I wonder if the Nomura Villa is ever open for public viewing?
The villa's homepage has an information page for public viewings, but states that "currently" there are none planned, and as far as I can tell that was written in 2008.
Steve Jobs in Kyoto
131–140 of 150 posts
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#132Kyoto is such an amazing place, truly unique. I have been there 3 times and i think i must have seen and experienced only 5% of it.
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
You have to take the good with the bad. Steve and Bill were able to accomplish what they did because of their unique personality quirks. Those same quirks make them not always compassionate or empathetic people. No one is perfect. Steve was who he was. A lot of people who were closest to him seemed very sad that he passed. He must have made a positive impression on them.
Sorry, but disavowing your daughter to not pay child support, or trying to recoup someones shares because they have cancer isn't a personality quirk.
Since it's important to be accurate when you're condemning someone -
Gates never tried to take back Paul Allen's shares. That isn't merely a bit of nuance. It never happened.
The only thing that ever happened was the infamous discussion between Gates and Ballmer, which Allen overheard. Gates offered to purchase the shares in 1983, which Allen rejected. Allen is quite clear about what happened in his book Idea Man.
A detestable conversation by Gates, certainly. And yet Allen checked out of Microsoft in 1982 and kept his enormous fortune from it and Gates never tried to take it from him.
Everyone on HN would spontaneously combust if they were judged by their worst thoughts or conversations, without exception.
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#134Too bad he couldn’t have gotten his tour guide and friend in too: > When they returned, an interpreter was waiting for Jobs. Oshima waited outside in the car. > "When he came back out an hour later, he told me: 'I would like to have a garden like that.'"
We don’t fraternise with the help, darling
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#135Apple during Steve Jobs era felt very much as his interpretation of Japanese Culture and Zen Buddhism. Everything from Product Design to Apple Store and Services. The only thing that Japanese dont get ( and they somehow still dont ) is Software.
Tim Cook first visit to Japan was in 2016 for business reasons. So I am going to say he has very little understanding of Japanese Zen culture, everything Steve took and put it into Apple.
Very unfortunate Tim Cook's Apple is nothing like Steve Jobs' Apple. It tuns out "Taste" and "Editor" is such a rare and unique skill set.
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#136> Oshima says he would even jokingly ask Jobs to name one of Apple's products 'Hiro.' That's not a bad alternative to 'Siri'
While it is probably unrelated coincidence, Steve Jobs was one of the largest Disney shareholders and they would have been early on the production of Big Hero 6—whose main character is named Hiro—when Jobs passed away.
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#137Apple during Steve Jobs era felt very much as his interpretation of Japanese Culture and Zen Buddhism. Everything from Product Design to Apple Store and Services. The only thing that Japanese dont get ( and they somehow still dont ) is Software. Tim Cook first visit to Japan was in 2016 for business reasons. So I am going to say he has very little understanding of Japanese Zen culture, everything Steve took and put i…
> The only thing that Japanese dont get ( and they somehow still dont ) is Software.
cough Ruby cough
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#138Apple during Steve Jobs era felt very much as his interpretation of Japanese Culture and Zen Buddhism. Everything from Product Design to Apple Store and Services. The only thing that Japanese dont get ( and they somehow still dont ) is Software. Tim Cook first visit to Japan was in 2016 for business reasons. So I am going to say he has very little understanding of Japanese Zen culture, everything Steve took and put i…
> The only thing that Japanese dont get ( and they somehow still dont ) is Software.
Desktop software? Because video games show otherwise.
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#139Apple during Steve Jobs era felt very much as his interpretation of Japanese Culture and Zen Buddhism. Everything from Product Design to Apple Store and Services. The only thing that Japanese dont get ( and they somehow still dont ) is Software. Tim Cook first visit to Japan was in 2016 for business reasons. So I am going to say he has very little understanding of Japanese Zen culture, everything Steve took and put i…
> The only thing that Japanese dont get ( and they somehow still dont ) is Software. Desktop software? Because video games show otherwise.
Yes, Desktop or mostly System Software and UI. And Gaming seems to shows they are perfectly capable of it. I dont know why. You could easily point out lots of industry standard software from US, Germany or UK. Even Australia for something like BlackMagic. But I cant think of one from Japan.
Re: Steve Jobs in Kyoto
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
Having lived in Japan for a year and reading the review of the service, it reminds me how funny it is to read foreigners reviews of Japanese customer service describing it as miraculous when Japanese would consider it standard and adequate. Truly a special culture and country, the rest of humanity could learn a lot about humility and service from Japan.
Yes, definitely. Travel blogs about Japan (travel blogs in general?) are usually pretty cringey for exactly that reason. It takes some time and experience to know what is unique about a culture, and what is simply the normal service/tourist mode of interaction. I try not to judge, since I'm sure that I had the same experience the first time, and it's part of what makes it fun to travel there. But I'm also not really…
Oh it is assuredly not the best hotel in Kyoto, or even the nicest staff. Still, I don't doubt the service was so much better than they've experienced everywhere else in the world that they statistically just assumed it must also be exceptional by Japanese standards as well.
As an interesting aside, I met a few western youngsters working in the hotel industry in Japan and they were very nice and their Japanese was very good, but they said they constantly seemed to not meet the standards their managers expected of them.
The quality of service you can get at the average 7-11 there feels almost comparable to dining at a five star restaurant in NYC, and going to an average quality hotel can feel like you're a guest at the Ritz Carlton. It's because Japanese have no shame in providing excellent service to others. I feel in the US it is considered as if one is admitting they are beneath another if they provide that kind of service, maybe that's why we have a tipping culture as well, to assuage the feeling of shame that comes with service in the US. A pity the nation has a culture like that, being of service to others is something that should be considered noble and aspirational.