Welcome!

Hi All,

Julian has just started today. I believe he is currently attending some sessions arranged by his division and followed by lunch with his line manager.

It is indeed very nice today in Japan but the wind is quite something, I believe. It is very sad to hear the news on Fedex plane accident this morning in Narita. No wonder... The wind has been very strong and some colleagues here were not able to make it to work on time this morning, including myself. Thankfully, I was just able to meet Julian at 8:45am though.

Anyway, hope to welcome the April group soon!

Y

My first three days after arriving in Japan

I finally arrived in Tokyo! 

The last 3 days have been a bit of a blur as I've been going through the process of settling down in Japan again. It feels a bit like going through the start of last year, when I was here on an exchange program, in high-speed stop-motion.

It is nice being in Japan again, seeing the clear skies and wonderfully crisp spring air. Even being chided by the obasan for my terrible handwriting in the district office was somewhat nostalgic (I had to fill out the alien registration form twice!), although I got the distinct impression that she was treating me like she would a kid in elementary school. She spoke to me very very deliberately and in very very simple words - "Write  down  the  state  where  you  were  born    here" (I had filled in only the country). Then again, I've probably spent less time here than someone in elementary school would have!

I dreamt of seeing the Cherry Blossoms last night - hopefully, we will be able to go see the Sakura together some time soon!

(p/s: why are wardrobes so expensive in Japan?)

Julian

My first week

So, 1st week finished! It has been a bit of a whirlwind, with so many meetings and so much stuff happening. The first three days were almost nothing but back-to-back meetings. The meetings were usually just me & Takehito plus a manager, or even just a one-on-one. We met some very senior people but the atmosphere was always relatively casual. I got the strong impression of a company with a quite open, humanistic culture, so you don't just feel like a tiny part in a machine. In other words, it's a nice place and people are friendly!

I met some current and ex graduate trainees too. They are nice too :-)

Myself, I have been put on a 6-month rotation in back-office server admin, in Atago Green Hills (a big tower very near Roppongi Hills, and owned by the same company ). Most of you will be in Marunouchi I imagine, but I'm sure we will still have plenty of opportunities to meet.

As for the state of the company, well I did hear some very encouraging things about RBS's commitment to GBM's Tokyo branch, and the safety of our jobs as grads. Time will tell but I do feel relieved.

Any questions, please shoot!
Simon

Simon and Takehito - Started!

Dear All,

First of all, last week was quite something for everyone at RBS. I am sure all of you have been following the media on RBS recently. If any questions, please do feel free to contact me. I am always here!

Also, I am delighted to tell you that Simon Holland and Takehito Sagawa have started with us yesterday. Their first day was quite busy, I believe as there were back-to-back meetings and sessions throughout the day. Hope all the sessions were useful and somehow enjoyable. Especially, the last session which is a panel Q&A session with '08 graduates was rather informal and took place in one of the "posh" coffee shops outside so hope it was something enjoyable and they shared a lot of information and their experience.

Hope they are going to share their experience on the first day soon so that those starting in April will get to have a better idea on what to expect.

Sagawa-san, if anything, please come and look for me in the same "cr***y" building.
Simon, hope you will get to enjoy working in two different offices from time to time.

All, have a great week ahead. I know some of you are currently away from Japan so enjoy and please make the most of your time now too!

Y

Hi Everyone!

I have been following the recent news releases regarding RBS and bonuses paid in the BBC and  it has left me feeling a bit down. It seems like the government has been quite heavy handed when dealing with RBS! Perhaps this is inevitable considering the current state of banks in general.

I'm pretty sure that RBS will weather the storm and be none the worse for wear when things finally cool off, and I'm looking forward to helping with that as much as I can.

I mentioned in an e-mail to Yukiko that I will most likely not be able to get a Visa by 2nd March, because of the processing time. I really hope this isn't too much of a bother for everyone else :(

...Am I the only graduate trainee who isn't in Japan at this time?

I really look forwards to seeing all of you soon!

How are you all?

Dear All,

How have you been? Hope everything is going well with you.
January 09 is nearly coming to an end and.... what happened? RBS...
To be honest with you, the news was quite something and it made me become more sensitive towards the stock price and etc... But, the firm is surely one of the well-capitalised firms across the world and still remains in a good position in the industry, I believe.

Anyway, I just thoughtof posting something today. It has been relatively quiet today as Hong Kong and Singapore offices are closed for the Chinese New Year holiday.

Those who are working hard on dissertations, good luck!
Hoping to catch up with you soon! Let me know if you are free for lunch!

Y

Happy New Year!!!

明けましておめでとうございます。今年も皆さんにとって実り多い一年になりますように。

It is the first official work day in Japan in 2009 today. Hope you all had a great start of this new year. We just had our office-wide new year celebration and I personally had a few pieces of sushi. lol

I am sure some of you are starting a brand new page of your life within the next three months!
Wishing you all a very wonderful year ahead!

Y