that scared the crap out of most of us when we first began blogging.  I wish I was able to attend this lecture years ago when I was spinning with confused thoughts of PHP, HTML and CSS.  Sometimes all it takes is a professional or expert to explain things in simple, digestible terms.  Day did *just* that.

WordCamp LA is designed for all folks.  Whether one be a super techie guru or a new blogger that just wants to write about yoga or travels, this event is worth attending.  In addition to all of the great lectures, the attendees are as diverse, interesting and engaging as you’ll find at a computer event.

To all of you that told me you were thinking about attending WordCamp LA 2010 and didn’t, you missed out.  This was the session you should have attended.  If you’re lucky she’ll be presenting at WordCamp 2011.

On a side note, she just returned from a trip to Tokyo, Japan.  Check out her site and see the photos from that Tokyo adventure.  She and Son did a great job of capturing a lot of the subtleties of Japan through fantastic photography.

You love MMA as much as the next guy that thinks he’s tough, but what if you had to wrestle a preying mantis on the website Japanese Bug Fights?  Could you hang as long in insect wresting as you do in your mind when your imagine yourself kicking the crap out of that jackass in the tight shirt that has something lame printed on it like “Affliction” or “Truth” or “Faith” or some other stupid faux philosophical blathering?

Frankly I think the centipede would kick the s#%^ out of you and all your gym rat friends like Chris Brown did to Rhianna.  If you feel that you could take on the tarantula like Conan the Barbarian does at the beginning of the film fighting in the pit, then you’ll need to bone-up on all 30 of the fights listed on Japanese Bug Fights. Our top pick is the Scorpion vs. the Crawfish in fight 11.  Take a look at how the crawfish gets yoked before his bout.  Sweet!

This is yet another example of the insanely creative stuff Japanese people come up with.  What other things have you seen come out of Japan that has you saying, “Sweet!”?

Hiroko Fukuda has brought us a fantastic book for learning Japanese called Jazz Up Your Japanese with Onomatopoeia.  If you’re like us and have had a challenging time learning another language, then you know the suffering and pain associated with conjugations, specialized vocabulary and not sounding like a total loser.

Not only does this book cover words that you’d never learn studying for the JPLT Level 2 or the JETRO test, it provides natural situations in which they can be used.  Genius!

We’ve included the 1st situation below to give you a taste of what they offer.  Have fun.

“A New Lease on Life”　ｂｙ：福田ひろこ

Takahashi of the Marketing Department at Heiwa Securities and his boss, Section Cheif Sato, drop by a bar after work. The beer has just arrived.

高橋　「今日は参りましたね、課長。もうへとへとですよ。」

佐藤　「がんがん飲もう。俺がおごるよ。」

高橋　「はあ。有難う御座います。まあどうぞ。」
（課長のグラスにビールを注ぐ。ビールがあふれそうになって。）

佐藤　「おうっとっと。。。。ぎりぎりすることばっかりで、喉もからからだな。」

高橋　「全くですね。一日中どたばたして、ぺこぺこ頭をさげまわって。」
（佐藤さんにビールを注ぎながら）

佐藤　「ま、こういうときにはじたばたしたって駄目なもんだよ。」

高橋　「はあ、どうも。 （注がれたビールを一口飲んで）うまい。冷えている。やっぱり すかっとします ね、ビールは。

佐藤　「ちびちび飲んでないで、ぐうっといこうよ、ぐうっと。」
（さらに高橋さんにビールを注ぐと、高橋さんはいきいよく飲み干して）

高橋　「課長こそどんどんいきましょう。」
（佐藤課長、このところ目立ってきたおなかをさすりながら）

佐藤　「どんどんはいいけど、水を飲んでも太る体質でね。まあいいか、今日のところは。」 　
（課長にビールを注ぎ終えたところに、注文したおつまみがくる。）

店員　「へい、お待ちどう、焼き鳥５人前。」

—————————————————————-
Vocabulary
へとへと- worn out, completely tired, exhausted
がんがん- extremely strong or violent action
きりきり- stress or tension or pain due to haste and hard work…tightly wound person
からから- completely dry…containing no moisture
とたばた- rushing around from place to place wildly (when used for oneself, it’s humble)
ぺこぺこ- bow one’s head in a fawning or groveling manner
したばた- to panic or become flustered when confronting imminent problem
すかっと- clear, refreshing…free from bad feelings
ちびちび- action done slowly and steadily
ぐっとう- action done with all one’s energy and focus
どんどん- action done continuously and vigorously…w/out hesitation or delay

ISBN 4-7700-2956-X

Gropers in Tokyo get a monkey wrench thrown in their plans after the JR train line launches “women only” train cars.  Japan has many things that make it endearing and unique.  However, one of the sleazier sides of the country are the perverts that grope and talk dirty to innocent women on the crowded trains in Tokyo and other major cities.

The sad truth is that Tokyo and it’s surrounding bedroom communities are overcrowded.  This becomes painfully clear each morning and evening when business people are commuting.  Like a bacteria in a stagnant pond, this is where the perverts thrive.

Finally, Japan Railways (JR) is beginning to do something about it.  This has been serious problem for so many years that they finally created a “females only” car on one of the busiest train lines (Chuo Line) for commuters to Tokyo that passes through the busiest train station in the world called Shinjuku Station.  Fortunate women who can get a space on the special “female only” car are able to be crammed like sardines like the rest of the commuters, but without mystery hands grabbing for their unmentionables.

Though perverts, “chikan”, prey primarily on Japanese women, ex-patriot females have been known to fall victim to the groping hands.  Women are told bits of advice here and there.  Sometimes conductors will announce over the loud speaker to be careful of gropers.

One way to ensure a groper thinks twice before whispering low perverted phrases or grabbing a woman at a future date is to get aggressive.  You can grab his wrist,  jerk his hand in the air and then scream “chikan!”  This employs the embarrassment tactic that is a highly effective angle in Japan.

So, you’re a badass because you’ve partied in Manhattan, San Francisco and may have even been to London.  Whoopty Doo.  What are you going to do when you get to Tokyo on a layover and realize that the airport is actually in Narita?  Curl up in the corner and cry about how you can’t read Japanese?  Get yourself together!

Does this sound familiar?:  ”We’ve got a limited amount of time (or layover) in Tokyo and we’re super excited.  But, we have no idea what to do or how to plan.”  That phrase is so common, that I decided to devote an entire article to it.  But, let’s get something straight from jump street.  You’ll be starting from Narita, not Tokyo.

The airport is in the Narita rice paddies; a city over 100 km from Tokyo. This means that if you take a cab from Narita to Tokyo you are either so flush with cash that you don’t care about spending $300 USD on a one-way cab ride or you’re dumber than most of the characters on MTV’s The Real World.  Don’t ever take a cab from the airport to Tokyo. Actually, you’ll not want to take a cab to Narita City either. Jump on the train.

You have 3 solid train options if you are skipping Narita and heading to Tokyo.

1. Narita Express: high-class looking red & white train with tinted windows on the right side of the platform. Expensive, but extremely fast.  Good to get these tickets before you go, but don’t stress if you don’t.
2. JR Keikyu: Silver and blue train in middle platform. This one is MUCH cheaper than Narita Express and still quite fast.  You can purchase a JR Rail Pass in advance if you want.  BUT, go here for JR Rail Pass to determine if it’s actually a good deal or not.
3. Keisei Skyliner: Is an express line that goes the same direction, but it’s a secondary private train line that doesn’t always take you where you want to go. Also, the JR Rail Pass doesn’t work on this.

TIP: Use the restroom at Narita Airport before you depart for Tokyo, since the restrooms at other train stations are quite sour smelling (but they are NOT dangerous).

The trains and ticket machines are located on the bottom floor of the airport.  You’ll see plenty of signs in English directing you to them after you get your bags. Don’t forget to look for the “English” button on the ticket machines.  It’s important to note that if you are opting for the Keisei or Narita Express lines listed above, you’ll need to purchase a ticket at the counter on the right side of the entrance to the escalator that goes down to the platform.  For those of you going to Narita City because you don’t have enough time to get to Tokyo and back in time for you flight departure, use the green JR ticket machine and choose “Narita”.

Cultural note: When on the trains, take off your backpack and place it between your legs (when standing or sitting).  The trains get quite crowded in Japan.

NARITA CITY

The best thing to do if you’ve got 4 or more hours of layover is to get the keikyu train from Narita Airport.  One the coolest things to experience when visiting Tokyo is sitting right there in Narita City.  Lucky you!  The Narita-san Temple Complex is a beautiful and massive temple complex flush with zen gardens, tea ceremony gazebos, calligraphy museum, huge temples, chanting monks, tree-lined walking trails and if you’re lucky…goats.

When you exit the train at Narita Station after departing from the airport, you’ll walk upstairs and walk through the ticket turn-style. Once through, take the exit on the right. Now you’ll be facing the big area where the buses and cabs wait for fares.   Don’t get a taxi, unless you have a bad leg or something.  This is where you can put your bag in a locker if you don’t want to lug it around with you.  If you need a locker, you’ll see them on the left once you’ve walked outside.  Don’t be that jackass that goes to the convenient store next door to ask them to give you change.  Buy something, and they’ll give you some coins.

After you’ve dropped your bag in a locker.  Walk 100 meters to the street light signal and turn left.  This is when you’ll want to soak up the cultural stuff.  You’ll be walking past all sorts of unique shops, restaurants, etc. If you want to grab a pint of beer or a cocktail, you’ll pass a British style pub a few hundred meters down on the right side called The Barge Inn.

To get to the Narita-san Temple Complex, keep walking down the road.  You’ll notice that the road will begin to descend.  Go down the hill and you’ll begin to see the huge complex on the left. You’ll enter through the rough stone gates at the bottom of the decline.  Give yourself at least 1-2 hours to walk around the temple complex once you enter.  Have your camera ready!  You are going to get so many amazing photos that you’ll want to go pro.

Keep in mind that the video above only shows about 20% of the entire temple complex.  The video above is just the tip of the iceberg, people.  Trust me!  Once you’ve finished taking your 1000 photos and begin going back to the station the same way you came, don’t forget to purchase a train ticket again.

You fall into 1 of those 5 categories.  Don’t lie to yourself.  You’ll hate yourself for it.  If you are planning on traveling back and forth to small towns across bigger cities to get to other cities over the span of a week or more, then the JR Rail Pass might be worth it.  But if you are going to Tokyo, then the JR Rail Pass is a waste of money.

The best way to travel around Tokyo is via subway and the above ground Yamanote Line (this is covered by the JR Pass).  Subways are NOT covered by the JR Rail Pass.  The cost to ride the Yamanote Line around Tokyo would never be justified by the cost of a JR Rail Pass.  Having said that, you may consider purchasing a pass if you are staying with friends that live 1 hour train ride outside of the city and you want to take an express train or a super express train numerous times to Tokyo.  Going back and forth from outlying areas into the city center can start to add up.

On another note, if you plan on making a short trip down to Kyoto and then return back to Tokyo, the JR Pass will be worth it for sure.  Just keep in mind that you can’t use the JR Rail Pass for the super express bullet train called the Nozomi.  But you can use the pass for the other bullet trains.

Overall, there are few instances when the JR Rail Pass make sense for the normal traveler.  Here are a few that were put together by my good pals at TTA, Inc.  (I’ve actually never met them, but I’m sure they love to party.)

Though this sounds like something right out of anime or theme for a manga series, Tokyo is very serious about their giant robotic underground parking for bicycles.  I couldn’t be more excited about the idea of getting bikes off the sidewalks and out from in front of train stations in Japan.  Like many other foreigners in Japan, I’ve taken many-a-photo of all of the bikes clustered throughout Tokyo.  It’s amazing how many bikes can be crammed into a single tiny area.  Here’s what it can look like:

In true Japanese form, they have created a solution that is so obvious most are forced to smack their forehead and say, “of course!”  Taking a page from their robotic car parking garage systems, they’ve created what seems to be a bike door.  All a person has to do is swipe their membership card ($19 per month) and  roll their bike up to the door.  The machine takes the bike and then drops underground and finds the appropriate slot for it.  It truly is that simple.

Want to see the video that is going to make you drop your teeth?  Feast your eyes on this: