Hey-yo from Tokyo

Got very bizy sleeping hard in biz class from Jakarta to Tokyo—a solid 6 hours or so, then awoke to see a beautiful sunrise over the pacific (I think), then on in to Tokyo. Flight not nearly as bumpy as that to Jakarta, thankfully. The cab to the hotel was the reality-check reminder that this place ain’t cheap; 22,000 yen from Narita Airport to the Westin Tokyo….that’s over $200 to you and me! Checked in right at 10a then, since I’m not on the clock again until 3:30, dumped my gear and headed right back out to Harajuku and the spectacle that is Takeshita Dori. Bobbi and I were here in May when the place was in full swing—a warm Spring day, and the punked-out-schoolgirl thing is pretty fun to see (check the pics from that trip), but on the slightly chilly and overcast Thursday in Autumn, not so much with that scene. But there were still lots of schoolkids on class breaks (I guess) hitting the shops and the McDonald’s. I popped in to this cool eyeglass store that we found back in May, and proceeded to do the exact same thing I did last time; spent an hour trying on all the bizarro frames they had, then walked out with nothing. Oh, I could have gone überfashionista big time, but it just didn’t feel right (especially since Bobbi and I both just got new glasses in Paris 6 weeks ago, and that’s when it struck me, again; this is the second round-the-world trip in as many months, which is just crazy. KRAZY!!). Walked all around the Harajuku area, hitting a few shops to see all the fun items, and enjoying the ability to use my iPhone as a wifi device (I popped out the SIM card from my iPhone and placed it in the combo 3G/GSM unlocked Motorola phone I got off eBay, which one needs if one wishes to use a mobile phone here that thinks it’s your regular mobile #). There I was, strolling about, sending and receiving emails from Bobbi, compliments of all the free wifi hotspots that are, like, EVERYwhere in the area, and all over Tokyo in fact. Then it was back to the hotel to grab my gear and off to shoot some b-roll….right back at Harajuku. But by the time we got there a slight sprinkle was happening, so not so much with the exterior shots (until later, when the rain stopped and the pavement, acting like a black mirror, made the neon-drenched streets look veeeery cool). Got back to the Westin and my grand plans to go right back out, to Ginza this time, were thwarted by an urgent need to consume a lot of the pepto bismol I cleverly brought with me. I think it was the spicy lunch I had at the little Chinese place (I know, I know) across from Harajuku Station. OK then, plan B—put all batteries on charge and hit the sack early.

TKO Day 2 was actually, amazingly, a normal-type business day. We alighted from the hotel for the Motorola offices at 8:30am, shot our interviews and a some b-roll (with a fish and chips lunchbreak at an English Pub place on the ground floor of the ThinkPark building where we were), then it was back in a cab for the hotel about 5:30pm. As my client Bethany raced through some emails to India in her room, I hit the hotel’s humidor for a delicious, authentically-Cuban Monte Christo, then on into The Bar to enjoy it and a few fantastic glasses of my favorite bourbon, Blanton’s. It’s a small-batch, single barrel Kentucky bourbon that is just soooooo smoothe. More like a cognac than a bourbon. Anyway, after Bethany came down we were off to Ginza for a walkabout, a visit to the Apple Store for supplies, into a few shops, then down to the matter at hand; sushi. Back in May, Bobbi found this delightful sushi place for us, and so that’s where I took Bethany for a Thanks For The Gig dinner….and it didn’t disappoint. I know some who are reading this view sushi as expensive bait (hi Mom), but this stuff was sooo tasty and fresh. And, as before, when Bobbi and I were there, Bethany and I were the only foreigners in the place, so you know it gotta be good.

And now it’s Saturday the 3rd of November, Bethany heads back to the US and I go onwards to work with her colleagues. Most of my day has been spent in an airplane—from Tokyo to Delhi (and then on into Mumbai later this evening). We took off and, once above the clouds, there was Mount Fuji, like a postcard. Across Southern Japan, then across the East China Sea, then directly over Shanghai, which looked amazing (bright sunny day and a crystal clear view of the city). Very bumpy across most of China, then it chilled out as we approached and crossed Bangledesh. Now we’re descending into Indira Ghandi International, and I’m being very politely encouraged to wrap it up. Back ‘atcha soon with the report from Mumbai!