Madame and Businessmen Coffee Club

Moving to every other new country is easier; you already did it at least once and can build on your previous experiences. I decide to start with a professional network and… join businessmen coffee club. This time it is at Tsubakiya Cafe in Ginza.

Tsubakiya, Sugawara Denki Bldg. 7-7-11, Ginza, Tokyo. Cafe on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Everyone is already there when I arrive half an hour late, having sent to hell the entire city and its transport system at least twice, although it is me who still gets lost among the many and not always compatible train lines and the infinite number of exits at selected stations. In any case, it is not a very professional start in Japanese terms. Punctuality here is a must and the entire system functions like a good Swiss watch.

I like the concept – casual business networking while having a coffee “with a twist”. “A twist” is a topic for the day, which everyone around the table has to touch upon.

If you will ever want to know someone better, ask one question:

“What would you be if you were not doing what you are doing now?”

We never ask this type of questions, not even to our friends, not to mention complete strangers. Perhaps not even ourselves… and yet, it gives an incredible personal touch to a new face and just one more business card.

By the time coffee is over and business cards go around the table in a proper Japanese way, my new Japanese “business friend” asks “What would you like to see next?” This is how a business coffee turns into a personal get-to-know-Tokyo tour, but about that …next time.

So… what would you be doing if you were not doing what you are doing now?