Business trip to Osaka, Japan

• Communication:
  Use formal names, professional and academic titles. Rank is very important and should be respected at all time.
  The Japanese are not direct and this to the extreme, they prefer subtlety to directness. If there is a request that can’t be agreed upon, the Japanese will reply with a sentence like "it’s under consideration".
  Never interrupt somebody.
  Dress formal and conservative.
  


• Meetings and negotiations:
  When making appointments use the 24-hour clock time format to avoid misunderstandings.
  Be very punctual, if you suspect you will late, call and explain the situation.
  Never cancel a meeting at the last minute.
  Shaking hands is accepted as you are a foreigner but the custom is to bow, the deeper the bow, the more respect you show for the other.
  Always give a small gift to the most senior person at the end of the meeting, as a token of your esteem.Remain standing until invited to sit down or others do so.
  First appointments are more socially oriented, Japanese would like to know you a bit better at first.
  Keep your presentation as short as possible, to the point, accurate and precise, do not exaggerate.
  Follow up a meeting with a letter or an e-mail with all agreements outlined.
  The Japanese do not see contracts as a final agreement so it is possible the contract will be renegotiated.


• Table manners:
  If unsure on how to behave, mimic the behavior of someone equal in rank.
  Wait until you are appointed a seat.
  Avoid alcohol if possible, otherwise drink little. Your glass will be refilled when you empty it.
  If making a toast, stand up.
  Eat not too much but finish your bowl untill the last grain, ohterwise the others think you want more.
  Keep your hands above the table when eating.
  After finishing eating, place your chopsticks on the chopstick rest or on the table.
  Thank your host at the end of the meal.
  

The Japanese Economy experienced an amazing growth phase after World War 2 and up until the 1980s. Japan became the second largest economy in the world after the United States. Nonetheless, in the 1990s the country experienced a decline in the growth, and some of its structural problems still hold it back.

Thanks to low tax rates, an abundance of economic freedom, and a system ruled by the private sector, Japan’s economy is the second largest economy in the world and the largest in Asia, based on real GDP, market exchange rates, and nominal GDP. Japan uses planned development of science and technology, and has a very strong work culture, which contributes to the country as a whole. It also emphasizes on a good relationship between the industrial sector and national government.

Japan has some characteristics that have marked its swiftly rise from the heritage of the Second World War, to superiority in the 1980s. In particular, manufacturers, their suppliers and distributors work closely together in informal but tight structures named keiretsu, with close support from several financial institutions and the government. For most of the last fifty years, large Japanese corporations have also provided guaranteed employment for life to ’salarymen’, typically male employees who work the highest number of hours on the planet in return for that commitment.

For continued growth rates and stability in the Japanese economy, the government has recently been considering a number of incentive ideas to manage inflation, increase service sector productivity, focus on fiscal consolidation, and modify the tax system and labor market. With a gross debt of 180% of GDP, additional measures to reduce the enormous budget deficit are becoming increasingly urgent. An improvement in the budget balance of between 4% and 5% of GDP (on a primary budget basis) is needed just to stabilize the government debt-to-GDP ratio, a first step towards the government’s goal of lowering the ratio in the 2010s.

The first priority is to further cut government spending, which has fallen by 2 percentage points as a share of GDP during the past five years, mainly through trimming public investment and the government wage bill. Disbursement reductions should be accompanied by reforms to improve efficiency in the public sector.

Address
Osaka Kansai International Airport
1-banchi
Senshu-kuko Kita
Izumisano-shi
Osaka 549 8501
Japan
Telephone: +81(0)72 455 2500
www.kansai-airport.or.jp

Airport codes
IATA airport code: KIX
ICAO airport code: RJBB

Lost property
For information about lost and found objects you can contact the Kansai International Airport Information Center on phone number +81(0)724 552 500).

The KIX passenger terminal is a four level building by the design of Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Renzo Piano and Noriaki Okabe). It has a gross floor space of almost 300.000 m2. It is the longest airport terminal in the world, with a total length of 1700 meters from one end to the other. It has a state of the art people transport system called the Wing Shuttle, which moves passengers from one end of the pier to the other.

The terminal’s roof has the shape of an airfoil. This shape is used to improve the air circulation through the building: enormous air conditioning ducts blow air upwards at one side of the terminal, circulate the air across the curvature of the ceiling, and collect the air through intakes at the other side. Mobiles are suspended in the ticketing hall to take advantage of the flowing air.

Train
With the Kansai Airport Rapid Service you can travel from Osaka Kansai International Airport to Osaka in approximately 65 minutes and the trip will cost about 1300 yen.

Taxi
From the airport you can take a taxi to get to Osaka. The trip will take about 60 minutes and will cost about 18.000 yen.

In the central areas of the city, you will never have any trouble finding a taxi. They line the main street, Midosuji, 24-hours a day, waiting for passengers. Taxis in Japan are expensive. When you don’t want to spend it, use public transport.

On the rear left door window the price of the first 3 kilometers is visible. This price is somewhere between 500 en 660 yen.

La Tour
The French restaurant La Tour, located in the Swissôtel Nankai Osaka, has heavy French cutlery, Rothko lithographs, and dark-red upholstery to match their culinary aspirations. Bouillabaisse is the house specialty, and the restaurant gives an excellent service.
1-60 Namba 5-chome
Chuo-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06/6646-5126

Ume No Hana
Among the various restaurants in Osaka, the Japanese restaurants are definitely the most visited ones both by the locals and the temporary visitors to the country. Ume No Hana is one such restaurant in Osaka dealing primarily with exotic Japanese delicacies.
11F Shin-sai-bashi OPA Bldg.
1-4-3 Nishi-Shin-sai-bashi
Chuo-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06/6258-3766

Kani Doraku
The Kani Doraku is most famous restaurant on Dotombori-dori. The enormous mechanical crab on the facade is a local landmark. Kani Doraku has very good crab dishes at reasonable prices. For lunch a crab set, with large portions of crab, costs around 4.000 yen. A crab for dinner costs more than 6.000 yen. There is an English-language menu available. Maybe it is an unusual choice for dining during a business trip, but it is fun!
1-6-18 Dotombori
Chuo-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06/6211-8975

Toko City Hotel Shin Osaka
The Toko City Hotel Shin Osaka is a three-star hotel found in the center of Osaka, Japan. This is hotel is located right in front of the subway station and many other downtown locations in Osaka. Rooms at the Toko City Hotel Shin Osaka are spacious and air conditioned. Guests at this hotel can also look forward to niceties like direct dial phones, free movies, Internet, automatic wakeup calls and satellite television.
2-32-9 Higashimikuni
Yodogawa-Ku Osaka 532-0002
Osaka, Japan
More info about Toko City Hotel Shin Osaka

Monterey Hotel Osaka
The Monterey Hotel Osaka features a distinctive and elegant construction, with tones of soft yellow, which follow Austrian architecture. The interiors also follow an Austrian theme. If you travel to the 8th floor you might be in for a treat, as this floor is a recreated medieval chapel called Goedele. There are three different theme room styles to choose from: Donau Classic (16th century furnishings); Biedermeier or Vienna traditional style; and Southern European style with terracotta tiles. There are two on-site restaurants.
3-3-45 Umeda Kita-Ku
Osaka, Japan
More info about Monterey Hotel Osaka

ANA Gate Tower Hotel Osaka
There are 361 rooms for rent at the ANA Gate Tower Hotel Osaka. Rooms are spacious and elegantly designed. They feature toiletries, satellite TV, direct dial phones, high speed Internet and a mini-bar. Amenities for the ANA Gate Tower Hotel Osaka include on-site restaurants that serve authentic Japanese food as well as western Chinese dishes. The hotel also offers business conferencing rooms. At the end of the day, guests can relax at the hotel’s on-site recreational rooms, like a gym, swimming pool and sauna. It is part of the tallest building in Japan, taking up floors 29-50 of the ANA Gate Tower. Views of the city below are astounding.
1 Rinku Orai Kita
Osaka, Japan
More info about ANA Gate Tower Hotel Osaka

Fashion:
Fashion Boutiques featuring designer wears and popular names like Gucci, Prada which are hallmarks of the fashion industry are all present. The favored local haunts are the Ane-Mura or the American Town, Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, Tennoji Area and Umeda Shopping Arcade among many others. Exotic looking evening wears, to casuals and children’s dresses adorn the shop shelves to be picked by you.

Electronics:
The night dazzles the eyes in Osaka with all its neon signs and hoardings. Known for its technological advancement and inventing all the latest gadgets Japan is renowned all over the world. The Den-Den Town is a complete electronics paradise. Around 150 shops dealing with a dizzying section of all the modern gizmos make up the appliance district Of Nipponbashi on the eastern side of Den-Den Town.

Handicrafts:
The local handicrafts of Osaka are the identity of the culture, customs and age old tradition of Osaka, Japan. The Tennoji Area sells the most exquisite looking antiques. But the most exciting place to look and study the traditional handicrafts of Osaka, a visit to the Japan Folk Crafts Museum (Nihon Mingei-Kan) is highly recommended.

Shitennoji Temple
The Shitennoji Temple is the oldest in Japan. The original temple was initiated in the year 593 by Prince Shotoku. The original temple complex was build of wood. Its buildings have been destroyed repeatedly through the centuries by fire and war. In addition to the Main Golden Hall, you can also view a five-story pagoda, the turtle sanctuary and aged stone gate dating as far back as 1294. It is great to wander through the temple’s newly restored Japanese Landscape Garden, first laid out during the Tokugawa regime and since that time a lovely oasis with its manicured bushes, meandering streams, and a waterfall.

The Umeda Sky Building
The Umeda Sky Building is Osaka’s answer to Tokyo Tower. It’s a strikingly modern, beautifully realized dual skyscraper, joined at the top by a “roof garden observatory”, without any kind of garden at the top, so don’t expect any greenery. It’s great to visit the observatory during the sunset, at that time the view is quite spectacular. It’s only 700 for admission. You can access the Umeda Sky Building via Umeda or JR Osaka stations.

The Open Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses
When you have plenty of time and you want to know more about the way of living during earlier times in Japan, this museus is a great place to visit. Located in the enormous Ryokuchi park, it consists of numerous houses which have been transported from all over the country. You can walk around most of the buildings to take in the atmosphere of pre-industrial Japan. Admission to the museum is about 500 yen, and you can access it from Ryokuchi-Koen station on the Midosuji subway line.

For medical help you can contact AMDA International Medical Information Center of Japan. They provide telephone help in English Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Call 03-5285-8088 in Tokyo, or 06-4395-0555 in Osaka.

For emergencies you can turn to the Yodogawa Christian Hospital:
Awaji-Honmachi l-chome
Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6322-2250
www.ych.or.jp

For visitor from 63 countries it is no neccessary to apply for a visa when your stay contains only a limited number of days.

A list of these countries you can find on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan:
www.mofa.go.jp

On this website you can also read how you can apply for a visa when your stay is longer than the indicated number of days or you are from a country that is not included on this list.