UK business trip - Exchange rate

I am now at a hotel in London Heathrow, UK.

We have just finished customer visits as well as exhibition attending.

It has been four years from my last business trip to UK, but the beauty of England never changes. I mean not airport or cities. Local towns and villages. This time, again, we had a wonderful time with my English friends in a 16c country cottage pub(photo left). Drink, chat and photos so on.

By the way, the prices in UK are too much. This is what I thought. If you take just a pub lunch, it costs 6 to 7 GBP at the cheapest. Perhaps over 10 GBP at pubs in nice atmosphere. Even country side. My office in Tokyo located in south part, there are many skyscrapers and rather expensive area. But still lunch menu in hotel restaurant is around 4 to 5 GBP.

Besides of some inflation in UK or British people becomes rich thanks to Lady Thatcher and Blair period, besides of deflation in Japan after the corruption of economy in 1990, there is something wrong. Exchange rate of GBP and JPY is 1 : 210. One pound is 210 yen.

With one pound you can't buy even one bottle of Coke at an airport Kiosk, but with 210 yen I can buy a bottle of Coke and perhaps some small chocolate bar. Even considering the decrease of Japanese population and low expectation to further growth of economy in Japan, I think Yen is underestimated much.

My feeling on exchange rate is 1:100 to 1:150. I have got some money in Citibank UK therefore partly I am happy though I rather prefer to putting some adjustment on it. God hands in the market often makes wrong.

THE GOLDEN WEEK

Hi yah!

I think 1st May is the labor's day in many countries.
In China, it is called "Lao Dong Jie" which means labor's week.
The whole 1st week is holidays up there, which is 1.3 billion people's celebration.

In Japan, it is different story. From 1980s, trade unions are not so active any more although still they do some ceremonies at some big parks on the day.
Besides we have approx one week national holidays, which is called "Golden Week".
In the first week of May, there are "Constitution Day", "Children's Day" and "People's Day".
During "Showa Emperor Era" there was "Emperor's Birthday", which had been changed to "People's Day" after he passed away 1987.

Average Japanese business persons have a guilty feeling to get leaves even around 20days granted by rule.
If everybody takes leaves at same time, then Japanese feels more easy to take a good rest.
This is Japanese typical mentality. I know I have to be a good manager letting my guys take leaves though, I also would not take many holidays without looking around other managers or boss taking holidays.



ps. On the Children's Day, many houses who have boys hang "Koi-Nobori" as tradition.
It means Carp Fly. Also parents (or grand parents) buy "Gogatsu Ningyo". The photo on left is not traditional shape but cool.