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Many years ago, I watched a commercial of Japan Airlines that left a lasting impression on me. The commercial portraits a sushi chef at a typical Kaitenzushi. He stands behind a wooden counter in his starched clean uniform, where a sushi belt is moving with interval of empty plates. What stands out from this scene is that there’s a scale placed underneath each plate. The sushi chef slices a piece of tuna with precision, cradles it in one palm, and molds rice with the other hand, covering the rice with the tuna, finally, he places it on the plate. Every time, the scale reads “27g”. A line of caption appeared on the screen: “Precision is in our culture.”
Back then, it was only the second year since I started LOCK CHUCK COFFEE. My obsession for discovering the wonders of different cultures led me to fly overseas almost every other month. While my visits to other destinations became a routine, trips to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto never failed to put me in awe. Embedded in the DNA of Japanese culture, Omotenashi, refers to hospitality. I was deeply impressed by the impeccably clean toilets, the sophisticated packaging of sweets, the gracious farewells given to the customers with a bow expressing gratitude by the staff, and the eagerness of ground crews who run around assisting last-minute passengers at the airports. It seems that the more I experienced, the more I felt loved, and the more I am willing to devote myself in this industry. Despite having no prior professional training in hospitality, I have learnt valuable lessons from Japan. And the sushi commercial of Japan Airlines, was one of my mentors.
The anticipation of further exploring Japanese culture led my frequent flights with Japan Airlines, as the cabin itself already brings me to a hospitality wonderland even before my feet touched Japanese soil.
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My enthusiasm for exploring and re-presenting the culture wonders has introduced me to many good friends, among them is Riitta from Finland. Our shared appreciation of wandering in other’s travel tales forged a stronger rapport between us. Riitta told me about her enthusiasm in cultural connections and hospitality. As a professional in employee training for Finnair, she travelled the world to ensure that all Finnair crews understand and represent the essence of Finnish hospitality.
I first met Riitta when she visited to Guangzhou to see her husband, who was a visiting professor here at the time. My first impression of Riitta was that she has such an adventurous spirit as she prefers to explore the neighborhoods on foot, driven by curiosity. For the same reason, she stumbled upon our coffee shop, and it was our freshly brewed coffee that made her fall in love with the city even more. Coincidentally, the coffee we serve, Irving Farm, was also a coffee house that she loves during her visits to New York. Riitta came to see us almost every day during her stay in Guangzhou, and I couldn’t help to compliment her elegance and her taste in accessories. “I’ve never seen a same earring on you. I bet you have quite a selection, they complement you so well!.” I said.
“Thank you! I am glad you noticed them, I really do. You know, I love travelling so much, and fortunate enough that my job offers me this opportunity to fly everywhere. I keep track of my journeys with different earrings I find in each city that I go to. These green ones, for instance, I got them at a flea market in Milan.”
Prior to leaving Guangzhou after her short visit, Riitta came to me and asked if I could help her source a clay pot, the kind used by chefs in Cantonese restaurants. Despite being thousands away from home, Riitta has become fond of the city. Must like the earrings that she collected during her travels in Italy, her Chinese clay pot served as a memory lane to the city whenever she longed for it. 、The following Christmas, Ritta returned with a suitcase filled with presents from Marimekko, one of the traditional Finnish brands. As we exchanged stories, Riitta excitedly told me about an interesting collaboration between Finnair and Marimekko. “In Finnair, we are proud to showcase the Finnish cultures and heritage in our cabins with travellers. Every household in Finland owns a Marimekko.”She paused for a moment, “Marimekko is a staple in Finns, you know.”
Our conversation naturally flowed into a discussion regarding the importance of cultural representation during travellers’ journey experience. I told her that I was very much inspired by the Japanese hospitality, and it was all started with my experiences with Japan Airlines. This dialogue led us to praise about the parallels Finnair and Japan Airlines, both belonging to the same esteemed alliance group. As we dived deeper into the conversation, we highlighted how these
creative partnerships had provided travellers a more immersive and authentic travel experience, celebrated the beauty of each destination, and built a deeper connection between travellers and the cultures they are about to experience. Doesn’t this echo with my earlier sentiment about a journey begins as soon as you step on board?
“You taste Japan when you fly with Japan Airlines. You taste Finland when you fly with us.” Riitta invited me to visit Finland and wishing me a Merry Christmas.
In that moment, I realized that Riitta had sparked my newfound interest in Finland – She opened the door for me to experience the charm of Finnish style.
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Learning from Japan for over 8 years, its essence is entangled within every detail of LOCK CHUCK. The core values and characteristics we looked up to have gradually become part of us.
When I was in Tokyo, I was attracted by a series of billboards in Harajuku, featuring Beams’ latest advertisement for their publication “What’s Next? Tokyo Culture Story.” Beams, a pioneer in the fashion world, has influenced generations with their sense of aesthetics. Approaching their 40th anniversary, they asked the question, “What’s Next?”
Intrigued by Beam’s question, I couldn’t help but reflect on the lessons I’ve learned from Japan Airlines.
After three years of travel restrictions, I finally had my long-awaited reunion with New York last September. Holding the ticket, with “Flight JL001” printed, has filled me with overwhelming excitement. As I stood at the boarding gate, I was welcomed by a warmly smiling crew member who handed me a printed brochure. The cover proudly displayed the title “Commemorative Boarding Certificate”. “Interesting,” I thought.
As I flipped through its pages and soon realized that my upcoming flight was no ordinary journey. It was a special challenge flight that offered an immersive experience as “Travel to a Sustainable Future”. Japan Airlines not only emphasizes the importance of achieving sustainable flights and outlining the steps they were taking on board, but they also address the significant challenges that they faced in their quest to reach the goal of achieving net zero CO2 emissions. This certificate was a ticket for me to join in a collective effort and to inspire optimism about their future sustainability endeavors.
This experience made me realize that, in the realm of aviation and environmental consciousness, Japan Airlines is venturing into the uncharted horizons. Once again, I found inspirations in their commitment to go above and beyond excellence and to navigate these new frontiers.
As we reflect on our 8-year journey of sharing stories of cultural connections, we ponder, what challenges are awaiting ahead for us?
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New York has never failed us. It always provides the answers I was seeking.
I came across a vintage poster shop in West Village, run by an owner who had dedicated 43 years to curate this incredible poster collection. It was a tough choice to purchase only one piece, let’s be honest, it’s like choosing a favourite artwork at the MoMA.
As I was browsing, I was mentioning to the owner regarding my experience flying with Japan Airlines to New York. The owner, was intrigued. “You said you flew with Japan Airlines to New York? I have one poster that you may be interested in. ”
The owner then pulled out a vintage poster of a cutaway view of a JAL 747 model from the 1970s. “Flying back then was a symbol of luxury and glory. Can you see here, there’s a lounge above the pilot cockpit. For sure, travelling is a lot easier now. But I always admire the dedication that humans have to explore and exceed the boundaries of distance and time.”
“I will get this.” I said without any hesitation, staring at the poster without noticing another group of customers coming in. One of the ladies asked me about my selection, and I shared with her I like to bring posters from my journeys back to the coffee shop in Guangzhou, China.
“Wait, is that for LOCK CHUCK COFFEE?”
Surprised and thrilled, I responded: “How did you know? Have you been there? When was it?”
“In 2015,” the lady replied with a smile.
“That’s the very first year we opened!” I couldn’t hide my amazement and my voice was trembling, “What a coincidence!”
She chuckled, “I was with my family and we spent one month in Guangzhou. I remember visiting the coffee shop! Wow, it is such as small world!”
And just like that, the fact that our paths had crossed years ago at LOCK CHUCK left me in awe of the small wonderful world that we live in.
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LOCK CHUCK’s story is one exploring and re-presenting the wonder of various cultures. Our journey, since the beginning, has been defined by meaningful connections that transcend physical boundaries.
Flying with Japan Airlines, who has become our mentor and source of inspiration, has made us realize our shared dedication to cultural connections, excellence and eagerness to take on challenges. We are, therefore, more than determined to embark on new adventures, and as always, to go for our “What’s next” in cities like New York, Tokyo, Helsinki, and beyond – each of which has inspired us in their unique way. All that we do, is in the pursuit of celebrating these beautiful and meaningful connections.
In this multi-cities celebrations, we are embracing the theme of “Roaming Duet”, representing our constant quest for collaborations and dedication to building these beautiful connections.
The celebrations begin from LOCK CHUCK. And the first featured talent in this symphony is Sanhuang Xu, a local paper artist.
“I grew up in a rural area, and dinners were always served under the stars and moonlights. I therefore have formed a deep connection to nature. My dream is to set up a wood studio because wood gives me great comfort and inspiration. But as an independent artist, the dream seems a bit luxury for now. Then I began channelling my passion to paper, as they were from very the soul of trees. Paper also allows me to express my ideas and to challenge myself.”
Sanhuang takes the inspiration from kites and adorns our shop with a special installation. “Dreams are infinite. And I believe that kites are one of the very first forms we humans dream to fly, to explore, and to push the limit of imagination.” Rather than showing in a traditional white box, Sanhuang challenges herself in the process, creating interactive experiences between herself and the customers.
We invite you to LOCK CHUCK, where we start the journey of “Roaming Duet”, alongside with us and the talented individuals like Sanhuang, the local paper artist, and Kenpe, a self-trained manga artist, who will be hosting manga workshps. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and updates.
Be part of this creative choir and experience the magic of LOCK CHUCK’s duet. Let’s celebrate the passion and courage that bring us forward on this ever-lasting journey.
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