I loved every encounter with a Japanese person in Tokyo. Friendly, polite, controlled… and playful. Of course, I didn’t meet everyone but those characteristics describe the ones I actually met. The way professionalism and seriousness live just next door to fun and playfulness is inspiring. Take toys,…

On day 5 of our Tokyo visit, we went to Tokyo’s Ginza district. Ginza is famous for its luxurious shopping. Here you’ll find Armani, Dior, Hermes and all the rest. And you’ll find Sony’s flagship showroom. It’s four floors of all the latest products. We…

Day 4 went by without many tech impulses. It seems more and more as if the whole tech-in-Tokyo-thing is, if not a myth, at least exaggerated. Don’t take me wrong, tech is everywhere here: in the metro, vending machines, taxis, restaurants and even toilets (see…

Day 3 is soon to an end. Today we went to Shibuya, the young and hip Tokyo, home of the vibrant Japanese pop culture. We came just in time for the seven day super sales at the major department store Shibuya 109. Most of the…

Today, we visited the Shinjuku Gyoen park, one of Tokyo’s city parks. The park is beautiful and offers a moment of peace and serenity. It’s the home of thousands of plant species and quite a few of them are labeled with QR codes. Just point-and-shoot…