Tokyo

The Tokyo skyline, seen from my hotel window. The view was
panoramic; this is only a partial shot.

I only had two days here, having squeezed it in between planned stops in Hong Kong and Australia. I've always wanted to come here – as someone who loves cities, Tokyo has is a dream destination of mine – and it did not let me down. What an incredible place! The flight over was good, really enjoyed Cathay’s food and service on the four hour hop and we arrived bang on time. I got an ‘Airport Limousine’ (read: coach) to the hotel, as it drops you off directly there and takes the same amount of time as the train, but with less hassle. It took me 2 hours to get from exiting customs to my hotel room.

And what an amazing hotel it is. A 40-storey megalith overlooking the world-famous Shibuya junction, I had an utterly most jaw-dropping view over the whole of Tokyo from the 33rd floor. A true 5-star hotel with incredibly comfortable and well-appointed rooms, and great service to boot. Concierge was very knowledgeable and helpful. It’s also literally a 2 minute walk to the Arup office – the place even has its own 7-11!

Taken from the coach on the way in from the airport - gasp!

I had an ‘interesting’ experience at customs. I got to the green channel, handed my form over and was asked some questions about where I had come from, how long in Tokyo etc ("It's all there on my form" I was thinking...). I told him I was there on business, and he asked if it was my first time and I said yes. Anyway, expecting to be waved through, he then asked me to open my bag. I complied and he gave it a very quick search, having seen it was only clothes etc. When I was locking it up again he spotted the Cathay Pacific 'Business Class - Priority' tag and became very apologetic, saying "Ah Business, sorry, I didn't see". Gave me the impression he hadn't believed me when I said I was there on business – maybe I need to dress smarter for my flights in future! Tokyo has instantly become my absolute favourite city on Earth, and I say that even as someone who could barely find something to eat there (more on that later). The journey in on the coach was interesting of itself – the roads here are like roller coasters for cars, operating on up to four levels (yes levels, not lanes) at once; ducking, diving and twisting both around themselves and the surrounding buildings. And it’s dense – completely, consistently and unrelentingly dense. A few green lungs punctuate the concrete and train lines weave between, under, over and through buildings like veins carrying fresh oxygen all over this massive conurbation, but the urban rhythm remains unbroken as far as the eye can see, in all directions.

Shibuya crossing in action

Navigation is aided by bilingual signage in most places, but I still managed to spend most of my time walking around lost. This was OK as it’s another way to see more of the city. I was helped no end by incredibly polite Japanese who were always happy to offer directions using a combination of Japanese, English, sign language and patience. My main day of sightseeing was accompanied by a constant, unwavering downpour that somehow failed to ruin my fun, such was my delight at just being able to experience this enthralling place first-hand. Tokyo isn’t one city but an amalgamation of 14 that have spread into each other. It’s hard to say that many of them have their own distinct character. Shopping is the main pastime here, in what’s probably the most commercial city on Earth. It’s a great place to pick up little knick-knacks – pointless tat that is somehow made cool just by virtue of being Japanese. And I totally joined in – it was fun browsing the weird and wonderful stuff available, and made for easy souvenir shopping. The electronics shops here are something to behold – cacophonies of noise, lights and endless rows of products. I sampled two separate 3D TV products (and remain to be convinced), and saw loads of other cool gadgets and doo-dads that never made their way over to the UK.

A typical Tokyo electronics store - sensory overload
spread over 6 levels!

I was determined to try as much ‘Japanese’ stuff as I could – video game arcades, vending machines, shopping, food, travel, language etc. It was a lot of fun, because unlike many places in the world, ultra-commercial Tokyo surprisingly doesn’t feel like it’s been sterilised by global corporations and their bland brand standards. And whit still has the feel of a very different culture, and the people are so friendly it feels accessible to even a total outsider like me. Food was a challenge. I was determined to overcome my failure with chopsticks (and partially succeeded), and moreover to banish my mental block when it comes to eating proper sushi (i.e. raw fish). Again, I only partially succeeded here with some varieties proving just a bit too ‘squidgy’ for my brain to compute. Vegetarianism doesn’t really exist as a concept here (similarly to China) so it’s easy to find that an apparently 'safe' dish contains hidden animal fats. Added to my aversion to raw fish, this made life a little difficult. I was very fortunate one night to stumble across a halal Indian/Pakistani restaurant where the food was surprisingly delicious – a real treat in the middle of a long trip away from home.

Plastic food models are used outside restaurants in place of menus,
and they're scarily realistic.

Visiting the office was a real pleasure, and I was very glad Yoshi and Teppei were able to make time for me at such short notice. I was taken for a sushi lunch by Yoshi (must... stretch... boundaries...) where we had a chat about work, Japan and culture. There are about 70 people in Arup here, and we've been established for about 20 years. It always feels like visiting family when you’re in an Arup office abroad; there’s a reassuringly similar atmosphere.

Teppei, Yoshi and I in the Tokyo office.

OK, I’ve gone on enough about Tokyo. I feel like I’ve left loads of stuff out (techno-toilets, navigating the transport systems, the Turkish mosque that tricks you into thinking you're in the heart of Istanbul, youth culture, history...), there’s so much to say about this place. But onwards to Melbourne, and a return to a world I’m more familiar with.

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong skyline

I arrived on Tuesday afternoon having narrowly dodged both the ash cloud that morning and the BA strikes due to start the following day. So other than a worrisome Sunday night, I had a seamless and very pleasant journey.

Arup's Stonecutters Bridge (background) seen from the Airport Express train.

The first thing that hit me about Hong Kong was the topography – I hadn’t realised just how hilly it is here. The second thing that struck me was the incredible infrastructure that makes this city of 7 million people possible given the challenging terrain. It really is as good as people say – great transportation, effective drainage, reliable utilities, and pleasant public spaces that work well with the hills. 3G cellular connections work everywhere – even on the metro and cross-harbour tunnels. The metro has metal seats that still manage to be more comfortable than London’s.

I spent the rest of my first day in my hotel room preparing for the next two days’ meetings, finally venturing out after 10pm for a quick walk and my first glimpse of the Hong Kong skyline. Even at this time it was still warm and humid. The hotel itself, on the waterfront in Kowloon, was lovely. Huge room, great view and terrific staff.

The view from my room

Arup’s office in Hong Kong must be a strong contender for the ‘Most dramatic views from an Arup office’ award. The terrain slopes away at first before rising up to tall, tree-covered peaks. Stunning. I was warmly welcomed by our colleagues there and very well looked after throughout my stay. Met some great people. It’s fascinating learning about how our business works in different parts of the world, and the subtle differences that exist in local markets.

The Knowledge Centre/library in Hong Kong

The office adjoins a shopping centre, where I was generously taken for dim-sum lunches both days I was there. Being a ‘vegetarian’ in China/Hong Kong is challenging, to say the least! On the plus side, I’m now only slightly hopeless with chopsticks.

I had been wondering how I’d handle the jetlag – usually I cope quite well. I managed stay awake and to go to bed at Hong Kong time on my first night, and woke up on time too. However, as the day wore on it really hit me – particularly after lunch. I struggled through the day, and even managed to stay awake until Hong Kong bed time again. The next day was better, but in all I reckon it was a few days before I fully adjusted.

I managed to see some of the city on two evenings after work, and had the Friday off too. Did all the usually touristy things really, no shame in that. Most of it involved ogling the skyline from different angles (city person, see?). I also visited Kowloon mosque (this will be a recurring theme on my travels) for Friday prayers, and wandered around some of the different neighbourhoods pointed out by my trusty guidebook. I particularly enjoyed the two-and-a-bit mile walk around Victoria peak, which felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city just a kilometre or so beneath us.

Standing at 'The Peak', a hill overlooking a misty Hong Kong.
A kind stranger saw me looking very alone and offered to take my picture!

I like Hong Kong; it’s full of energy and is working hard to remain a competitive global business hub. It’s an easy place for a Brit to come thanks to the still noticeable colonial influences, and the fact that its fully bilingual. However, it does feel like it’s losing its ‘edge’ a little bit, with huge shopping/office complexes slowly swallowing up historic neighbourhoods and the cultural vitality they bring.

Introduction

I’m fortunate to have been asked to tour Arup’s global regions to share some recent work we’ve been doing in London on a new service offering for the emerging Existing Buildings market.

The trip will take me around the world in just under a month, as in addition to spending around two days in each office I visit I’ve also taken some annual leave to extend my trip and try to see and learn about each of my destinations. These extra days have also offered flexibility in scheduling local meetings.

So where am I going, and for how long?

17/5: Depart London
18/5 – 22/5: Hong Kong
22/5 – 24/5: Tokyo
25/5 – 27/5: Melbourne
27/5 – 30/5: Sydney
30/5 – 06/6: New York
06/6 – 08/6: LA & drive to San Francisco0
08/6 – 13/6: San Francisco
13/6: Depart San Francisco for London

Sitting at Heathrow Terminal 5B, ready to leave for Hong Kong.

It’s an amazing opportunity that I want to take full advantage of. I'm looking forward to finding out more about how Arup operates around the world, making distant colleagues not-so-distant, sharing and learning about existing buildings - and comparing the interior design of our workspaces!

I’ve never been to any of these cities before, and some have been very high up my list of places to go for a long time. I’m a city person. The countryside is nice and all, but I love the ingenuity that makes a city work, particularly how some solutions grow organically whilst others are carefully designed.

I’ll be compiling separate business notes from my meetings, so plan to keep this blog about my travels and overall impressions of each city - light reading, if you will. Hopefully you’ll find something interesting here.