JAPANESE ENGINEER IN INDIA

In the mid eighties I was working for an Agency that represented a Japanese Company in India. One day my Manager told me that a Japanese Engineer would be visiting India on a Sales promotion tour and that I would have to make the arrangements for his visit to some large organisations and also accompany him. Before his arrival I visited the organisations and fixed an appointment for him, since foreign nationals are not allowed entry without appointment.

On his arrival, I met him at the airport and we travelled together by car to my office. He looked out the window and said ‘Scenery good, many tree.’ Maybe they don’t have trees in Japanese cities.

We visited various cities and his accommodation was booked in five star hotels. One morning when I met him, he told me about the problems he faced in the Hotel. He said he hit the mattress with his hand and noticed dust flying up. He asked for the room to be cleaned and it took one hour to get it cleaned. He also noticed a crack in a window pane and complained about it. In the morning he ordered full breakfast which according to the menu had corn flakes, toast, bacon, coffee etc but when it arrived there was no bacon. He called the Food and Beverages Manager and asked him about it. The Manager told him that they will not charge him for the breakfast. On the next day, while vacating the room he noticed that he had been charged for it. He called up the Manager again and got it cancelled.

In another Hotel, we were having lunch. It was a buffet. I noticed he ate a lot and after which he had a plate of fruits including an apple, an orange, a bunch of grapes and a piece of pineapple. I could eat only one fruit. I thought he was enjoying the food. I asked him ‘How do you like the food in India?’ He said ‘Food in India is a big problem for me.’

On the way to a meeting we were held up at a railway crossing. He asked me why we had stopped. I told him a train is expected to pass by. Only after that, will they open the gate and we can continue our journey. After a few minutes we heard the train’s whistle. As soon as the train appeared he started laughing, he could not contain himself. I asked him why he was laughing. He said ‘So slow, the train is so slow. When will it reach its destination?’ I thought the man is used to seeing Bullet trains in Japan, he must find our trains funny. Along the way, he asked me to tell the driver to drive carefully. He said in Japan, if there is an accident, the driver has to take care of the victim’s family.

When we reached the Company, we met the concerned Engineers and had a fruitful meeting. After the meeting we walked to the car and noticed our driver was sleeping in the car. He said, how can man sleep while at work. In India it is normal for a driver to take a nap when he is not driving. I asked him if he thinks our people are lazy. He said ‘lazy’ is not the word, the word is ‘inefficient’. He went on to explain that we had an appointment for the meeting and we had reached on time, yet it took almost one hour for all the concerned Engineers to assemble and for us to start the meeting. He told me that in Japan even if we go to a Company without an appointment and if they agree to hold a meeting, the concerned Engineers would assemble within five minutes and we can start the meeting in five minutes.

In the evening we arrived at another city. When we reached the hotel, he asked the receptionist ‘Do you have a swimming pool?’ The receptionist said ‘Of course we have a swimming pool.’ He then asked ‘How big is the swimming pool?’ She said it is big. He wanted to see it and she arranged for a person to take us to the swimming pool. Along the way he told me ‘Tomorrow is a Sunday, I have no work. I want a big swimming pool so that I can get some good exercise.’

Next day we were free. He told me he could not sleep last night. When he visited the Indian Embassy in Tokyo to get his visa, an Indian working there had given him some children’s books to be delivered to an address in an Indian city. He had forgotten about it and we had already visited that city. He said he could not keep his word and felt bad about it. My office agreed to deliver the books and he was relieved. He then said he would like to see an Indian style cabaret. He mentioned that when he visits Korea they provide him with girls.

Before leaving, he asked my Manager to ensure that I remain with the Company. He said Companies where employees leave for other jobs do not prosper and that in Japan most people work for one Company all their life. When I shook hands with him to say goodbye, I noticed he bowed his head slightly. I was tempted to follow suit.