It's Thursday, 5th September, and the variety programme "Unbelievable" happened to be on TV. It told the story of three different taxi drivers from a small taxi company in Nagano, Japan, called Chuo Taxi.
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Story 1
Mrs Arai, a young mother travelled with her little boy to attend a wedding in Nagano Prefecture. She found Nagano in November to be far more wintry than she had calculated for and her son was obviously shivering in his pair of short trousers.
As they got into the taxi, Mrs Arai asked the driver, "Can you please take us to a place where we can get thick long socks for the boy?"
But at 7.30am in the morning, no shop was opened and Mrs Arai and her boy had no choice but to head straight for the wedding venue.
Just as the ceremony was about to begin, a staff from the ceremony hall handed Mrs Arai a paper bag. In it were a pair of long thick socks, just perfect for her boy!
After dropping Mrs Arai and her son off, the taxi driver had gone looking for what the boy needed, bought it and dropped it off at the ceremony hall with instructions for the item to be passed to Mrs Arai.
****************************************************************
Story 2
An elderly couple from Hokkaido was trying to catch a flight from Haneda airport in Tokyo. However, the taxi they were on was caught in a terrible congestion.
They had no choice but to get off at the nearest train station, hoping to get there in time by train. But the highly complicated train lines and the multiple transfers required were too complicated for the elderly couple who could not follow even the instructions given by the station master.
Just as they were in great distress, the driver of the taxi they had been on called after them. The driver had parked his taxi and gone after the elderly couple to check if they were all right.
Hearing of their distress, he laughed and said, "Is that the problem? Don't worry, I will personally escort you to Haneda Airport. It is my job to make sure that my customers get to their destination safely."
*******************************************************************************
Story 3
A young mother rushed to her sick daughter's kindergarten in a taxi. She asked the taxi driver to wait while she picked up her little girl. Then, in the same taxi, they headed to the hospital. To her horror, however, she couldn't find her wallet when she tried to pay for the taxi.
The driver waived the fees, and the young mother managed to persuade the hospital to look at her daughter. But she had no way of getting home with her sick daughther without her wallet.
Suddenly, the driver of the taxi she was on appeared with her wallet.
After leaving them, the driver had gone to an empty plot of land where he stopped his car and took out all the car seats to look for the lady's wallet.
Not finding anything, the driver put the seats back, drove back to the kindergarten to look for the missing item. After a long and unsuccessful search, the driver recollected that the young mother had stumbled over a step in her hurry and confusion. He promptly went to the spot where she had stumbled and found the wallet lying in a hole. The driver then drove an hour back to the hospital to deliver the wallet to the young mother.
***********************************************************************************
Chuo Taxi gives their drivers the authority to make decisions so that they can provide the best of services to their customers. Their placing of the customers' welfare before profit making makes them so popular that, apart from the one exception below, they are consistently the most used taxi company in Nagano.
Ironically, the year Nagano hosted the winter Olympics, they fell from the No. 1 place. The reason: they refused to take bookings from outside of Nagano.
"If our taxis are all taken up by tourists from outside, then the local people who need our service, the elderly and the sick, will not be able to get taxis."
A right set of priorities based on the right values. This, surely, is how God wants us to live in His kingdom.
Friday, September 06, 2013
Thursday, June 06, 2013
DJ Police
4th June, Tuesday... The Japanese national soccer team, Samurai Japan, played Australia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier. Japan only needed to draw to qualify, but they had lost the previous match against Jordan and badly wanted to qualify this time.
An unexpected goal from the Australians late in the second half of the match put Japan in a most disadvantageous position. However, Honda put in a penalty kick in injury time and the Samurai equalized in the nick of time to be the first nation to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. This is also the first time Japan has qualifed playing at home.
The exhilaration of the public was at bursting point, and people viewing the match in sports bars around Shibuya (a favourite spot for such national sports event) rushed out to the famous Shibuya Scramble (a pedestrian crossing at the major junction in front of the Shubiya train station) to demonstrate their joyful hysteria. Once the pedestrian light turned green, hordes of people rushed to the centre of the cross road, half drunk with joy or alcohol, dancing and high five-ing with other excited strangers, and then, not caring to clear off the road when the light turned against them, would obstruct the traffic, as had happened in the past. That night too, the areas around the Scramble was soon packed with a happy mob.
This time however, the police were determined that no national exhilaration or celebration would upset public order or traffic, and, in faith that the Samurai would qualify, hundreds of policemen went out to control the fever in Shibuya.
On the amplifier, the police announced to the crowd at the Shibuya Scramble,
"Ladies and gentlemen wearing the national uniform, you are the 12th man of the team and our national team is known for being orderly and well behaved. The police does not want to be angry on such a happy occasion, your stern looking policeman is also rejoicing in his heart at the result of the game,so please demonstrate excellent team work by moving towards the train station."
The police's gentle direction brought smiles to the crowd which then went on to dub him the DJ Police on the internet. The evening ended happily with neither injury nor incident.
An unexpected goal from the Australians late in the second half of the match put Japan in a most disadvantageous position. However, Honda put in a penalty kick in injury time and the Samurai equalized in the nick of time to be the first nation to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. This is also the first time Japan has qualifed playing at home.
The exhilaration of the public was at bursting point, and people viewing the match in sports bars around Shibuya (a favourite spot for such national sports event) rushed out to the famous Shibuya Scramble (a pedestrian crossing at the major junction in front of the Shubiya train station) to demonstrate their joyful hysteria. Once the pedestrian light turned green, hordes of people rushed to the centre of the cross road, half drunk with joy or alcohol, dancing and high five-ing with other excited strangers, and then, not caring to clear off the road when the light turned against them, would obstruct the traffic, as had happened in the past. That night too, the areas around the Scramble was soon packed with a happy mob.
This time however, the police were determined that no national exhilaration or celebration would upset public order or traffic, and, in faith that the Samurai would qualify, hundreds of policemen went out to control the fever in Shibuya.
On the amplifier, the police announced to the crowd at the Shibuya Scramble,
"Ladies and gentlemen wearing the national uniform, you are the 12th man of the team and our national team is known for being orderly and well behaved. The police does not want to be angry on such a happy occasion, your stern looking policeman is also rejoicing in his heart at the result of the game,so please demonstrate excellent team work by moving towards the train station."
The police's gentle direction brought smiles to the crowd which then went on to dub him the DJ Police on the internet. The evening ended happily with neither injury nor incident.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Free replacement
It took me several years before I realised what was happening simply because it had never occured to me, even in my dream, that such a good thing can exist in this world. Yet, I have carefully and deliberately observed such events once I suspected that such a custom exists here in Japan.
Here are a few of the cases I have seen:
Case 1
A fashionable girl bought a large chocolate milk shake at a fast food joint at the beach. The shop assitant accepted her cash and delivered her order on the tray before her. The girl proceeded to move to her seat with her tray of drink. However, as she was busy wrestling with her wrap, handbag and wallet, she clumsily spilt the entire cup of milk shake onto her front.
Without a word, the shop assistant appeared with a mop and table cloth to clean up the mess on the floor and helped the girl to wipe herself up as much as possible. While she was still cleaning herself and feeling very apologetic and distressed, the shop assistant had returned to behind the counter and presented her with another cup of chocolate milk shake, identical to the one she overturned, at no additional charge.
Case 2
A family was buying lunch at a ramen stall in the food court of a service area by the highway. Their little boy was playing a fool, and not surprisingly, overturned his bowl of hot ramen on the counter onto himself. He burst into tears and his parents, greatly alarmed, attended to him immediately. The shop assistant at the ramen stall inmmediately appeared with a mop and towel, and duly presented the family with a replacement bowl of ramen, all without extra charge or a word of complaint.
Case 3
A family bought burgers and soft drinks from MOS Burger in a shopping centre food court and were sitting at the table, ready to dig in. Just as they started eating, one of the children carelessly knocked over a huge cup of cola drink while drinking. The MOS Burger staff noticed the commotion and immediately appeared with a mop and table cloth. After the cleaning, she brought to the table another cup of cola, as huge as the one the child was drinking.
All these done with a smile, at no charge and without being asked.
Is there anywhere else in the world that provides such service?
Here are a few of the cases I have seen:
Case 1
A fashionable girl bought a large chocolate milk shake at a fast food joint at the beach. The shop assitant accepted her cash and delivered her order on the tray before her. The girl proceeded to move to her seat with her tray of drink. However, as she was busy wrestling with her wrap, handbag and wallet, she clumsily spilt the entire cup of milk shake onto her front.
Without a word, the shop assistant appeared with a mop and table cloth to clean up the mess on the floor and helped the girl to wipe herself up as much as possible. While she was still cleaning herself and feeling very apologetic and distressed, the shop assistant had returned to behind the counter and presented her with another cup of chocolate milk shake, identical to the one she overturned, at no additional charge.
Case 2
A family was buying lunch at a ramen stall in the food court of a service area by the highway. Their little boy was playing a fool, and not surprisingly, overturned his bowl of hot ramen on the counter onto himself. He burst into tears and his parents, greatly alarmed, attended to him immediately. The shop assistant at the ramen stall inmmediately appeared with a mop and towel, and duly presented the family with a replacement bowl of ramen, all without extra charge or a word of complaint.
Case 3
A family bought burgers and soft drinks from MOS Burger in a shopping centre food court and were sitting at the table, ready to dig in. Just as they started eating, one of the children carelessly knocked over a huge cup of cola drink while drinking. The MOS Burger staff noticed the commotion and immediately appeared with a mop and table cloth. After the cleaning, she brought to the table another cup of cola, as huge as the one the child was drinking.
All these done with a smile, at no charge and without being asked.
Is there anywhere else in the world that provides such service?
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tadaima, I'm back!
We returned to Tokyo after 9 weeks in Singapore to find that the sakura (cherry blossom) is already in full bloom. -- about 10 days earlier than usual.
The snow-covered city we left behind has thawed and wild flowers are appearing among the weeds. I had left all my winter clothes still in the wardrobe, thinking that I would still need them at the end of March, but now I find myself hollowing out my cupboard and drawers for early spring wear.
For a week every year, Japan is clothed in gentle, unassuming, yet breathtaking splendor. In the great metropolis, Tokyo, this typically happens in the first week of April, when school and company entrance ceremonies celebrate new beginnings amidst the sakura shower. It is also said that one of the first assignments for fresh graduates joining as new employees is to prepare for the department's o-hanami (sakura viewing party).
This year, however, a spot of warm weather has ushered in the blossoms earlier than usual -- before the proud children go to school for the first time, before the nervous young men and women start their first day at work, before the hawkers are ready with their stalls, and before the arrival of the tourists and their cameras.
Yes, despite months of careful monitoring, watching and waiting, the cherry blossoms have played their trick on us. We are not ready - this year.
But business or not, everyone stops for the sakura. We walk just a little slower, taking a minute to snap a picture here and there with our smart phones and cameras. We greet strangers and friends with a sense of happiness, "Aren't the flowers lovely!" And we make time to sit under the cherry trees with lunch boxes or drinks. For we have waited a long and cold winter -- indeed, the whole year -- for this one week of paradise, and we know that soon enough, the sakura will shed its glory. Still in the prime of beauty, the petals will flutter down and become a carpet of pink underfoot.
The snow-covered city we left behind has thawed and wild flowers are appearing among the weeds. I had left all my winter clothes still in the wardrobe, thinking that I would still need them at the end of March, but now I find myself hollowing out my cupboard and drawers for early spring wear.
For a week every year, Japan is clothed in gentle, unassuming, yet breathtaking splendor. In the great metropolis, Tokyo, this typically happens in the first week of April, when school and company entrance ceremonies celebrate new beginnings amidst the sakura shower. It is also said that one of the first assignments for fresh graduates joining as new employees is to prepare for the department's o-hanami (sakura viewing party).
This year, however, a spot of warm weather has ushered in the blossoms earlier than usual -- before the proud children go to school for the first time, before the nervous young men and women start their first day at work, before the hawkers are ready with their stalls, and before the arrival of the tourists and their cameras.
Yes, despite months of careful monitoring, watching and waiting, the cherry blossoms have played their trick on us. We are not ready - this year.
But business or not, everyone stops for the sakura. We walk just a little slower, taking a minute to snap a picture here and there with our smart phones and cameras. We greet strangers and friends with a sense of happiness, "Aren't the flowers lovely!" And we make time to sit under the cherry trees with lunch boxes or drinks. For we have waited a long and cold winter -- indeed, the whole year -- for this one week of paradise, and we know that soon enough, the sakura will shed its glory. Still in the prime of beauty, the petals will flutter down and become a carpet of pink underfoot.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Being a TEAM
The most beautiful thing about Japan in this year's world cup in South Africa is not that they won against Cameroon and Denmark and conceded only 1 goal to Holland. Nor is it because they almost made it to the quarter -finals or that they gave us reasons to believe that, one day, Japan will make it to the semi-finals.
It was because the team, Samurai Blue, showed what a written-off team can do when they become ONE.
After losing to Paraguay on penalty kicks, the most common remark made to reporters by team members and coach alike was, "I had wanted to play one more match with this team..."
Samurai Blue had become a real team together - from the coaches and the players on the pitch to every single player on the bench. Everyone had given every ounce he had to help the team succeed.
But the best was yet to be...
I felt humbled by the team members attitude towards Yuichi Komano, the 3rd of the Samurai Blue to take the penalty kick and missed.
When Paraguay won - and Japan lost - and the players slowly got up from the kneeling position on the ground, Komano was left kneeling there, completely dejected, broken and ashamed. But his team mates came up one by one to comfort him. Matsui Daisuke kept his arm around Komano's shoulder, hugging him and weeping with him.
"I never cry, but when I saw Komano looking so sad, I couldn't stop crying," he said.
And he said to Komano, "I would have missed it too."
Marcus Tulio Tanaka, another Japanese player, said the same, "I'd have missed that one if I had taken it." He was scheduled to take last one of the 5 penalty kicks but never needed to.
If I were there, would I have said, " I'd have missed too"? Or would I more likely have said, "We could've won if not for Komano..."
I am learning to be like Samurai Blue.
http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/3329024202
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Japanese husbands, love your wives...
I grew up with the stereotype that Japanese husbands are male chauvinists (less politely but more commonly known as MCPs) who beat up their wives, are waited on by those same poor wives who have to even politely put out slippers for the mistresses whom their husbands have the audacity to bring home.
Even today, Japanese joke about the old-fashioned silent male who only have 3 words for their wives when they get home late at night: rice (御飯) , bath (風呂), newspaper (新聞).
In reality, however, many modern Japanese males are fairly capable cooks, loving fathers and gentle and shy before the opposite sex. Certainly we are seeing many of such in young families, but maybe the old stereotype is still true for the previous generations?
Several weeks ago, however, Mrs Hatoyama, wife of the present Japanese Prime Minister, revealed on a variety programme that her husband always does the dishes, declaring that the person who cooks must not be allowed to wash up.
Which is fine for newly weds when he first started doing dishes - and still fine for the average family, even if the man is a leading politician.
But when he has become the PM of Japan and is getting no rest and hardly any sleep, he continues washing.
"No, no, leave it to me, you will splatter water on your suit and have to be back in the office right after lunch!" Mrs Hatoyama would say. In the end, she would give in and proceed to get ready another jacket for Mr PM to change into after the dishes.
Wow! I thought.
Two days later, at a cell church seminar for pastors, one participant asked,
"How do you handle the demands of ministry and spouse?"
Two Japanese pastors in their 60s replied.
Pastor A:
During my quiet time wtih the Lord every morning, I will ask myself these questions: is there anything to apologise to God for? Is there anything to thank God for? Is there anything to ask God for? Sometime ago, I added one more question. Now I also ask every morning, "what can I do to honour my wife better today?" Now, even when we quarrel, we are able to make peace again more quickly. I highly recommend the exercise.
Pastor B
It seems that men and women understand love differently. For men, sex often demonstrates love but it seems that it is not so for women. My wife, for instance, is the kind who feels loved when acts of service are done for her. If you cook for her, cleans the house and so on, wow, she feels so loved. So since she has a full time job (Pastor B has a part-time job as well as pastors the church) I try to cook dinner everyday, and buy her favourite grapefruit juice to pamper her (and recently wrecked the car in the process!). And, oh yes, I have to remember to sun the comforters and take them in before she gets back from work, otherwise she complains that they comforters get wet in the dusk. The other day I was massaging her while she ate the dinner I cooked in front of the TV, so I told her she is the luckiest wife in the world.
So it looks like not all Japanese men are wife beaters and womanizers after all!
Even today, Japanese joke about the old-fashioned silent male who only have 3 words for their wives when they get home late at night: rice (御飯) , bath (風呂), newspaper (新聞).
In reality, however, many modern Japanese males are fairly capable cooks, loving fathers and gentle and shy before the opposite sex. Certainly we are seeing many of such in young families, but maybe the old stereotype is still true for the previous generations?
Several weeks ago, however, Mrs Hatoyama, wife of the present Japanese Prime Minister, revealed on a variety programme that her husband always does the dishes, declaring that the person who cooks must not be allowed to wash up.
Which is fine for newly weds when he first started doing dishes - and still fine for the average family, even if the man is a leading politician.
But when he has become the PM of Japan and is getting no rest and hardly any sleep, he continues washing.
"No, no, leave it to me, you will splatter water on your suit and have to be back in the office right after lunch!" Mrs Hatoyama would say. In the end, she would give in and proceed to get ready another jacket for Mr PM to change into after the dishes.
Wow! I thought.
Two days later, at a cell church seminar for pastors, one participant asked,
"How do you handle the demands of ministry and spouse?"
Two Japanese pastors in their 60s replied.
Pastor A:
During my quiet time wtih the Lord every morning, I will ask myself these questions: is there anything to apologise to God for? Is there anything to thank God for? Is there anything to ask God for? Sometime ago, I added one more question. Now I also ask every morning, "what can I do to honour my wife better today?" Now, even when we quarrel, we are able to make peace again more quickly. I highly recommend the exercise.
Pastor B
It seems that men and women understand love differently. For men, sex often demonstrates love but it seems that it is not so for women. My wife, for instance, is the kind who feels loved when acts of service are done for her. If you cook for her, cleans the house and so on, wow, she feels so loved. So since she has a full time job (Pastor B has a part-time job as well as pastors the church) I try to cook dinner everyday, and buy her favourite grapefruit juice to pamper her (and recently wrecked the car in the process!). And, oh yes, I have to remember to sun the comforters and take them in before she gets back from work, otherwise she complains that they comforters get wet in the dusk. The other day I was massaging her while she ate the dinner I cooked in front of the TV, so I told her she is the luckiest wife in the world.
So it looks like not all Japanese men are wife beaters and womanizers after all!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
kinders run full marathon
It was near the end of the regular evening news on Asahi TV channel. Tonight's feature was on a kindergarten (星子幼稚園) in Osaka.
The principal of the kindergarten is a 76 year-old man. But that is not the most special thing about the kindergarten.
The first thing that would strike a visitor entering the kindergarten for the first time is that the children, boys and girls, are running around shirtless.
With only a pair of little white pants on, they run around the compound doing everything from more physical activities like wiping the floor, cleaning, climbing frames to more sedentary ones like reading and drawing.
Every morning, the 76-year-old principal will lead the children in a 5 km run - this also done shirtless.
Despite it being already deep into autumn, the active children don't feel cold at all. And, none of them is forced to participate in any of the activities - yet all take part with zest.
That Mr Principal loves the children is plain to all, but he is also strict with them. Punishment is meted out to (1) trouble makers, (2) bullies and (3) those who don't greet properly.
And it is not just the children who get educated, Mr Principal educates the parents too, running seminars on parenting for parents of the children under his care. "An adult who can't greet properly cannot bring up his children well," he commented.
And once a year in autumn, Mr Principal leads his upper year children in a marathon - the full 42.195 km!!
Young Tetsuya (not his real name) was one of the 13 children in the upper year. He was determined to finish his run.
Being able to run at all is no mean feat for Tetsuya who was born with disabilities in his legs. He was 3 years old when he finally took his first very wobbly step.
Tetsuya knew that kids in this kindergarten all take part in a marathon, yet he wanted to join the school. The daily 5 km run in the morning was very difficult for him, yet slowly he built up his strength, and before the year was out, his parents were amazed to see him running 5 km everyday effortlessly.
"I will finish all 42.195 km!" Young Testuya declared.The big day came. All the parents were down at the river to help and support. A water station is set up after every kilometre.
As the children stop for the water, Mr Principal will decide if any of the children should retire from the race.
As Testuya became more and more tired, the time came when Mr Principal asked him to retire, "From here on you are a supporter. Cheer your friends on to the finishing line."
Tetsuya was disppointed, but obeyed. Meanwhile, the rest of the children ran on with Mr Principal.
Near the finishing line, at the last kilometre mark, the focus shifts to another boy, Kohei, who is falling behind.
Kohei has always been the fastest at sprinting but now he was learning about the reality of a marathon.
Angry and disappointed with himself for falling behind everyone, he nonetheless pushed on, crying.
Finally, as the sun set, Kohei made it to the finishing line. There cheering louder than anyone else for him was Tetsuya, and waiting for young Kohei with open arms was his 76-year-old Principal.
"It is not about finishing," Mr Principal said. "Even those who don't finish learn valuable lessons in life."
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