Ishigo-Ishie, a tale of Tokyo smiles

Dutch Japanese relations date back to the 17th century. The Netherlands was the first Western country granted a trading post in Japan — be it restricted to residence on the small island of Dejima outside the harbor of Nagasaki. Japan's participation in the world expo in the 19th century led to Japomania and many Dutch and European intellectuals and artists (including James Ensor, Gustav Klimt and Vincent van Gogh) were in awe of the unique eastern aesthetics and philosophy. Recently, when doing research for a press trip to Tokyo, I found out there may have been a case of mutual admiration, because there is a Japanese word for "Holland Science" — Rangaku, which dates back to that early period of exchange of cultural and scientific knowledge.

Personally, I never had more than a passing inclination towards eastern thinking, mainly because both the language and the cultural differences take me well outside my comfort zone. But four days in Tokyo, in very good company, have won me over.

As a guest of Business Events Tokyo, a department of the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, it needs to be said that I have been given a taste of 'how the other half lives'. Staying at the newly reopened Hotel Okura Tokyo would normally not be within my means. Neither would I dine at Nobu Tokyo, within walking distance of the hotel. But it was a good excuse to check out the latest book written by this famous entrepreneurial fusion chef, Nobu Matsuhisa. .

Matsuhisa grew up in what you could call a distant suburb of Tokyo But his fame and fortune started in Peru and Los Angeles. His memoirs mention his path wasn't always easy. These days Robert de Niro is a business partner and there are Nobu restaurants in every continent with Nobu Hotels in several capital cities. As the days passed many privileged luxuries were offered, all to illustrate reasons why Tokyo is not just a good choice for large congresses but also for small personalized upmarket incentives and corporate events. Honestly, one could get used to being chauffeured through this metropole where living conditions for those on minimum wages must be hectic and harsh. But it was not the comfort that won me over. I found that Tokyo is a good place to ponder the very acute issue of balancing preservation with progress. The approaching typhoon Hagibis made a strong case for AI driven traffic and emergency control systems, which were put in place in no time. On the other side of the scale, the unique charm and grace of traditional Japanese customs plead for conservation of what may seem outdated formality. Throughout the visit we (there were two other journalists), we were accompanied by four women; Yuka Murata and Kumi Arai representing TCVB, Ryoko Hirama of JTB Global Marketing & Travel, who had been working out this program to perfection and the Vice President of the Japan Guide Association, Yukari Kiwaki.

They guided us through the traditional activities, laden with etiquette but also joined in the fun of having one's picture taken in a the photoshoot kiosk on Takeshita Street.

At the 5 am visit to the fish market, they looked after the duty of care and the care of comfort and provided the stimulating conversation and storytelling that makes good company. It is an immediate reminder that when it comes to hospitality nothing beats personalized guiding from A to Z. AI and robots may be very useful to deal with the more boring business of spitting out RFP's, but I am inclined to believe that in Tokyo, the industry networking extends into relationship-building. That much was evident from the way these colleagues spoke with each other and with the delegations of management, sales and marketing we met at the venues we visited.

We experienced traditional ceremony in the Chosho-An tearoom of Hotel Okura Tokyo and a ceremony called Mon-ko — described as listening to incense. At these moments a slight panic returned, feeling out of place in this world of grace, perfection and etiquette. At the same time, stepping into a different culture shakes the senses and the experience becomes not just an intellectual or physical thing but it brings emotions to the surface. On day two we visited Taiko-Lab and I found myself moved by the powerful drumming. It was good to get stuck in after the performance and learn a short drumming routine, allowing tolet off steam.

The same mix of emotional and physical sensation occurred when visiting Mount Takao in the nearby town of Hachioji. Climbing some steps and a short walk to the Yakuouin Temple -where a personal welcome awaited us - was a good way of holding back emotions that felt over-sentimental. After the behind-the-scenes visit of the Buddhist Monastery, I was starting to feel overwhelmed by the many sensations (and possibly by a slight touch of jet lag). The last day this augmented feeling continued. The day started with a visit to the fish market and a site inspection of one of the few new building projects for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Mostly the existing stadiums will be refurbished and used but there will be a new part of the Olympic village that will provide a legacy of government housing after the games. After a visit to see several meeting rooms of the Telecom Center Observatory, one of the locations in the collection of Tokyo Unique Venues, followed a ride on a futuristic ferry that seemed inspired by Jules Verne's Nautilus.

Tokyo Cruise vessel Emeraldas makes a direct transfer from the pier in the seaside park in Daiba to Asakusa Pier close to another popular tourist spot, the templeof the goddess of mercy. We visit the park and shopping street that leads to the temple. After a tasty tempura lunch, a transfer takes us to the fairylike Japanese garden and antique tea house "Kiyosumi Teien" to learn about Haiku poetry and smell and listen to incense. The subtle sound of silence starts to be audible as you become aware of a turtle moving on a piece of rock outside the window.

Last stop before heading to a festival-like evening, is at a shop in the Northern Shibamata area. Behind the drapes, is a costume hire shop with a difference. Two dressers initiate us in the art of wearing a Kimono. I'm sure it must take years to learn how to dress and undress yourself from a Kimono and even longer to know how to properly wear it.

Dressed to the nines, three overseas journalists head to the evening event, which is the Temple Street Showcase for Tokyo Unique Venues. Temple Street is a retro shopping street with quaint shops and restaurants on one side and the Daikyoji Temple on the other. This whole area can be privatized and is regularly used for filmshoots or corporate events. The temple and street is lit up by the event design team of JTB and when we arrive, there is an act of a trapeze artist balancing on a sky-high ladder. The atmosphere goes to my head. There are speeches and symbolical breaking of a drum of Sake followed by free time to wander Temple Street, sample the products in the shops, taste Sake and Japanese tapas. There strangers, in our kimono's stand out like a rare sight and I wonder if this is what it felt like for pioneers first landing on the coast of new territory. At this very moment I feel a firm conviction that it is important to keep traveling, despite the sustainability challenge.

The evening on Temple Street was sheer magic; the smiles, the entertainment, the communication without words; it is one planet and yet another world.

It is through the exchange with different people and other worlds that we grow. If everyone stays in their backyard, we'll end up backward. All our intelligence comes from adding up our knowledge and learning from each other, even computers work on that principle. During one of the conversations with Yukari - san she explained a Japanese concept; Ishi-go, Ishi-e.

Freely translated it resembles the Carpe Diem idea, but it includes the extra dimension that it refers to seizing the moment with the company you are in. Because this moment will never occur again. What a great saying to capture what M&I is about.