This article reflects information as of 2019. For the latest details, please contact us.
Written by: Qian Yunwen, tentus inc.
"Now that we've hired a staff member from Shanghai, let's make this year's company trip a trip to Shanghai!" — said Koizumi, president of tentus
With that one line, our Shanghai-born employee — just four months after arriving in Japan — found herself on a surprise trip home. (ha!)
And so, as we headed into 2020, I'd like to introduce this trip in the following parts:
- Lodging
- Food
- Activities
\ Please stay with us to the very end! / Off to Shanghai we GO!
Around 9 p.m., we flew from Tokyo's Narita Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport — a trip of about three hours.
Ashida murmured that he wanted to see Shanghai's romantic night views
Waiting for your luggage is exhausting, isn't it
Finally, off to our lodging! Around 11:30 p.m., about an hour by taxi from the airport, we reached our privately rented apartment! When booking a place to stay I always tend to look at hotels first, but since I wanted to buy hairy crab at the market and cook it myself, I booked an Airbnb apartment that came with a fully equipped kitchen!
About 25,000 yen a night, sleeps up to 8
It even had the all-important washlet toilet
Unlike a hotel, no cleaning lady comes every day — but it seemed nice
A kitchen where you can cook hairy crab — perfect!
The nighttime atmosphere was on point too
Airbnb isn't just cheaper than a hotel — it feels freer and closer to a training-camp mood, so I think it brought the staff closer together too. I'd recommend it for short stays with a small group. But do communicate with the host in advance — that matters!
Once we'd dropped our bags at the lodging — \ time for The Shanghai Evening Adventure! /
This time our lodging was in the Jing'an Temple area of central Shanghai. The Nanjing Road shopping district — the most famous among foreign visitors — grew up around Jing'an Temple, so the area is very convenient for getting around, shopping, and dining.
The Jing'an Temple area is also home to an actual Buddhist temple called Jing'an Temple. And this temple is something else — it's been renovated in gold! First, take a look at the shots our staff captured.
Ashida photographing the temple while being stared down by a chauffeur driver
A pretty great shot! photo by Ashida
This one's not bad either! photo by Nakayama
Hmm — from here, some photos closer to the real thing that I found online!
Wow! images via flickr Jeremy Shih
Just as powerful as seeing it in person! images via flickr Sergey Sergeyev
Kūkai apparently visited here too, as a Japanese envoy to Tang China. images via flickr Olivier Moreillon
Now that we've covered the lodging and the Jing'an Temple area, next up is the food edition! What did we eat for our late-night meal right after arriving? Could it be you order by QR code there too?! How did we cook and eat the hairy crab? And of course, you've got to try the local Shanghai food! Oh — and we even got to eat authentic Shanghai cuisine at a restaurant that's notoriously hard to book! I even made friends with a Chinese stranger at a bar!
\ Enjoy the food edition! /
Koizumi and Ashida heading to a late-night meal, strolling through Shanghai at midnight