PSPINC CEO Kenichi Uchikura's Blog

Black Angus 12oz Steak in Tokyo

8月

7日

Japan is the home for Kobe Beef but they love Angus beef too. And at Trader Vic's in Tokyo, 12oz Angus Beef Stake Dinner costs 8,000yen (or US$93 at current exchange rate of 86yen to a dollar).

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Chambers Bay

8月

6日

I was invited to play at Chambers Bay in Tacoma today. It was a warm day and they do not allow any electric carts there. I reduced my club to minimum set and walked.

I shot 44 and 52. Back 9, I was exhausted, This is the course for US Amateur Golf later this month. This was the second time. The course was as tough as I remembered.

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NutriSystem ... 4 Weeks Meal

8月

3日

I ordered NutriSystem 4 weeks plan ... I received the package today. They are all dry foods. You need to buy in addition to this meal kit, milk, vegetable, fruit to make them a complete meal. Besides, although i ordered D (diabetic) meal, it came with chocolate chip cookies and other things that has more sugar than I usually eat.

On TV Ads., they sound like that they deliver complete meals ... they don't. I am not happy and will not recommend to anyone. It is a lot more work than they want you to believe. I did order 4 weeks supply and got 6,000 DELTA miles. So, I am okay with $308 I spent.

You will never know until you order one.

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Product Pricing

8月

2日

I saw this car at my golf club yesterday. This is Mercedes Benz SLS 63 AMG. It cost $183,000 in the US. It is a very expensive car, but this car costs 50% more (almost $280,000) in Japan. This 50% hike is not due to any tax. It is just due to the MB's pricing strategy.

If you are in the market for this car in Japan, it would be wise to buy one and import it to Japan. You would still save over $60,000.

I am not suggesting you should export cars to Japan. But with the current exchange rate, there are many business opportunities for the companies in the US to export products to Japan.

Where are MADE IN THE USA products when you need them?

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New Company Car --- Honda Civic Hybrid

7月

30日

We just took delivery of brand new Honda Civic Hybrid from Lynnwood Honda. It replaced three year old another Honda Civic LX we leased from Lynnwood Honda.

Now except from Honda Odyssey Station Wagon, all our cars get better than 40 miles per gallon. We are really working hard to reduce carbon footprint.

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Starbucks is not the only choice

7月

30日

When you visit Japan, you will see many coffee shops including Starbucks. But unlike here in the US, Starbucks is not a dominating coffee shop in Japan. This picture was taken at EXCELSIOR CAFE in Tokyo. It is one of the higher end coffee shops in Japan.

The biggest difference between Starbucks and Japanese Coffee shops is smoking is allowed in Japanese coffee shops. In this location, glass enclosure you see on the right is the smoking section.

Smoking is not allowed on the street of Tokyo.

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Public Transportation in Japan

7月

30日

Japan is known for one of the best railroad networks in the world. But did you know all the railroads are now owned and operated by private companies. Not a single dollar (yen) of tax money is used any more.

The only draw back is that they do not build railroad system where they do not have enough passengers to support the operation. But isn't that the way it should be?

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Hotel Closure in Japan

7月

30日

The building you see in this picture is the Grand Price Hotel Akasaka. This 40 Floor Building is one of the most recognized buildings in japan but is going to be closed at the end of March next year.

It is very sad to see this building being demolished. This is another sign of slow economic recovery in Japan. Is there anybody interested in buying this building in Japan? It is a great location for business (not for a hotel).

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QR Code in Japan

7月

30日

This is an interesting use of QR code in Japan. We are seeing QR code being displayed for the item that is on sale on TV show. If you are interested in the product, you are supposed to scan the QR code on the screen to place an order.

The term "QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

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Krispy Kreme in Tokyo

7月

27日

I completed my business trip in Japan and I got back to Seattle today. It was really warm in Tokyo.

When I was in Tokyo, one of the Krispy Kreme store opened. I went in and took a picture. I did not want wait in line. Besides I did not feel like eating warm donut in 100 degree weather.

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