Software developer in Japan
Two SoftwareMill-ers visiting our client in Tokyo
One of the great benefits of being a fully remote company is that we can work just from any place in the world. Right now the majority of the team is based in Poland, one person is working from Spain and another one from Singapore.
Being fully remote we work for clients from across the globe. Thanks to that we have an opportunity to meet them in person in really fascinating places. Two SoftwareMill-ers Adam Smolarek and Mikołaj Koziarkiewicz have just recently visited one of our clients in Tokyo, Japan. We asked them about their experience.
1. You’ve just visited your client located in Tokyo. What was the thing that surprised you the most about Japan?
Adam: Storm and how fast Tokyo managed to clean everything up. I mean, the wind was pretty intense, and the day after the subway was disabled because of flooding. But it was only for one day.
Mikołaj: Probably more about Tokyo specifically — that it’s not an “urban canyon”. The height and sparsity of buildings are pretty varied, so you don’t usually feel as claustrophobic as in, say, downtown New York or San Francisco.
2. The majority of SoftwareMill-ers are based in Poland. When they started the day around 9 AM it was already 4 PM in Tokyo. How did the time difference impact your communication with your company?
Adam: It was a bit disconnecting, but since we have Chrum (an all-company video meeting) that was around 12 CEST, we were able to participate and sync up with the rest of the company.
Mikołaj: Seven hours is really not that much of a difference really, and we didn’t stay particularly long, so just semi-asynchronously communicating via Slack was fine.
3. What have you seen in Tokyo in your free time?
Adam: The Hamarikyu Gardens was the most impressive and memorable place. It is an old Japanese style house that is now a green tea shop. You can order there a traditional Japanese tea with some sweets. You can choose to stay in the building or go out and sit on the platform with a unique view. You will find yourself surrounded by green trees, grass, and calm surface of the lake, but if you look up, you will see a forest of skyscrapers that surrounds Hamarikyu Gardens.
Mikołaj: Probably the most unusual thing was the annual Tokyo Game Show, which Adam figured out was coinciding with our stay. Other highlights included Akihabara, Ueno Park and associated places such as the Tokyo National Museum and the Hamarikyu Gardens. Also, lots and lots of places to eat at 🙂
4. What cultural differences did you observe or experience?
Adam: They are caring about others’ comfort. For example, there was a sign in the subway saying you have to put your phone in silent mode. Also, when we arrived at Tokyo station, it was tough to find the subway entrance. We were standing in one place and looking around for any sign that would guide us. The old lady was looking at us for some time and finally asked if we need help.
Mikołaj: It’s probably more limited to higher-population-density areas such as Tokyo, but the low reliance on home cooking was one: especially with the dedicated areas in convenience stores for microwaving/heating up ready-to-eat food.
Could I mention a cultural similarity as well 🙂? It’s the custom of taking off one’s shoes when entering homes, although in Japan it is extended to other places such as (more traditional) restaurants.
5. What was best about meeting your client in Japan?
Adam: I think the most significant value was getting to know each other on a personal level. We had many occasions to talk with each other after work. We have visited a few places in Japan together.
Mikołaj: In-company, we generally prefer meeting our clients in person sooner than later, due to the obvious humanization factor on both sides. So it was good to finally meet the rest of the client’s team in person (we previously met with some members in Warsaw).
6. What would be your tip for developers going to Japan to visit their client?
Adam: It is super important to get a Suica/PASMO card at the airport — a key to public transport in Japan. It was super hard for us. Another option is to get an iPhone that supports iWallet to pay in with it for Japan public transport. When you are in Japan, you have an option to add a Suica card to iWallet. Then you can charge your card with Apple Pay.
Mikołaj: Can only talk mostly about Tokyo, but three things:
- there’s a number of dedicated providers of mobile WiFi routers and data-only SIM cards when you need the net on the go. Check what’s available for pickup at your point of entry beforehand (most of those providers offer pickup at airports and/or delivery to your place of stay on a specific date).
- Always try to have a little cash on hand: compared to, say, Poland, there’s still surprisingly little support for payment cards (especially in restaurants/bars), although supposedly it’s constantly improving.
- Have a healthy dose of respect for Tokyo Station — it’s really quite possible to walk in circles for a while when in there. It is especially important to remember that signs pointing to the subway lines outside of it appear only up to a specific distance away from their respective stations — and Tokyo Station is big. Luckily, location detection on smartphones works relatively well.
Have you had a chance to visit your clients in Japan? What surprised you the most and what would be your advice for developers going on such a business trip? It’d be great to hear your thoughts on the topic! 😀