Hello from Japan

I'm currently in Japan on business and riding the bullet train. Haven't gotten up to speed yet but this thing is smooth and quiet. Had to take the standard "nuts to butts" (as my coworker called it) train to get to this one though. It made me really miss my car. I'm glad I am not clostrophobic or afraid of crowds. But I still couldn't do that every day. Very different over here. It is making me more aware of what my colleagues are experiencing when they visit our office in the states though. Only 9 days till I'm home.

Have fun! That's one place I would love to visit. I had a friend who lived there for about 9 years, and I missed out on going while he was there - the culture shock coming back was bigger than when he went.

Hey I just left there! Also my first trip and also for business. Where are you? It was never on my list of places to visit but now that I have been I see the attraction. Certainly got tired of octopus tentacle in broth and boiled squid head though.

"Mr. Martin, challenge food?"

Sure whatever. Only a few days.....

I do like Japanese beer though.

Where in Japan?

Kawasaki, Sagami, Fukushima (today), and Tokachi in Hokaido next week.

Wow! I've always wanted to visit Japan but have never been. My grandmother is Japanese and I always thought it'd be cool to see her old stomping grounds.

I stayed two nights with a business associate. He lives in a a 350 year old farm house, and he is the 13th generation of his family to live there. He has commuted 2.5 hours each way to work for 40 years.

In reply to PMRacing:

Ha I only spent a few hours in the Tokyo airport on the way back and forth to Suzhou Jiangsu PRC. Actually had a train ride during the early part of Chinese new year which was crazy as apparently our tickets meant we could get into the terminal but we had to push our way onto the actual train and claim our space. I agree with the comments about getting perspective of how international business visitors feel coming to the US. Just offering to help them find dinner, as in their comfort food, can be a big deal. Or realizing they have only driven on city streets at less than 60 kph the few times they have actually driven a car.

ENJOY sounds like all the best places to visit, I hope you get to see more than your workplaces though.

My son is a huge Godzilla fan, say hello if you see him. (Godzilla, not my son. It would be weird if my sone was in Japan!)

Ring me back a BG chassis GTR or a NA miata clubCoupe and we'll be best friends.

Fukushima? No thanks! Isn't that place still glowing?

Just back from a week around Japan. It's a beautiful country with great food and great people. The insane schedule folks work is tough to get used to but great folks. The train system is nuts.

In reply to AngryCorvair:

I'm not going to need a flash light for a while.

I think we were far enough away from the nuke plant that we were safe. We'll see if I get pulled in by TSA due to setting off the radiation scanners when I return next week.

I have now driven an MR-S and a R33 Skyline on a circuit. Film at 11...or when i can upload with a good connection.

PMRacing wrote: It is making me more aware of what my colleagues are experiencing when they visit our office in the states though. Only 9 days till I'm home.

When I worked for a Japanese owned company getting sent to the states for an extended time was seen as better then a promotion. We corrupted so many of the main office that they stopped sending them as they all tried to move to the states after their time here.

And then we went to traitonal hot springs after the track. NO pictures. It was....awkward. Felt like a Seinfield episode.