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So, so-long Tokyo. Thanks to the great team who worked so hard over two days. Work those action plans, guys! I shall miss: the world's best sticky white rice; politeness; ritual; great time-keeping; technology embedded in everything; sing-song latte orders in Starbucks; great note-books and pens; amongst a lot else.
..in local cafe prepping for meetings..English language lesson happening at next table..overheard: ".. a very useful English verb is 'to bear up'.."..Jeez what do they think of us?!
Everybody is happy: the sun is out again...day 1 of my simultaneous translation workshop (I work in English-they via their headsets-hear it in Japanese) went well...Ginza shops are extraordinarily expensive...there's no recession here yet...in Starbucks at 0700 this morning: me (prepping for my work-shop), two business men asleep head in arms, one lady knitting...just as Guinness is best in Dublin, plain boiled rice really is pretty good here...no sign of Mount Fuji this visit though, yet.
Back in Tokyo. Weather cool and wet and cultural change remains tricky. A lot of press and TV coverage over increasing anguish over the behaviour of 'the young': using mobile phones on the train, not respecting elders etc. Starbucks Japan launches a new beverage: Coffee Jelly. Now that is a cool name. FT Tokyo claims 'Europeans' have until recently been insulated from the recession. Well, I'm not sure that is fully true but certainly this week-end has been a crunch one with the staggering news on what is happening in the housing market.
..where the bicycle system just WORKS. How did they do it? They gave it attention.
..is that you can walk on the beach, watch the sun-rise, get a short latte at Starbucks (opens 0500) and write a chapter of your thriller (the one where he finally discovers she's been deceiving him all along) and look up and find its only 0900. Cool.
..Santa Monica in fact, California. Weather is warm and sunny which is a very pleasant change after the sleet of London.
where after a chaotic Heathrow things are running like clock-work. Cool.
Back in Toronto where there has been fresh snow over-night: the countryside looks glorious even if the ever dramatic city is now looking a lttle messy. Next time you are there, visit The Old Distillery area: after the hi-tech of the city it's a great place to wander-especially in the snow.
A day or two in Melbourne on the way to Sydney for a project. Weather beautiful and a very "european' feel to the city with its strong cafe life. Love the architecture of the new railway station. Wow!
