One highlight of the trip was an opportunity to meet with a group of UMaine alumni from Japan. Five graduates of UMaine joined faculty and students for an evening of sharing memories and personal conversations that greatly expanded the opportunity to learn more about Japanese culture and business practices.  

Following the return from the Tsukiji, the students were joined by four senior executives of Dentsu, the largest advertising and marketing communications agency in Japan.  The firm represents many significant Japanese companies (such as Toyota and Sony) on a global basis as well as the interests of firms such as McDonald’s and Coca-Cola in the Japanese market.  Koichi Fukumoto presented a detailed view of Dentsu’s business, including a strategic assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.  Fukumoto-san also shared three significant client case studies concerning US firms in Japan (Coke) and a Japanese firm in the US (Canon), presenting and analyzing examples of Dentsu’s awarding winning creative work.

UMaine’s MBA students began Tuesday, May 19 with a 5:30 AM visit to the Tsukiji Market, the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world.  The trip to Tsukiji required a 4:45AM start in order to be present at the famous tuna auction.  The morning ended with a fabulous sushi breakfast.

We began three days of intensive visits to business firms in Tokyo today with a meeting with Mr. Stephen Doi, Managing Partner of global law firm Squire Sanders.  The firm has 32 offices in 15 countries.  Mr. Doi provided a candid view of some critical legal and business issues faced by foreign firms seeking to do business in Japan.