Cakes And Wine

Lots of Cakes and Glasses of Wine

I went straight to a photo studio for our new products.
It is always fun to see how they set up and are taken pictures.

After the photographs, I went to an airport to take a flight to Tokyo.
Again, I have a business trip to Tokyo.
I went to Tokyo office to meet someone and do some paper work.
And, here it comes, I had to go to see a lady who gave us claim.
I got really scared to see the actual person.
I visited her apt, but she was not there, and could not see her.
I got disappointed, but at the same time, I got relieved a little bit.
I left a gift and a note to her.
Hope she would forgive us...

After the visit, I went to a meeting to discuss about current food industry.
It was my first time to join this meeting.
It was interesting...
The topic today was "Christmas Cakes".
This is $150.00 US cake!


I did not have time to have lunch so I was so hungry, but the only meal I could get at this metting was appetizer, and after the little meal, we just had so many kinds of cakes and so many glasses of red and white wine.

Macarons was this year's trend, but I don't like them...

This was my favorite.
It was so delicious, so I had two pieces!
But I was so full...

Berry tart is always popular.

These are cakes which are made without flour and eggs for people who has allergy.

Okay, by the time I had this, I was so full and drunk...

Too many Christmas cakes.
I had good red wine but drinking with cakes is pretty tough...

This meeting was finished at 10PM.
I took a cab to a private bar.
I was invited to a party for a year‐end party.
I met lots of new people there too but also I could see many of my favorite people who met this year.
I had a couple more glasses of wine there and left at midnight.
I did not have enough energy to be there till it ends.
Merry Christmas...

Women’s Power

Women are strong but scary.

I went to work in Osaka this morning.
I called American Bank Company to fight about my late fee.
Although I explained something was wrong because I have made full payment the last time I paid, they did not admit.
I talked with manager, but nothing changed, so I closed my credit card.
They were really automatic, so the manager explained really fast about what would happen when I close the credit card.
It did not sound that he was human being…
I asked the manager to speak slowly and then he spoke like a robot!!
What a jerk…

I took a flight in this afternoon to Tokyo.
I went to an office about our Organic margarine.
Our organic margarine will be on TV commercial with famous coffee in Japan.
The famous coffee company wanted to use our organic margarine as gifts for their campaign for 400 people.
That’s really good news for us!
After that I went to attend a special dinner for women who manage a company in food industry in Japan.
I was the youngest and I was so nervous when I had to introduce myself in front of 30 people.
Guest speaker was a big star in Japan and Taiwan.
She is an actress and singer, who is a good friend with Jackie Chan.
Too bad that I could not take picture of her.
I was not brave enough to do it because I am the youngest girl there.
I learned a lot from lots of elder women.
It was such a great opportunity for me.

I forgot to bring contact lenses and had to wear these red glasses today.
They might not be appropriate for the business dinner…
These women are smart great people, but some were like high school girls although they were 50s.
Some talked to me and spoke ill of others…
I hope they would not speak ill of me because of these crazy glasses…

This is a view from my hotel tonight.
Nice view, huh?

Happy Efficient Day

Being An Uncompleted Boss

Today, I was busy as usual, but I think I could work the most efficiently every today.
I finally understood how to work with many assistants.
When I was in the US, I talked with my ex boyfriend’s mom about my work.
She made me realize how inefficiently I work at my office.
I think I could not rely on my assistants, and I tried to do everything by myself.
When I was at the former department, I did all my work by myself, so I did not know how to trust other employees.
But she told me how to do that.
So I carried out soon after I came back from the US.
And it worked!
Now everyone feel that we are TEAM!
Since everyone helps me with my work, I can concentrate on the work which only I can do.
We discuss about many things now, which made them think a lot about their work, which leads them to like what they are doing.
Today, one of my assistants and I went to café instead of going to gym, since we got late for our pilates lesson.
Ah… I ate this banana float coffee at late at night.
How can I go on a diet…
At café, she told me that they were talking about me when I was not at my office.
She said they are talking how happy to have me as their boss. (Well maybe I should not write this kinda stuff by myself, though)
I was so so so so so happy to hear that!
I am not perfect at all, and I sometimes got depressed because I was not sure if what I was doing is right or not.
And I have felt that I have been supported by my assistants a lot recently.
I worried how they felt about it, so I felt I was so happy, honestly!!

The other happy thing today was my friend’s surprise visit.
My friend, Masaru was in Osaka on business for a day, and he came to visit me to my office.
He came to a restaurant close to my office and waited for me till I finished working.
After we ate at the restaurant, I toured my office for him.
Of course, at late at night, I could not show him much of it, but I showed him my new department.
It was kinda weird to have my friends at my office, but we always welcome people who want to see our company.
Unexpected visit surprised me and made me be happy today.
He might be in SF when I would be there next time, so I hope I can see him soon again!

This picture above is a menu which my assistant, Miss Manabe, ate at café after I ate Masaru.
Since I ate with him, I did not eat with her, but had banana float coffee only.
I was too full to taste her dish.
But it looked good, so I took a picture at least.

First Day in Tokyo For Convention

Gourmet First Day

I took a cab to the airport, and took 7AM flight to Tokyo.
Thank god that I live really close to the airport.
I often miss early flights somehow, because I am not good at getting up early.
Today, I made it!!
I had two assistants for today, but did not have much stuff to ask them to do today…
I felt bad, so I let them go for marketing research in Tokyo.
I myself had lots of stuff to do.
I went for lunch with my favorite colleagues.
He knows lots of good place.
I had curry udon, which was really good.

After we finished preparation, I decided to take a girl who works for me to dinner.
I took her to a nice Italian restaurant.
I wanted to talk with her in person because now I am her new boss, and I thought she has some worries.
I talked with her a lot by eating nice dinner.
This is how they serve Cesar Salad there.
We had ham with fresh melon and mango, and the mongo was the best ever!

We were so hungry and ordered pasta and this fried onion pizza.
Obviously they were too much for two girls.
We had such a good time with nice night sight in Tokyo.
She said she believes in me and will follow me.
I am such a simple person, so her saying encouraged me a lot.
It has been a tough work situation lately, but I got motivated.
I supposed to motivate her, but she motivated me.
Oh well…

Japanese Business Hotel

This Is Where I Stay

Ahhh, I am drunk.
I did this again…
I wish I were brave enough to day that I can’t drink much.
I am in Tokyo today.
My business partner and I were going to come to Tokyo tomorrow without spending a night here.
However our boss told us to come for meeting this evening.
I still think we could do tomorrow morning, but he ordered us to come, so we worked in Osaka and took a flight to Tokyo for a meeting.
After a meeting, I went out to drink with people of Tokyo branch.
I drunk too much…
I stay at a nice hotel on special occasion, but I usually stay at this small business hotel.
We get paid 8300yen($80US) for hotel per night, but it is hard to find that cheap hotel in Tokyo.
Actually, since I stay this small hotel, but this room is over the budget so I have to pay extra from my pocket money.
Not fair!!!

I would rather sleep at my apt, so I wish I could bring my bed to everywhere…
The reason I hate about Japanese business hotel is the following.
1. Too tiny little room
2. Too thin wall. I even can her snoring of a man who stay at the next room.
3. Too stinky. I hate to wear PJ at hotel, but I have to since I can’t carry much stuff when I am on a business trip.
Compare to Tokyo business trip, business trio on abroad is much better.
I always can get to stay at nice hotel whenever I work in other country.
There is no budget for that, although I care about the expense

Ahhhh, I can’t take a shower tonight, I think I will be pass out now.
I am proud that I wrote this blog tonight...

The Best Pizza

Love Italian, Love Tokyo

I am still in Tokyo.
I wish I could sleep in today at hotel, but I had to go to our Tokyo branch early in this morning.
When I am in Tokyo, which I come here once a week now though, I get excited.
I work as hard as I do in Osaka, but I get different kind of adrenalin when I am in Tokyo.
Very exciting city, like you are in New York.
I had an appointment at our office in Tokyo, had lunch meeting with my co-workers, and research a couple famous places in Tokyo.
From this evening, I went to Italian restaurant with work-related people, who are all in a high position.
The pizza there was the best ever in my life, seriously.
Four cheese pizza came with black pepper and honey to make Gorgonzola cheese be mild.
Weird combination, but it matched really really well!!
I heard it was the best Italian restaurant in Tokyo.
Wine was great too.
We had a bottle of champagne, a bottle of white wine, two bottle of red wine and a shot of special vodka.
I can’t hold alcohol much, but tonight I tried really really hard.
Since I was very nervous, I did not get drunk tonight.
However, now on a bed at hotel, I can tell that I definitely drunk too much.

This is a plant by my bedside at my hotel room tonight.
This is such a luxury hotel where lots of foreigners stay.
Breakfast here is awesome, but the room fare is quite expensive.
I am so excited about taking a bath and enjoy breakfast buffet tomorrow morning.
This is not a hotel where I always can stay, but only on a special occasion.

By the way, I think it is really good for me to keep this journal everyday lately.
I can keep track of what I have thought.
Today I got angry to my mom on the phone about something she did to me.
I regret that I was hard on her, and thought about what I wrote on this blog the other day.
I wrote that I should not get angry with people.
I tried not to, though, but I did, and I still think what I told her was right, but I feel bad that she might have felt miserable by my words.
I realize that when I know that I am right, I have to find the nicest way to say so.
I should not try to make other person feel they lost obviously.
Well, I talked with my mom later and we did not talk about it anymore, and I was much nicer to my mom.
That was the best I could do for her today.
How come it is always uncomfortable to discuss about something which we had different opinions…?

Everyday I think and realize new things and try them little by little in my life.
I make mistakes a lot in my life, but I won’t give up and want to reach my dreaming life.

I have a headache now.
Gotta go to bed!

Japanese Pub

First Pub Experience

I work in Osaka today and left for Tokyo for business this afternoon.
I was going to meet a business-related person who gave me a book before.
It has been a while since I got the book, but I had not read it yet.
Since I did not want to be rude to him, while I was on a fight to Tokyo and on a train in Tokyo, I read a whole one book very quickly.
It was about a girl who took over her father’s business and got success.
The title of the book is “ If president of the company changes, the company would change too”.
Obviously, I am not going to take over my father’s business, but somehow he thinks that I am going to.
Also he thought that the girl in a book is really similar to me, so he bought a book for me.
It was actually an interesting book, and her characteristic was quite similar to mine…

When I got in Tokyo, I worked at hotel room and finished several work till the time I get together with people from other companies.
It was another “Forgetting Year Party” again.
Today’s menu was chicken, which was not my favorite.
After we had dinner, we went to a Japanese pub, which had a band who sings Oldies.
There were some girls who dresses sexy and served alcohol to men.
They make hella lot of money.
It was my first experience to see those girls in real.
It was interesting to see them, and I thought it seems like what they do is something I am good at.
I love talking with people, so smiling and serving alcohol to men is a piece of cake.
I sometime do the same thing for work situation, so I could work at pub and make a lot of money like they do.
Easy!

Before the band comes, it was Karaoke Pub, sort of.
Some Americans were there and sang lots of English song, but quite horrible, unfortunately.
They looked happy and they danced with other old Japanese people too.
I was invited to sing with an old guy a song “Hey Paula”.
I was a vocalist in a band when I was teenager, but I was so embarrassed to sing in front of lots of people at pub.
Look how horrible I look in this picture…
I could not refuse.
Anyway it was such a weird interesting night which I did the first experience in my life.
Being Japanese businesswoman is tough, huh??

Tokyo Salary Man

Japanese Salaryman Life

Lately, I feel myself being a man.
I work, drink, work, drink, work and drink…
Well, actually I do other stuff too, but when I am in Tokyo on business, I realize that I am a salary man.
A salary man is “businessperson”.
We call businessperson salary men since we work for salary.
The reason why I feel like a man when I am in Tokyo is the following.
1. I stay at such a tiny business hotel.
2. I eat shitty breakfast in 10 mins with lots of other salary men.
3. I drink with colleges till late at night and hard to get up in the morning.
4. I get on a very crowded train to go to work.
5. etc,etc…
I took this picture because I thought this describes how Japanese salary man suffering from their life.
Tow ties on a tree…
They left there last night, maybe…
They must not remember what happened what happened.
Could they go home safe??
I was lucky enough that I could go back to hotel safe last night!

I went back to Osaka office thing evening, and prepared for the meeting tomorrow.
I was at office till 10PM.
Dang! I was going to go to fitness club today, but did not have time for that…
Now I am on my bed writing this blog at 1 AM and feel sooooo relief lying on my bed.
My apt is my best home, no matter what!
Glad to be back to my home!

Communication Day

Casual Saturday

I totally misunderstood that today was casual Saturday.
Because whenever I go to work on Saturday for meeting, I wear casual clothes.
I went to work with black half pants, long boots, white shirt and black turtleneck sweater, and moreover black net pantyhose.
When I got into the office, I got freaked out.
Everyone wore pair of suits like weekdays.
Dang it! I soon realized that I made such a big mistake…

I stated interviewing all people in my department under me.
It was interesting to listen all their problems.
One of a man below me got promoted one position today.
I had never gone out to eat with him by ourselves, but I decided to celebrate him like I was done by my boss.
He is 39 years old and I felt weird to take him out as a boss, but I did.
We had such a good conversation, and it was good method to know him and other employee’s feeling.
It might take a while to understand all the employees, but I wanna know them little by little by talking one on one.
I could never thought me doing this kind of things soon after I got back from the US.
Very Japanese.

After I had dinner with Mr. Horiguchi, I saw my friend, Mitsunori, who just opened noodle place.
We went to my bar from late at night.
He is struggling getting lots of customers and I really could understand how he feels about it.
We were at bar as the last guests tonight and went to have a cup of coffee afterwards.
It is very interesting to listen stories about opening business, even it is a little restaurant.
I wish I could help them but I feel disappointed that I don’t have anything to do.
The only thing I can do is listening to them…
Friends are corporate each other like listening each other when one of us is down maybe, I hope…
Anyway, I am sooooo sleepy and getting so excited to sleep now.

Apples In Nagano

Apple Business Trip

Today I went to a business trip to Nagano to buy apples.
We left early in this morning by car.
I park my car in a garage which is a little bit far from my apt.
So I had to ride a bike to the garage.
This morning I got in an accident with another biker on the way to the garage.
I was in a hurry to pick my assistant up so I speeded too much when I turned the corner.
The other person did the same and we crushed from the front.
Luckily, it was not that bad accident, but I fell off and now my arm hurts...

Anyway, I went to visit a farmer who raise many kinds of fruits.
I visited him to buy apples to make apple pies last year too.
Our apple pies were sold pretty well, so we decided to sell them again this year on Internet.
I could ask him to just send apples, but I wanted to go visit him and talk with him since they are special apples for me.
He let us take apples from his apple trees, which was the first experience for me.
It was really really cold in Nagano, but I had a good time, and I was glad that I decided to get apples by ourselves.
My stomach still hurts, but I could refresh a lot by this getaway business trip in Nagano.
People might say this would be counted as a business trip.
But business is simply person to person thing.
It is very important to see people face to face, and in fact, he was happy to see us getting his important apples.
I think I keep working because I can feel good sometime like today.

OPENING BUSINESS

My Friend’s Business

I have some friends who open their business or who are going to open a business.
Last month, I attended one of my friend’s birthday and engagement party.
They are my friends from college in Japan.
I went to Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, and my major was English.
Some of them from the same major, and most of their major were Brazil Protégées, and one of their major was French.
I don’t have so many friends from other major, but I became friends with them at café in campus I always killed my time.
Most of my friends lived in apt close to college, but I went to college from my parent’s house by one and a half hour train ride every day.
So when I had one class break, I usually spent my time at café with other students.
When we saw at the party, we exchanged our business cards, and felt weird that we are now working.
I had not seen one of the boys for 8 years since he quite school when he was junior.
We were quite good friends, but lost in touch, so we were so surprised to see each other at the party.
And more than that, I was very surprised that he became a president of a company.
I was thinking we would never know what would happen, because he was not a president type of person.

These are kids who are trying to open a noodle restaurant.
They rent a small apt to study noodle and eat noodle everyday there.
I have known one of the boys since I was a leader of YMCA which is 10 years ago.
He was one year older but I used to teach English.
The other boy is from Westin Hotel who was a main chef at a Japanese restaurant there.
Since they rent apt close to my place, they sometimes call me to ask me to taste their noodle.
At first time, I could not believe that the boy was a main chef, since they tasted pretty bad…
I gave them strict comments because I wanted to be honest, so I thought they would never invite me.
But they call me again and again, and each time, they get better and I got impressed.

Whenever I see those friends from old days change a lot, I am so happy for them, and also I get more energy.
I think I am lucky that I have lots of friends whom I can share or learn about many things in many fields.