This Go's Finale

The Japanese are INCREDIBLE hosts. Tonight was no exception. I enjoyed dinner with a handful of DRIVE Japan colleagues at Hayashi, a family-owned sumiyaki (charcoal-baked) restaurant in the heart of Akasaka.

Short story: it was fantastic. Best, however, is that Mr.Hayashi himself sat with us for our entire meal such that he could manage the charcoal and grilled items. The joy I felt reminded me of the importance of Mr.C's presence at Canlis and how guests would be amazed that the owner would seat or serve them; an owner's touch is priceless.

He & his wife have run Hayashi for 43 years; Mrs.Hayashi's modesty was on parade when I asked her for a photo: she giggled like a school girl. I eat that stuff up. I'm terrible!

Bottomline, another excellent Japanese adventure comes to a close after an awesome week of training (Thanks, Hillary, Justin, Chris!), nutty travels to Seoul, reminders of how graceful this country is... and how lucky I am to get to experience it with frequency.