Tim Cook is touring Apple Stores and meeting users in Japan
Tim Cook visiting Tokyo's Apple Ginza,the first Apple Store opened outside the US (Source: Twitter)
Tim Cook is in Tokyo, Japan, for a series of meetings that has seen him visiting, and tweeting about, local app developers, suppliers -- and restaurants.
"Hello Tokyo!" he tweeted as he arrived on December 8. "It's wonderful to be back in Japan!"
Tokyo is 17 hours ahead of Cupertino, California, so Cook arrived mid-afternoon local time, and within two hours, he was at Apple Store Omotesando to meet local developers.
What a treat to reunite with Masako san and Hikari san, some of our imaginative developers who prove that no matter your age, coding opens up new opportunities to follow your dreams! Wonderful to see you at Apple Omotesando! pic.twitter.com/YAr4M6jSXw
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
Cook spent his first evening in Tokyo with Japanese musician and actor Gen Hoshino at an Izakaya, a type of bar restaurant that serves small meals.
Wowed by the many talents of Gen @gen_senden. Thanks for showing me how you bring your creative vision to life in the studio. Loved the izakaya too! Have a great show tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/Seqzd9Pkme
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
Midmorning on December 9, Tim Cook moved on to see how Apple products are being used at the Keio University School of Medicine. This is a 100-year-old medical school which in 2015 was the first in Japan to use iPhone-aided clinical research.
Technology is pushing the boundaries of healthcare, enabling innovations and discoveries at a pace weve never seen before. It's amazing how Dr. Kimura and experts at Keio University School of Medicine use Apple Watch and CareKit to help patients better understand their health. pic.twitter.com/ssqNurYJ6T
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
He then went quickly on to see the developers of TimeTree, an app for sharing calendars across families and friends.
Cook reports that the app has millions of users worldwide -- and singled out how it uses Sign in With Apple.
Impressed with how @TimeTreeApp_jp helps millions of customers around the world manage their busy lives. Great to see you're using Sign in with Apple-- so important when you have sensitive information in your calendar like where your loved ones are. And that Dark Mode looks great! pic.twitter.com/PdV3nOgrjO
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
Cook then went on to meet what appears to be a gathering of all local Apple employees, to whom he tweeted thanks in Japanese.
It's always wonderful to be with our Apple family in Tokyo! pic.twitter.com/efpJ2M3jXa
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
According to his tweets, Cook next visited Apple Store Marunouchi in east Tokyo, where he took part in a Today at Apple session. He joined children of the Rikkyo Primary School, from Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.
His tweet about them was posted shortly before the store's official closing time mid-evening, so it's most likely that the primary school session was some hours before. Neither Cook nor Apple have commented on his itinerary for the trip.
Coding is one of the most important skills you can learn. Loved celebrating Computer Science Education Week with students from Rikkyo Primary School at Apple Marunouchi! #TodayatApple pic.twitter.com/lBv78PRGxk
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
Cook's next reported stop was on the morning of December 10, when he visited the factories of Seiko Advance. This an Apple supplier that works on the colors of the iPhone.
Seiko Advance is a great example of our invaluable suppliers here in Japan. Thanks to their craftsmanship and attention to detail, the gorgeous colors of iPhone 11 Pro really come to life! pic.twitter.com/PFEuXo7Fy0
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
At lunch time, Cook met with film director Shinji Higuchi at the TOHO production company to see how he's filming on iPhone.
TOHO Co. has been on the cutting edge of special effects for decades. Amazing to meet Shinji Higuchi san and learn how he uses iPhone 11 Pro Max to bring his creative vision to the screen. Can't wait for the world to see Shin Ultraman! pic.twitter.com/OFF6VEWT9q
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
Shortly afterwards, he met with MistWalker Corp, a games developer, where he was shown a preview of its forthcoming Fantasian title. The company says the game is a mixture of "handcrafted dioramaos [and] 3D CGI," and that it will be an Apple Arcade exclusive.
Thanks to @mistwalker and the legendary Hironobu Sakaguchi san for the sneak peek of Fantasian. Games like this are exactly why we made @AppleArcade -- so the world's most creative developers can transport players into immersive new worlds. pic.twitter.com/is8eef9U4v
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
For what may be his last stop in Japan, Cook tweeted about visiting Apple Ginza, the very first Apple Store to be opened outside the United States. There are now nine Apple Stores in Japan, but the Ginza one was opened on November 30, 2003, just over two years from the first US site.
In its 16 years, the Ginza store has only made news for that opening and for a day in 2015 when it was forced to close over a bomb threat.
Our very first store outside of the US, Apple Ginza is always such a special place. Thanks for a wonderful visit! pic.twitter.com/h1ZLMhIpA5
-- Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
Once again, Cook or his team wrote part of the tweet in Japanese, this time saying "See you soon!"
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