Really Really Pooped Kahunas

Kinda feeling like a band on tour here—breakfast in the room, then off on multiple, long cab rides, seeing a lot and meeting a lot of very nice and helpful people, now back in the room with room service and just as pooped as we can be. Our first jaunt was to Ayase, outside of Tokyo, and a visit with some cool automotive interior design people. They design, prototype, and build car seats here. Sounds not so sexy, but the whole process and the care they put into it throughout is pretty amazing. Plus—who likes an uncomfortable car seat? Not me. And…could EVERYone be nicer and more accomodating? Even the cab driver who got lost more than once as he brought us back into Tokyo for the 2nd part of our shoot? Nope…even after I asked him, in Japanese, if we were far from our location (I dig the phrase book). We noticed that school was in full swing…lots of kids in uniforms with the internationally-recognized expressions of resignation on their faces. Part 2 of our day was a visit with the folks from Johnson Controls who are the carriers of the original torch of JCI---building systems and controls. These are the people who make sure buildings are comfortable and safe and efficient, through hardware and software they develop, as well as through remote facility management. Push a button and watch the AC click off in an empty building across town—and see the happy building owner’s face. Again, not so sexy, but when you’ve been in hot or dim or elevator-challenged buildings, you sort of appreciate what they do. But again, now we’re back in the room, ingesting the day’s images and footage, as well as some miso soup and donburi dishes (Japanese rice bowl type meals) and it’s all looking and tasting fine. Tomorrow it’s up early and back to the airport for the four-hour flight to Beijing, where we hit the ground running and settle back as the amazing Mr. Yin, Beijing driver extraordinaire, makes it possible for us to do our jobs.