Terribly Overdue Wrap-Up of Asia

I have to apologize to anyone who still happens to be paying attention to this blog -- this wrap-up of my trip to Asia is sorely overdue.

My previous post was written on our last day in Tokyo, with high hopes of more fun things to report after a night on the town. Sure enough, the evening did hold quite a bit of material for this forum.

But I don't remember any of it, so I'll skip to the summary of the entire trip. Overall, Hong Kong was definitely more appealing to me than Tokyo. It seemed much more accessible, both in terms of size and culture, and I just felt more comfortable there than I did in Tokyo. Language was definitely a problem in Japan, and the city itself was so enormous that I never felt part of it. I'm sure the fact that our stay was so brief didn't help.

Bottom line -- I would go back to Hong Kong in a heartbeat. Tokyo, I'm not so sure.

The journey back to the U.S. was uneventful (no running!) and it certainly is nice to be home. If you've never had the opportunity to be on the other side of the world, let me be the first to tell you that when you are, it FEELS like you're on the other side of the world. And it makes coming home that much sweeter.

Happy Buns

Hi, everyone. Greetings from Tokyo.

You might think that the subject line is referring to some sort of Japanese food, particularly given the focus of my previous posts. But this time, it's not food I'm focusing on. Oh, no. I'm talking about the greatest invention mankind has ever produced. The thing I will miss most when I return home. I'm talking about heated toilet seats.

That's right! I have happy buns because they're always WARM!

The first time I encountered this ingenious invention was in the Japan Airlines business lounge at the airport. I thought it was just a nice touch for weary travelers. But they're everywhere! My hotel room even has one. There's a bunch of other stuff built into it (it's called a "Shower Toilet") that I haven't used yet, but the bun warmer is all the technology I need. I love Japan.

We've been in meetings the whole time, so we haven't been out on the town except for dinner last night (which was 14 courses -- all very authentic Japanese food, including "sea foie gras" or fish liver). I'm looking forward to getting out this afternoon/evening to see the city and hopefully get material for a few more good stories before we leave. I really want to be able to tell my friend Michi what I think of her home country beyond just giving restaurant commentary. :)

More to follow, hopefully in a few hours!

Lori