A group of us decided to go bowling last night at Kim Seng Bowl. Because of the geographical and temporal differences between NY and S'pore, I wasn't able to bowl to the best of my ability 8-) Just managed a measly 136 in the second game. Bowling in S'pore is quite different, you get 13 pins and you need to take a flying leap.... no, just kidding 8-) Nothing can be more different than candle pin bowling up in New England. Seriously, bowling in S'pore is very similar to the States. Except that you don't get Budweiser cups all over the place and in addition to regular pop music, you get Mandarin and Cantonese pop songs too 8-)
After 9 installments, I will deviate from my normal observation on S'pore and do a little comparison of working culture between S'pore and Tokyo. Got my first opportunity to leave S'pore after 83 days. It was a little excursion to Japan for business. The sad part is that the hotel room in Tokyo is bigger my tiny little room in S'pore 8-( While I was on a trip in the States, I always looked forward to go back to the comfort of home. Nice hot bath and staying next to the fireplace watching American football were among my favorites. During this trip, I didn't really want to go home 8-( I got a nice comfortable bed, bath tub, cable TV, nice view of Fuji Mountain... well, not quite... supposedly on a nice clear day I could see it, at least that's what the porter told me. I was surprised by how polluted Tokyo is compare to S'pore. There is this layer of haze covering the city most of the time. I guess there is a good side to COE, CBD, and all these other TLAs here in S'pore 8-) The lastest news on COE is that it shot up for the month of May. My dream of owning a car in S'pore is getting more and more distant...
A working day in Tokyo usually starts with getting on a crowded train. I heard about the "pushers" and the crowdedness of the trains, but you really can't appreciate the fact until you have experienced it first hand. People are desperate to get in and out of the train. I was in one of these overpacked trains, this lady took a running start and went flying into the train at full speed in an attempt to get in. They even disallow this in the National Hockey League 8-) With this crowded condition, the amazing thing is the train is still on time 8-o For most people in Tokyo, it is a long and distant commute to and from work. If you think commuting into NYC or Boston is bad, you should try to commute to Tokyo. Not a pleasant experience.
I was astounded by people running to get to work in Tokyo. I don't think you will ever see that in either S'pore or NYC. Well, once in a while, you do see people chasing after the SBS buses, but that's fairly rare. You need a special mentality to be a SBS bus driver, but that's a story for another installment 8-) I can only assume that punctuality is very important in Japan. These people are quite dangerous. They almost knock me down a few times. But they are not the most dangerous thing on the sidewalk. Bicyclists are. These people sneak up behind you trying to pass. I think these people derive pleasure from scaring the wits out of the poor pedestrians 8-) In other countries they usually use the bell to warn you, but not in Tokyo. I wonder what the statistics are for pedestrians injured by bicyclists there.
With the time constraint, the only two parts of Tokyo I got to enjoy was the night lifes and the cherry blossom. There was a survey that 80% of Japanese workers prefer to go out to drink and dine with colleagues after work. I can see why. Especially in Shinjuku, where there are lots of restaurants, "drinking places", karaoke pubs, and others places which I can't even begin to describe. It's quite a sight to see the train station packed with businessmen in suit at 11 o'clock at night. The lifestyle is very taxing. I don't think I could survive for more than a month doing this. I don't think it's mere peer pressure that Japanese do this. I know a person who works for a Japanese company. He spends equal amount of time between KL, S'pore and Tokyo. To my surprise, he prefers the Tokyo lifestyle. Maybe I am just getting too old for this kind of stuff 8-( Singing and drinking until 4 o'clock in the morning and go back to work 3 hours later is not my idea of normal working life.
To do business in Japan, all you need to bring are suits, white shirts and ties (the ability to hold liquor is a given 8-) No fancy stuff. Fish on the tie is a big no-no. Japanese are much more conservative than I have ever imagined. I still have much to learn about Japan in general. Two months of Japanese lessons in S'pore didn't do a bit of good 8-( I am still having difficulty comprehending normal everyday conversation. I really wish I had a Babel fish in my ear 8-)
One thing I do miss on the trip was S'porean food. Food in Japan doesn't have the variety and is much much much more expensive than S'porean food. I went straight into a local coffee shop after the trip. Had a nice big cheap delicious meal. Nothing beats the price and quality of S'porean food 8-) Long live the hawker centers!!!
