Japanese movement

VANCOUVER – I always heard watch companies bragging of “Swiss technology” when they refer to their product. Swiss watches are known to be precise.

And expensive.

But lately, I’ve been hearing watch sellers say “Japanese movement” when they refer to the precision of their watches. With reason. The Japanese, for one, are among the most punctual people on earth. Not only that, they have a reputation for working fast. Surely, their watches have to tell the precise time.

One joke was that the Japanese wanted a new car that carried a German name so it could compete with European cars in the world market. The Japanese told the German designers that the new prototype was conceptualized and built in a record time of two weeks. “Ach my goodness,” exclaimed the Germans, “Datsun?”

We had a glimpse of “Japanese movement” when our PAL non-stop flight from Manila to Vancouver made an unscheduled stop at the Kansai airport in Osaka last night for a medical emergency.

We first had an inkling that something was amiss when, about one hour and a half after takeoff, we heard the pilot ask if there was a doctor on board our Airbus A340-300.  Our stewardess informed us that because there were no doctors or nurses on board the plane (or maybe no one just  dared to come forward for fear of a lawsuit should things go wrong), the  pilot was weighing the pros and cons of turning back to Manila or diverting  the flight to the nearest airport.

About 30 minutes later, the pilot informed us that we were to land at the Kansai International Airport for a medical emergency.

We got there about 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Philippine time) and we could see the waiting ambulances with lights flashing below us. The moment the door opened, an entire Japanese crew climbed on board. We counted two doctors, two nurses, one interpreter, four orderlies, one airline staff, two airport staff, one crime scene investigator and other personnel whose uniforms we could not make out. We counted 18 in all.

They did their job quietly, swiftly and promptly. They had the patient outside the aircraft in no time.

The patient, an 89-year-old Filipino woman, and her companion, had to be left behind for treatment of what seemed like a terrible case of upset stomach. In the meantime, the Japanese airport crew swiftly fueled the plane up and helped prepare a new flight plan and new papers to enable us to proceed immediately to Vancouver in less than two hours.

As we were leaving the airport, we saw the three-man towing crew stand  at attention in a straight line in the middle of the dark runway beside  the aircraft, take a bow and wave continuously until we could no longer see them.

That left a good impression on Irma and me about the way the Japanese do things. I’m sure the same thing is done in other countries and airports but what made that experience special for me was that I had just bought a “Japanese movement” watch before leaving Manila.

If that example of “Japanese movement” at the Osaka International  Airport was anything to go by, I’m sure this watch will serve me well for  many years to come, regardless of the brand and regardless of whether this  was made in Japan, Switzerland or in the sweatshops of Thailand.*

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