It's (still) a Small World afterall!

A couple of things to report from the world of MSN Japan:

Small World
I met with the MSN Japan project team launching DRIVE on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Today I met with the MSN Korea team who are charged with the same feat. It turns out, the world is still small.

One of the guys working on the DRIVE Japan launch is Hirotashi Sakashita. He did an internship with DRIVE when we first launched in the US. We worked together four years ago!

Today, I started talking to the MSN Korea Director of Product Marketing and Seattle came up... go figure. I asked how often he gets to the NW -- he gets there frequently and said he enjoyed living there during Business School. Oh? Avid Reader, Keun Wook (aka Chris) Jung is a UW MBA Class of 1999 grad! We were in school together (I was Class of 2000). Craziness and brilliant altogether!

So, even 1/2 world away, I have a history with both of the guys launching DRIVEpm in Japan and Korea, respectively. Unbelievable!

MSN Japan Office
More on the interesting things about the Japan office (see Toilet Control Panel entry). Turns out, each floor has a smoking nook! It's glassed off in the common area around the restooms/elevators, but it's there. You wouldn't know from the smell of smoke because folks go in, stand around a table vacuum, and enjoy a nicotine hit!

Of course, I just had to get a photo. Stephen thought me ridiculous (and has effectively nicknamed me "Howdy-Doody" -- should I be upset?), but you have to see it to believe it!

In addition, you can see into Jingu Gaien from the office -- the private residences of the Japanese Royal Families! Looking at them, they're modest (though large) homes. Turns out, the grounds are completely private and even disallow flight paths overhead for security purposes.

Funny that we could look right on to them and a good, solid rock chuck across the street from the rooftop would certainly break the solar panels on the Uncle Kim's home!