That’s Life Anew
WASHLET® and me
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Culture & Lifestyle
|24/09/2024
Its one thing working for a Japanese company in London but quite another to visit our colleagues on the other side of the world. I had the honour to be invited to Japan as the recipient of TOTO’s President Award which is an opportunity to communicate our work in the UK to our colleagues in Japan. It was not only my first time visiting the HQ but it was also my first trip to Japan, so I had the benefit of the double cultural and business whammy.
As part of my trip I presented a talk on how we work in the UK, the audiences we attract and the services we offer. My role at TOTO is Sales & Showroom Coordinator, so an abundantly varied job where no two days are the same. TOTO has the only public facing showroom in Europe so it is an excellent showcase to demonstrate our products. It is also a place where our clients and the public can visit and experience WASHLET first hand. I explained to many of our colleagues, with the help of an interpreter (thank you Karen Saito San), the company operations and the roles the team play.
I managed to squeeze in some site seeing and experience the delights of Tokyo and Fukuoka (where TOTO is headquartered). The food is world famous but went beyond my expectations, everywhere I went the hospitality was so kind and generous. Even though I do not speak Japanese everyone was so patient in explaining things to me.
In addition to my presentation I had the opportunity to visit the TOTO museum in Kitakyushu an exceptional building dedicated to TOILETS! Of course, it has the whole history complete with TOTO’s role and timeline - it was a great place to see how TOTO has evolved since its founding back in 1914. TOTO’s mantra of comfort and hygiene was set over a hundred years ago by our founder Kazuchika Okura. You can visit the virtual museum here and see the amazing story revealed floor by floor.
I met the current President, Mr Noriaki Kiyota, and many colleagues who gave me so much of their precious time in helping me understand more about the philosophy of TOTO and Japanese culture. I can’t wait to visit again.
An article by
Katy
TOTO Europe GmbH
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