We participated in the international eyewear exhibition "Vision Expo 2023" held in New York.

Hello

Eyeglasses/sunglasses brand from London

Unique and unique products centered around METRONOME®️

Online store selling eyewear

This is OKD from METRONOME-Tokyo.

This time it was held in New York, USA.

I participated in Vision Expo 2023.

I would like to write this as a business trip report.

Departure from Tokyo ~ Transit,

The process from arriving at the destination to returning home

I would like to write in as much detail as possible.

1) Departure

This time with Hawaiian Airlines

I arrived in New York via Hawaii.

Coronavirus restrictions in various countries, including Japan

Since the restrictions were eased and lifted, the number of people going to the airport has

It seems like there are quite a lot of them now.

Vaccination status at Haneda Airport

Surveys and local accommodation

After answering the questionnaire, we headed safely to the departure gate.

We arrived safely at our stopover in Hawaii.

Even if you go via Hawaii, you are still entering the United States.

Entry for business purposes is quite

Baggage was checked thoroughly.

When traveling to an exhibition, etc.

We will also be bringing in some eyewear as exhibits.

In principle, a declaration form called a Carnet is required.

You need to prepare it in advance.

*Depending on the strictness of on-site checks

Depending on the country, there are cases where it can be brought in without serious consequences.

It seems that there is, but if it is discovered that you have brought it in

If you fail to declare it, you will be fined.

Also,

Until a deposit is requested and paid

You may not be able to get your baggage back.

If you are traveling for business purposes

Do I need to apply for products or display samples?

I recommend you check it out and apply.

If you have a carnet

Is the luggage as declared in the Carnet?

You will be checked in both the country you are leaving from and the country you are leaving to.

*Even before leaving, in the country of origin

A carnet declaration is required.

The strictness of these checks varies from country to country.

It varies, but in the United States

It was checked thoroughly and carefully.

Of course, at customs and immigration

False declarations are absolutely prohibited.

Bringing in food is also strictly prohibited.

Any illegal items brought in will be confiscated.

It is not allowed to bring meat into the venue,

All food containing meat ingredients is prohibited.

Cup noodles containing meat extract are also not allowed.

Please be careful.

* "Aka-Kitsune" does not contain meat ingredients.

OK, but the green tanuki has meat extract.

It will be rejected because it contains

It is checked quite thoroughly.

2) Visiting Chinatown in Transit in Hawaii

The transit time on the outbound flight was about 7 hours.

To Chinatown for a meal

I went there by bus.

Is this an app specifically for buses in the US?

You can pay by cash.

For short stays, it is best to pay in cash.

At that time, a certain amount of one dollar bills and one dollar coins

It's a good idea to have it ready.

In America, buses are basically

I can't exchange money.

If there is a ticket machine nearby, you can use a $10 bill or

Credit cards may be accepted,

If you don't have any change, give up on the change and use a $5 bill or something.

You have to get on board.

In addition,

It's OK to pay for multiple people at once.

For example, $6 for two people in $5 and $1 bills.

It's OK to pay.

In Hawaii, bus routes are identified by their numbers.

Is this a bus going to where you want to go?

Check the guide display,

It's better to ask the bus driver directly before getting on.

I think there will be no mistakes.

Chinatown offers the Chinese food you expect

I was able to eat it.

Alcohol may not be served

If you still want to drink, go to a nearby liquor store.

You can purchase it and bring it into the store.

3) Entering New York

After transiting through Hawaii,

I left for New York.

I had already entered the country in Hawaii.

In New York, it was relatively smooth.

I was able to get to the exit.

I was feeling a bit hungry, so I went to a famous restaurant in the US.

Coffee and donuts at Dunkin' Donuts

I bought it and headed to the exhibition hall.

Take the train to Manhattan, New York

It is possible to travel, but if you have a lot of luggage

I think it would be better to use Uber or similar.

JFK to Manhattan

It takes about 1 to 2 hours depending on the traffic situation.

There are a lot of cars, especially in Manhattan.

You won't get caught in traffic jams except during off-peak hours.

It's almost certain.

When traveling by public bus

Arrival time may vary depending on traffic conditions.

As the rules change,

If there is, move early.

4) Exhibition

The New York exhibition venue

Just a short distance from the famous Times Square

It was the Javits Center.

As usual, eyewear brands from various countries

Optometry equipment manufacturers,

Or manufacturers of glasses-related goods, etc.

They were all gathered together.

The exhibition will run for three days.

Buyers come from all over the world

The most common were from New York.

It was the opticians.

The item that attracted particular attention this time was Trad®️

They tend to prefer relatively classical designs.

It seemed like there was.

Check out the flashy design of the METRONOME®️

There were many people who stopped me.

It seemed like most of the people who actually tried on the Trad®️ items were women's.

I felt that the tastes of each region were different.

From sharp to subdued designs

Because we have a wide range of brands,

Maybe it's something I could sense.

5) Living in New York

There are a lot of cars in New York,

Avoid traffic jams outside of peak hours

It would be impossible to move.

There are limitations to travelling by train

I have no choice but to take the bus.

Because there are places

It's really difficult to read the travel time.

Prices are also lower than the average in Japan.

I would say it's definitely high.

Bottled water costs around 300 yen at the cheapest.

Meals are cheap and cost around 1,500 yen.

(*When eating out)

Even if you cook at home, depending on the ingredients

In some cases, a pack of eggs can cost $6 to $7.

It was quite a headache.

During this business trip, our METRONOME team

I mainly tried to cook for myself.

Sometimes at a cheap Chinese restaurant near the inn.

Take out fried rice etc.

We all gathered around him.

I searched around here and found a reasonable

If you don't find a store, your stay in New York will be a disaster.

It's quite economically challenging.

It's mostly sunny during the trip.

The temperature was low and cold,

When it's sunny, there's the warmth of the sun.

It was a comfortable environment.

Tourists seem to be returning

There are many people on the streets,

The cafes and bars were also bustling.

In Manhattan, New York

By public transport such as buses and metro

Traveling is the most affordable option.

For buses, you can pay by cash or by purchasing a ticket in advance.

You can ride it.

Do you buy a metro ticket each time?

A deposit-based system called MetroCard

You can ride the train by purchasing a card.

6) Hawaii on the way back

Just like the outbound flight, the return flight also goes via Hawaii.

I have returned to Japan.

Hawaii is a popular tourist destination for Japanese people.

There are many explanations in Japanese

To begin with, there were many Japanese speakers.

The area around the airport in particular feels like a foreign country.

It was a strange environment that didn't exist before.

The longest line in Waikiki, Hawaii

The restaurant is Marugame Seimen.

More for vacation than tourist destination

I got the impression that it was a resort area.

Do I need to submit proof of vaccination when returning to Japan?

Receive a PCR test result on-site and receive a negative certificate

You must submit it.

As of March 2023, it is called Visit Japan Web.

Various documents available online on the website

You can submit in advance.

It takes time to review the documents

Please complete the procedures on this website before returning to your home country.

I recommend that you complete it.

All documents are ready and the planned return date and flight number are

If you already know, before you leave

You can also complete the procedure.

It's still not completely back to normal

Things are pretty much returning to normal.

However, when you're abroad you never know what's going to happen.

Make sure you are well prepared before you go out.

I would like to update again,

It was a quick report.

Well then.

OKD.