Monday: Real KEIO University

CLASSES FINALLY START

     Finally the first day of classes. To be honest, I have been looking forward to it! Today in our schedule we had compulsory for all CEMS students cross cultural management and Japanese conversation class. 

     Today's classes are at Mita campus in Tokyo so we traveled by metro this time. The professor teaching the class is French by origin, but has spent almost 15 years in Japan as he is married to a Japanese woman. His English is impressively good, as he worked in US for 5 years. 

     The content of the class, however, leaves much to be desired... Again same things, same concepts, same companies and same cases. Really hope we will shift the focus from Europe to Asian countries so that we could learn something new. 

CEMS ACADEMIC DIRECTOR

     In order to have Japanese language classes accredited, we needed to have a paper signed by CEMS Academic Director. He has little office in the research building on campus. The office is full of books and folders, half of them in English, half in Japanese. 

     He was really nice to give us a crash course in CEMS new curriculum which no one fully understood and a culture of exchanging business cards in Japan.

BUSINESS CARDS or MEISHI

     Business cards are really important in Japan. Everyone has it, and everyone exchanges those at the first meeting. There are special rules on how to do it: you have to give your card facing another person, hold it with two hands. After the person receives it, you both bow to each other, and then bow a few times more. =)

     It is important for international people to have a business card, because this way Japanese people can pronounce your name more or less correctly (they probably won't be able to pronounce it if it is written in English).

    It is highly prohibited to bend or write on a business card.T his is a sign of disrespect. 

     Many students at universities have their business cards which they always exchange with people they meet for the first time. This is a great Japanese tradition, but I wonder when they will switch to e-business cards.