Touchdown in Tokyo

As Optician waited for the 31st edition of the International Optics Fair Tokyo (IOFT) to open, it was struck by just how many delegates were there in anticipation of the ribbon cutting ceremony.

A crowd of up to 500 people had congregated in front of a large stage and with a live band providing the cabaret-style soundtrack, the great and the good of Japanese optics were ushered on to the stage while the throng of delegates showed their appreciation.

It was a slightly surreal, but positive experience. Here there was a crowd of professionals from Japan and beyond that had made their way to a trade show before it had opened to show their respect to prominent figures within Japan’s optical associations. It is something that would not happen anywhere else in the world and the pomp and pageantry set the tone for the event.