My First Japan Trip 18 - 29 Sept 1990 ; 25 years ago

     I chanced upon my first travel diary in my basement today, and as in my earlier blog post about my son's trip to Japan (not his first mind you, his 4th while he only turns 18), from Oct 2nd to 16th, I felt it good to put on record my FIRST Japan trip as a young man of 28 
from 18 - 29 September  1990. I post the entire trip to reflect a young man's (me) writing his views of the country and his travel experiences when there was no handphone, no internet, no social media,no Facebook,Instagram,Snap Chat and no Whatsapp and only snail mail or ordinary letters by post. What a different world that was !!!

My first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun

    I was then a Sales Manager at Trio Tech, an American semiconductor company founded in San Francisco USA, with HQ in Singapore. My trip was funded by my company and I was visiting my principals Eight Sangyo and Suntech in Tokyo. 1990 was a time when the Japanese economy was booming, registering 4 - 8 % growth year on year and they were the richest Asians of that era. Singapore was just an up and coming small country dependent on manufacturing and moving up the value stream, our economic 'boom' was just about to start.....  so this is my unadulterated diary every 2 to 3 days per post. 

    18 Sept 1990 Tue DAY 1
    ----------------------------------

    Arrive in Japan on SQ 12 at Narita airport (Chiba prefecture). Flight uneventful. Met at Narita by N. Shimizu (SUNTECH CORPORATION).Proceed to Shinagawa Prince Hotel - yen 8,000 per night. Hotel has bowling alley, tennis courts,table-tennis,ice-skating and discotheque. Massive by any international standards. 

Shinagawa Prince Hotel 18 Sept 1990 

    Have steak set dinner.
    Short walk around to Shinaawa Train Station
    Back in hotel by 10.00 pm
    Potter around, unpacking, bathe etc
    Bed by 10.00 pm.

   19 Sept 1990 Wed DAY 2
   -----------------------------------

My Micro sized hotel room at Shinagawa Prince Hotel near Shinagawa Station

    Met by Shimizu at 0915 hr and proceed to EIGHT SANGYO for Day 1 of 2 for technical training. Met Mr. Itoh (the founder - a 50 odd year old man, ex-Sony technical chief of staff),
Mr. Masuka, Arakai, Yokozawa and Technical Staff for functional capabilities of 802 FC / hardware. 

Shimizu San

    Sushi for lunch (IN). * An aside here, I was amazed that Sushi was transported by bicycle or motorcycle from the shop nearby as it was the first time I encountered sushi in bamboo containers (recycle friendly).

   Afternoon continue - software aspect
   5.00 pm knockoff for dinner, at a small but typical restaurant. Had tempura, sake, and Kirin beer (* bad move, I had no 'legs' I recall which was quite hilarious and needed some help)

   7.00 pm Karaoke session, Itoh san booked the whole karaoke lounge till 10.00pm for me !
 Learnt 1 song and proceeding to 2nd song (presumably in Japanese).

   Eight Sangyo Signboard