Japan, a country with many stories. The main story takes 29 Master’s students in IT Management to Tokyo, a city of over a million people. Life in Tokyo is characterized by contrasts: the streets—and especially the nightlife—are usually flashy, colorful, and hectic. The contrast becomes all the more striking when you catch sight of skyscrapers hundreds of meters high alongside numerous temples and gardens that appear like oases of tranquility in this metropolis of 39 million people. The Japanese—depending, of course, on age, gender, level of education, and many other factors—often seem torn between these contrasts. On the one hand, upon arriving in Japan, you’re immediately swept into a country where cleanliness, order, friendliness, and tradition aren’t just superficially displayed but are also reflected in the culture and character of the Japanese people. On the other hand, the Japanese repeatedly break out of this pattern, running through the streets dressed as comic or manga heroes or petting cats, rabbits, owls, or hedgehogs in themed cafés. Overall, we get the impression of a city that demands everything from its residents, both in their private lives and at work. This is reflected in the many sleeping commuters on trains or on park benches, and it still takes some getting used to for us; but it reflects the often very long workdays of the Japanese. During some of our company visits, we also learned firsthand that in Japan, it’s considered proper etiquette to close your eyes occasionally during a meeting. This is then interpreted as, “He must have been working hard.” We also learned about other (work-related) cultural peculiarities during our numerous visits to companies and organizations (the German Embassy, Bayer, Accenture Innovation Lab, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Goethe-Institut, BASF, Fujitsu, and Bosch) in Tokyo. For example, in Japan, recent graduates are generally hired only on April 1 of each year. Once you’re hired—preferably at a large Japanese company—a lot is often expected of newcomers: compared to European standards, the workload in Japan is exceptionally high. On top of the already extensive working hours comes a ritual that far outshines the occasional German “after-work beer.” The Japanese describe their very regular after-work drinking sessions as “Nomunication,” a term combining the Japanese word “nomu” (to drink) with the English word “communication,” and it does indeed serve the purpose of internal communication. However, the mostly very entertaining presentations and discussions covered not only issues related to work culture but also the specific requirements of the Japanese market and the needs of Japanese customers. For example, companies take special precautions to ensure they can continue operating in the event of earthquakes or typhoons, as reflected in geographically redundant data center designs and earthquake-resistant data centers. We also learned that consumer-friendly product packaging—that is, packaging that is easy to open—is practically mandatory in Japan. We were also able to experience this customer- and service-oriented approach firsthand every day in Tokyo’s restaurants and cafés: while in Germany there is often a significant discrepancy between the advertised food items—whether burgers, ice cream shops, or salads—and what they actually look like in reality—in Japan, in the vast majority of cases, you can be sure to get exactly what was promised in photos or plastic food replicas. Enriched by many insights gained from lectures at companies and institutions, we were also able to broaden our culinary and cultural horizons outside the official program. Whether it was a leisurely after-work beer followed by a musical singing performance by the entire class at a karaoke bar, tours through Tokyo at night, or the numerous dinners at traditional—or even less traditional—Japanese restaurants. Last but not least, there’s one more thing to say: Arigatou gozaimasu to everyone involved who brought this excursion to life!