ANA First Class Rocks!!

Wow! Now I am in Germany for business. I was so lucky that my travel agent was able to get me a First Class ticket on ANA for even less than what it normally would have cost for Business Class.   So, naturally, I jumped at the opportunity. (BTW, I only fly business class when it is part of the client contract. I can't afford to pay for it myself!) 

This was the first time in my life to fly First Class, so I was very excited. At the same time, though, I thought "Can it really be that different from Business Class?"   I was pleasantly surprised to find that the answer is "Yes." It's more than simply a "level up." The service was attentive, without being cloying. The food, pictured above, was amazing. Like fine dining in a great restaurant.

Anyway, I hope that this was not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But I am certainly glad that I was able to enjoy it even once. And I hope it doesn't spoil me from flying in my usual seats in Premium Economy. 

By the way, I can really recommend my travel agent. His name is Vincent. You can contact him at: vincent.dobc@gmail.com

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I attended Crawford High School in San Diego, California. Recently, I met a lady who graduated from Crawford several years ago. She was born in Somalia and came to the US as a child. She told me that Crawford is now the most ethically diverse high school in the most diverse state in the most diverse country in the world. I remember back to when I went to Crawford (back when dinosaurs were still roaming the Earth). Aside from a very large Jewish contingent (probably around 25%), the rest of the student body was pretty much white-bread WASP. For me, the current Crawford represents the real potential and strength of our country. I'm afraid, though, that the next president's view of an "Ideal USA" is closer to what I experienced back in the Old Days.

Robert  

M&A

We've had a chance to work with several clients recently who have had their companies acquired by other, larger firms. That is exactly what happened to our original organization. Three years ago, our company, INTEC Japan, K.K., was bought by a large Japanese organization called Link and Motivation. You probably also know the computer school, AVIVA. They also were acquired and are now one of our sister companies within the Link Group.

What I realized is that there are different ways of handling a merger and acquisition. Some companies are very clever, like our parent company. They basically left us alone for the first year, so we did not really feel so much difference. Then, step by step, they started to add their own ideas and value to our organization. I must say that I am pretty happy with the way things have gone, because not all parent companies are so thoughtful. Sometimes they just assume that "It's OUR football, so we can do whatever we want." This may sometimes be a successful strategy, but I am surely glad that was not the direction taken by our parent organization.

Robert  

Three-Day Monk

One of the things that often infuriates Japanese businesspeople working with Americans is that U.S. Americans (and other Americans, for that matter) quickly offer excuses instead of apologizing. So, true to form --> Here's my excuse . . .

I had to go back to the USA to take care of a family situation involving my elderly mother. I just got back now. Fortunately, everything turned out well, so it was good that I made the trip.

Starting tomorrow I'll try to keep to my "Chinese New Year Resolution" to maintain my blog more faithfully.

Robert  

In love . . . (and Happy New Year!!)

 . . .  with Awaji Island. My family and I spent a week there last week. Despite my roots, I think I might be an "island boy" at heart. For me, there's something exciting about being in a place where civilization is on the other side of the water.

Writing that sentence, I realize that my British business partner, Gaz, would make the same comment about my roots. In other words, the U.K. represents "civilization" and the U.S. represents the wild, untamed, barbarian world.

But it was wonderful to wake up each morning and see Kobe across the strait. And the nighttime lights, too, were special. However, the main thing was just having a week together with my family. It has been a long time since we could spend that much dedicated time together. I explored the island everyday for about 3 hours, taking as many back roads as I could. It was special. I can't wait to go back there.

Anyway, there are only a few hours left in this year. I hope that it was a good year for everyone and that 2015 brings even more happiness for all of us!    Thanks for reading!!

Robert  

Toba Rainbow

Now I am down in Toba, Mie. It is absolutely gorgeous here. One of our most important clients has a training center that overlooks Toba Bay. What a fantastic view to wake up to every morning!! Yesterday, the weather was wet and miserable. Then, suddenly, about 16:00 we looked out the window and saw an amazing beautiful rainbow. All the instructors, administrators, and participants were suddenly scrambling to find the best vantage point to take photos with their smartphones. I'll post a couple of mine here.

 

            

The rainbow yesterday was as nice as any rainbow I've ever seen, including the ones in Hawaii. Probably it was even more impressive because of how unexpected it was.

Robert  

Meeting good friends

A few days back, one of our business partners (and close friends) from Belgium happened to be in Japan. We me at one of my favorite Indian restaurants in Tokyo, Old Delhi, in the MELSA Building in Ginza (4F). It was great to catch up. He is also a specialist in Intercultural Communication, so we frequently collaborate in Europe, Japan, and North America. Everyone seems to be having a good time, don't you think?

Crafts Fair

Last Sunday we went to a crafts fair. There were booths displaying traditional Japanese crafts. We found some excellent woodworking there. One was a small chair for our son. Very stable. The other one was a very interesting round table/container. It can be used as either a table. Or, if you open the lid, it provides quite a bit of storage. The wood itself is also really high quality. But because we got it near the end of the day, we only paid \3000 for it. Amazing!



So, then we had to figure out how to get it back home. We hit on the idea of using the baby carriage as a 台車. Then the guys had to search around to find some plastic rope to secure it to the baby carriage. Everyone was very satisfied with their work, as you can see from the photo. In the end, we got it back home without incident. It's a nice addition to our own. Functional, and actually quite beautiful.

Robert

New Japanese Word (for me)

I must say that "unfortunately" I learned a new Japanese word. ギックリゴシ. Probably the closest English is "I threw my back out."

How many of you have had this experience? I am surprised by speaking with my business partners, both inside and outside of my company, about how many people have actually had this happen to them.

I don't even know the direct cause, but it happened when I was in California last week on business. Fortunately, without my even having to ask, Delta Airlines upgraded me to business class. That made the return flight tolerable.

But on Friday, I wasn't even able to complete my seminar. One of my colleagues had to come in "from the bullpen" to take over for me. And, fortunately, my seminar partner for the day, Patrick, is a former karate champion. He actually had to physically lift me from my chair, not once, but twice!! I couldn't get up.

So, if this has never happened to you, I knock on wood that you can continue forever without experiencing gikkurigoshi.

Robert
P.S. Today is much, much better, お陰さまで！

Apples and Trees

I want to show everyone a picture of my son.



I was told that even from the back he looks just like me.

If it's true that the apple does not fall far from the tree (does everyone know this idiom?), then probably I should start teaching him TOEIC strategies now!

In any case, it has been very nice the past few days in California to have some concentrated family time.

Robert