On a serious note, we had three amazing meetings throughout the day. The first was with Dr. Kazunori Suzuki of Chuo University in Tokyo. We discussed Japan's economy from an academic perspective and Dr. Suzuki was able to explain to us how the Japanese people need to adapt to the changing global economy to remain competitive. Second, we met with Michael Alfant, president the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Mr. Alfant is an American entrepreneur who has lived in Japan for 22 years and founded several successful business. What I enjoyed most about the visit was Mr Alfant's insight and perspective on business, corporate responsibility, and life in general.
The title of this blog post is a Shakespeare line that Mr. Alafant quoted which really resonated with me, especially in terms of my small, growing photography business. Don't be afraid to get out there and do what you want to do. As long as you do your best and make clients happy to the best of your ability, things will work out.
The final company we visited was Itochu, which is a large Japanese conglomerate made up of many subsidiaries. We met with two former USM students that gave us insight into what working in Japan is like and how companies recruit, train and promote their employees.
We spent our evening in an area called Shibuya, which is considered the " Times Square" of Tokyo. It was quite the sight to see coming out of the subway. In my opinion, this is the "real" Electric City due to the sheer volume of power consumed in a two mile radius. And now what you really came here for... the photography.
This is a statue of Hachiko, Japan's most famous and loyal dog. The story of the bond between master and dog is quite touching and you can read about it here.
I bumped into an old friend of mine from back home, Mr. The Colonel.
A little slice of Florida in Tokyo? Winning!!
Many of the street were very impressive to look at as you can see.
For dinner I had noodles and Spam. That's right, I said Spam. It was Legen... wait for it... just a little longer... dary!
To top it off, for dessert, we had a Krispy Kreme donut, in Japan. How does it get more epic than that?!?
I need to get up very early so I'm off to bed to get a couple of hours of sleep. Vacation Shmacation.
- Tony Llerena Photography
Please stop reading, this section is for my family.
JETJNB - DTICYWIC
DEL - IRTAIMUVM.ILY.
