Tim Cook visited Japan

All at sudden, on October 13th morning, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, tweeted “Ohayo gozaimasu!” in Japan.

It was for the first time for Cook to visit Japan as the CEO of Apple. And this journey had been kept secret. He visited four cities in Japan, Kyoto, Tokyo, Saitama, and Sendai, in the three days of staying.

In Kyoto, Cook went to the main building of Nintendo. He played Super Mario Run iPhone version, which is planned to be released in this December. He made a conference with Miyamoto Shigeru, a creative fellow of Nintendo.

9to5Mac: Apple CEO Tim Cook visits with Nintendo executives during trip to Japan this week

Tech Times: Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto During Japan Trip, Tries Out 'Super Mario Run' For iOS

Then, Cook moved to Shinjuku. He used Apple Pay to ride on the train. And he visited Apple Store at Omote-Sandoh.

The next day, Cook met Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan. He approved the potential of young Japanese, according to the official announcement of the Prime Minister.

And the third day, Cook went to Sendai, to visit an Apple Store.

Cook’s secret visit had a strong impact on Japanese Apple lovers. However, I think there is scarce evidence that he was truly inspired in Japan. Steve Jobs is known as a Zen adept. But I am doubtful that Cook is so impressed in the Japanese mind.

To be honest, I am not interested in Cook’s concern about Japan. It is certain that Apple has become more focusing in Japan among the global market. The fact that iPhone 7 equips some features available in Japan indicates the importance of Japan for Apple marketing strategy. It is welcomed for many Japanese.

My past entry: iPhone 7 in Japan

Some people suggest Apple is planning to improve the performance of Siri and other Artificial Intelligence, and technology in Japan will help the process. I agree on this opinion to some extent. Some Japanese engineers are excellent to develop the newly algorithm. Also, the Japanese language is so complex that mastering Japanese means acquiring sophisticated skills of linguistic thinking.

Macworld: Tim Cook's Japan visit could result in superior Apple AI

I am not sure about the status of Japan regarding IT industry in future. It is true Japan has some unique characters which are hardly mimicked by foreign creators. And fusion of several cultures will make great value, like an iPhone.