Business Trip to Tokyo

After a whirlwind weekend of the 7s, I packed my bags and headed out on a red eye flight Sunday night, bound for Tokyo.  I was there for the week, touching down at 6:30 am Monday morning and flying out at 4:30pm Friday afternoon.

My red eye flight was harrowing, actually, because I forgot about the one hour time difference between Japan and Hong Kong, and how far away Narita airport is from the city center.  I basically needed every single thing to go right in order to make the meeting on time (and in Japan, that really means being there with a 10 minute cushion to ensure you really arrive on time) so it was nerve-wracking to say the least.

Thank goodness for the efficiency of the Hong Kong airport, Cathay's promptness, my APEC card, the efficiency of the Narita airport, the early hour, and the good traffic situation that morning.

We had a great bunch of meetings and every day was busy, tiring but productive and fun.  Some of the greatest joys I have in this profession at this point in my career is finding and connecting with kind, interesting, fun and nice colleagues and clients.

I had also forgotten how much I love Japan.  How lucky am I that I got to be there during sakura season.

In my spare moments between meetings and emails I managed to make it out to Otemesando to check out some stellar vintage stores (the Chanel bags on offer at Amore Vintage, omg) and the huge Toy Park store in Ginza near Shimbashi train stop.  I also went to a sushi restaurant at Tsukiji fish market at night.  I hadn't realized that they had moved the fish market out of the city center.  Contrasting the empty, somewhat desolate and depressed version of the fish market today with the heaving, bustling and frenetic pace of the market from 2007 when I first (and last) visited, I was moved by a bittersweet sense of the passage of time and how fleeting things can be. It makes our memories and part experiences so valuable, and sometimes all that we have!

I flew home Friday afternoon and was so eager to reconnect with Michael and the kids.  It has been a hard slog with how much travel I have been doing lately, and I am so appreciative of how the kids have been resilient and Michael and our staff have been able to keep our household going.