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Johnny's birthday (my brother)
Went down to Pie / Coffee shop, surprise ! meet Chester Yip, - old Nanyang Technological Institute Applied Mechanics (final year specialisation course) pal. What a real coincidence !
We never ever meet in Singapore for over 3 plus years since graduation and bump into each other in Tokyo !
Arrange for him to follow me and Shimizu to
a) Harajuku - funky town
Jpop Group with their groupies
23 September 1990 (Sunday)
American Influence in their dance moves
23 Sept 1990 (Sunday)
23 Sept 1990 (Sunday)
b) Shinjuku - shopping area
c) Ginza - bought presents for everybody.
Impression, its one real crowded place (move forward 25 years to 2015, and Singapore sure feels like Tokyo of the 1990 ! )
Dispensed off Norio and had some rest 5 - 7pm. Meet Chester for dinner, Yen 2,000 and then over to fashion concious Roppongi where the young and the trendy hang out. Walk a bit - 2 hours ! (I was quite a lazy guy then) before coming back to Shinagawa Prince for some tomato juice and pancakes (!)
11.30 pm proceed to visit Chester's hotel (Pacific) fora drink and a short call home.
1.00 am Proceed back for last night ; Overall an enjoyable stay in TOKYO
Sept 24 Monday DAY 7 (Autumn 1st Day - Public Holiday)
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TOKYO - YOKOHAMA
7th day in Japan and enjoying every minute of it !
5 more great, glorious days to go
10.00am Have breakfast at coffee and pie shop where I first met Chester, Yen 1,165
11.30am Met by Shimizu , he's 30 minutes late ! (Tardy very unlike the Japanese)
Check out of hotel bill Yen 60,000
Proceed to Shimizu's hometown, YOKOHAMA
Yokohama Harbour
24 Sept 1990 (Mon)
Yokohama streetside 24 Sept 1990
(Monday)
A small city of 1 and half million, compared to Tokyo's 12 million. Takes 1 hour
because of traffic jam - begin to appreciate the "efforts" our Government is taking to curb the traffic volume. (In July 1990, it started the Certificate of Entitlement
or COE program to control the supply of new cars coming on the roads)
Yokohama's a lovely city, a bit like San Francisco (I visited SF in 1987), with a nice bay and a real impressive suspension bridge. It used to be a US navy base till
about 5 years back, 1985. My hotel, STAR hotel is right off the whart overlooking
the pretty walkways and park. Lots of youngsters driving open -top convertibles
like in the States (wow I was a jet setter then). Had a fantastic lunch at Korean
barbecue joint - courtesy of Shimizu.
After lunch walked a bit and proceeded to Marine Tower to look at the sights.
Unfortunately Mount Fuji cant be seen (I went later in 1985 up to 6th station of Mt
Fuji), due to poor visibiity.
6.00 pm Meet Mr. Kato (Kato san) Shimizu's boss for a nice Chinese dinner in the world's
largest and certainly beautiful Chinatown.
Heavy Metal Rock Group at Harajuku Sun 23 Sept 1990
Sept 25 Tuesday DAY 8
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YOKOHAMA - OSAKA
6.20 am Arise and pack up, check out of STAR hotel.
7.30 am Norio is late again ! Jammed up at his house to hotel
due to downtown morning traffic.
9.35 am TOKYO station. Meet Maru san (old guy, trading house). He is fuming mad !
Waited long time for us, Managed to cool him down and proceed for the 9:56
"Shinkansen" (bullet train). It takes about 3 hours to reach OSAKA
Route : TOKYO - NAGOYA - KYOTO - OSAKA
Maru san at Satake Sept 25 1990 (Tuesday)
OSAKA 1pm Arrive at Shin OKASA and take taxi to SATAKE (chamber maker no. 2 in Japan)
Meet Hirote and Yamashita san. Not too friendly types but OK for business I guess.
After short introduction, I insist that I have money and have lunch. Too bad for them Lunch is important !!! Anyway they prove to be very hospitable and so lunch at KEI
- HAN Department store.
Afternoon: Tech training. I 'bash" them in all the necessary points (I was a very ambitious
chamber salesman selling German equipment successfully for 3 - 4years) to
scare them a little. See what tomorrow brings in terms of price limits for 3 zone
thermal shock and walk-in chambers. Very conservative bunch !
Me with Horibe san, Sales and Service Manager
Sept 24 1990 (Tue)
6.00pm Yamashita drops us off at (Japanese print) Mariuchi Station Hotel for the night.
A real small town
7.45 pm Meet Maru san for dinner at local Japanese deli ; rice with meat. Simple food for
the first time in 8 days
Maru san and I at dinner
Osaka
25 Sept 1990 (Tuesday)
9.00 pm Back to hotel to check accounts.
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