Those who ever had the pleasure of drinking with Japanese people, and with Swedes, know that they are two cultures that are on each side of the scope. Japanese people drink saké with 20% alcohol, slow, and very quietly. Swedes, we drink high content alcohol, fast, and we love to sing.
During a most wonderful lunch at Aquavit in Tokyo, me and my friend Tommy took it on our self to introduce a Swedish drinking song for the Japanese business men who enjoyed their food. So, the song was done to suite their culture.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, the Helan Går!
Now, what do I want to say with all this. Well, the week in Tokyo has been wonderful, I have meet wonderful people, I have seen places that I couldn’t have imagined a few days ago, and I have learned a lot of life lessons.
But also, when communicating with another culture it is important to understand how you come out. A western country makes one type of noise, the Japanese another. So we have to understand the other cultures noise, adopt it to our way of thinking, and send it right back, without changing the core values.
