Hitachi Metals @ Mt. Fuji

little snail
inch by inch, climb
Mount Fuji!
-Kobayashi Issa*

So, I've begun my internship at Hitachi Metals, and have now completed the first of six "business trips." This one was to the company's training complex at the base of Mt. Fuji for a week-long new employee orientation. Fifty new hires were drilled in manners, business etiquette, how to exchange business cards (no joke -- the session lasted a full hour), lots of teamwork exercises (orienteering with compasses in the woods), and business skills, via a two-day simulation in which teams competed to run a bicycle company profitably. (About half the teams ran their companies off a cliff, which was pretty funny to watch.) The place itself was at the base of Mt. Fuji, and the views were amazing (video below). Each day started at 6:30 a.m. with outdoor calisthenics, and lasted until about 10 p.m., and most of the kids seemed to be going without sleep. It was nice to meet them all and see the initiation process first hand. It all felt a bit like I imagine boot camp to be; they are all company property and will soon ship off to assignments all around the country, and, eventually, all over the world. In fact, they didn't even know what they'd be doing, or where they'd be doing it, until the final day, when the job assignments were announced. Turns out about twenty of them are headed to the same factory Lori & I are heading to in June, so I should get to see them again.


*translation from David G. Lanoue's Haiku Guy website

花見 = "hanami" (a.k.a. cherry blossom viewing)

like they fell
from heaven...
cherry blossoms
--Kobayashi Issa*

Spring in Japan means the cherry blossoms bloom, which means it's time for a 花見 ("hanami" or "flower viewing") party. It's a great excuse to wag work, plant yourself with friends under a tree in full bloom, and drink copiously. The blossoms last only about a week, so if you're not Johnny-on-the-spot, you'll miss your chance. Lori hit a few of the choicest spots, first with our friend Momo at Shinjuku Gyoen (her pick as the best viewing of the year), and then again with her "student" Kaoru, at Yoyogi park. On Saturday, we amassed a war party and hit Edogawabashi park, which is along the river close to our old place. The sky was overcast -- "hanagumori," or flower-cloudy -- but it didn't rain and the day was next best to perfect. There were about 12 of us and we fit right in with the rest of the revelers. It was a extremely good time! (Check out the videos at the bottom, too.)

*translation from David G. Lanoue's Haiku Guy website