I've spent the last two days on official work on Tokyo and it's been a bit exhausting. Dinner almost immediately after arriving at the hotel. It was a gathering of leaders from my firm from around Asia and it represented another reminder of how fortunately I am to be in the business I'm in, communications, and to be working for the firm I do. It was and is a truly remarkable group of people.
Our President of China was honored for his recent engagement to be married. In his remarks, after being introduced as a poet, he reminisced about his friendship with beat poet, Allan Ginsburg. Apparently, Ginsburg struck up a friendship with him during a visit in which my colleague was his translator in a visit to China. Ginsburg made some controversial comments and was extremely impressed when his translator accurately translated them. This was at a time when doing so came at some political risk for my colleague. He was and continues to be a very principled man and we are lucky to have him in the firm.
For dinner, we had something called Shabu Shabu. They set a pot of water on a hot plate in front of you. Then they bring a bowl of vegatables, which are dumped into the boiling water. Then comes thin sliced beef, which you are instructed to swish in the boiling vegetable broth only long enough to say the words "shabu, shabu." So, it's barely cooked, but delicious.
Yesterday, we had an all day session discussing business in the Asia region. Our program began with a professor who does a lot of TV commentary who was very critical of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). He said they had no agenda, just wanted to be loved by the people. The only thing that protects their political situation is the fact that the recently ousted Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are even more "stupid" than the incumbents.
I got back to the hotel at about 7 pm. Had room service dinner and went to bed. Up at 3:45 am.
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