Got Some Seoul!

I got some Seoul! I was able to get some serious Seoul adventures in today, both as a part of work and just after!

Another busy day of meetings in the Microsoft Korea office, but for lunch, my colleagues and I trekked to the COEX Mall between my hotel and the office for Kraze Burger! After having stuffed myself silly on their basic cheeseburger, we wandered through the underground labyrinth that is the largest underground shopping center in Asia. It was especially fun to check out the Apple store-like phone/computer stores and all of their gadgets, including photos you could take that would then publish on the wall of the store! So cool.

After work, the team took me to Korean BBQ were I enjoyed house specialties like raw beef liver, raw prime steak, and steak tartare served with julienned cucumber and Asian pear (yes, that's raw ground beef). Of course, we drank that down with SoJu, a tasty little vice made from rice and tasting like sweet vodka. Deelish!

After dinner -- and repeated requests by the team to entertain more -- I said I was hoping to check out the stunning shrine near my hotel and retire somewhat early as I prepare to head back to Tokyo in the morning.

Avid Reader, though dark, Bongeunsa was INCREDIBLE. I may try to get back in the light of day to get more photos, but check out the link for some history and a few shots. I got the one above in the courtyard behind the main temple. All I could say, was 'WOAH' as I meandered the forested paths and saw a stunning garden, temple or view of the city. I also got to see a number of residents in prayer as well as the inside of a number of Buddhist shrines -- beautiful altogeter. With lanterns everywhere, it was like a carnival -- except completely silent, hundreds of years old, and with an unrivaled tranquility in the heart of a modern city.

Short story, I'm already looking forward to being back. An awesome two days of meetings as well as a taste of Seoul, literally.

And as for a couple of Seoul-ful shout-outs to friends around the world. Here's to Jace Paulson in the U.S.of.A. and to Brian Hennigan in the U.K.! I thought of each of you when I caught these visions today!

Alas, not so much Seoul...

Sadly, I don't have many adventures to report from South Korea... yet! Though truthfully, the clock may run out of time before I do!

I got in late Sunday night -- after having met a guy from Fall City on the bus to the hotel who worked with two of my old business school colleagues at Microsoft. SMALL WORLD. I went straight to work this morning, and got to take it some sights on my 10-minute walk to the office. What I have noticed is that Seoul is covered in public art. All over this hotel, in front of buildings, in lobbies, on random street walls, it's amazing the amount of art you can find in this city!

I was invited to join a staff celebration at a local Chinese restaurant this afternoon -- and enjoyed fried rice in black bean sauce... with metal chopsticks. Talk about slippery little suckers!

More meetings this afternoon, including coffee with the MSN Country Manager and a meeting with a local Korean advertising agency. Interestingly, I almost concentrated myself into a coma: Avid Reader, I honestly thought that if I concentrated hard enough, I would actually understand what everyone in the room was saying. A) I was wrong. B) I focused myself into a headache. Good times!

Tonight, the MSN team helping to launch DRIVE here took me to a stellar Thai restaurant (PARK Asian Cuisine Lounge) where we enjoyed a delicious meal of things like jasmine tea, shrimp crostini and crab curry. DEELISH! Very much a fusion restaurant, the music ranged from JW30 sountrack-inspired lounge music to that from India and even Michael Bolton. It was quite something!

I tried to hit the beautiful looking shrine across the street from the hotel tonight, but was turned away by the security guard who made an 'X' with his forearms indicating the place was closed. Of course, having DRIVE on my mind all day, I almost asked him if he was signing "supply and demand".

Yes, work dominates just now (as it probably should!).

Hakone (Ha-Ko-Nay)

Hello Avid Reader!

I'm writing from Narita International Airport, having just said farewell to my travel companions over the course of this past weekend. Flights to Detroit, LA, San Francisco and Seattle have all boarded. It's near empty here in the NWA Lounge and I'm already starting to feel sad. Why sad, you ask? I will tell you: because it means the official end of one of the most awesome adventures to date! Which also means, Avid Reader, that I'm ecstatic to have the chance to share it with you!!

Carrie, Lori, Patrick and I ventured to Hakone, Japan, this weekend to enjoy their world-famous natural hot springs at a traditional Japanese Inn. Sadly, I cannot tell you it's name for all I have is a receipt in Japanese characters. But in English, I have officially named it "The Shizzo"; Avid Reader, this place was definitely heaven on earth!

We arrived Saturday afternoon, left our shoes at the door along with all of our cares in the world, and entered another world altogether. Steaming hot baths, traditional Japenese cuisine, man-handling massages, incredible company, and lots of laughs and memories.

Our room for the weekend was a fully self-contained sanctuary, with our own private Japanese garden and view of the misty Hakone mountains. Our "room" was a shared one with a series of sliding doors for privacy, and started with a tabled dressed for afternoon tea. We then quicky dressed in our Japanese robes and trekked out to the natural hot springs.

Separated by gender for modesty, Patrick and I stripped buck and proceeded to scrub ourselves silly in the indoor hot spring area. It's quite an interesting process for anyone who has not had the privilege of enjoying a Turkish hamamm or Japanese spa... you grab your own personal stool, bucket, and scrub cloth and just go to town. At first, it's quite awkward soaping yourself up on a stool next to your buddy and in front of what could be an entire audience of other soakers, but after the first few minutes, it's all good!

After our first hot springs adventure, we made our way back to our room where massage beds were awaiting our weary bodies. I went first and had a 70-year-old Japanese man whose only words were "hardo? softo?". Upon selecting 'hardo', I proceeded to get full-on MANHANDLED. Seriously, Avid Reader, this man owned me, beat me, slapped me around, and thought he was going to get every knot -- present and future -- out of my body. Needless to say, it worked. In fact, I think he may have worked my bones into putty as I nearly couldn't walk when he was finished!

A traditional Japanese dinner followed all of our massages -- and we Americanized the night by enjoying many rounds of sake and beer, much to the delight of Masae, our personal server. A late night spa in the rain -- yes, more nekked scrubbing -- and much more Inn enjoyment wrapped up our evening.

This morning, we hit the spa again, enjoyed a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice, fish, squid and other delights, and then made our way back to Tokyo where they've now departed and I'm now reminiscing...

What an AWESOME weekend altogether, made so now that I've had the chance to recap it to you. And, made especially so having had the opportunity to spend it with somewhat old friends Carrie & Patrick and new friend, Lori Goode.

Off to Seoul, South Korea, here in about an hour. More adventures to come, I'm sure!

Tokyo Fish Market

What a crazy day already! It's 1:30PM here in Japan as I start this blog entry. My alarm went off at 4AM this morning!

I went with Microsoft & Atlas colleagues to the famous Tokyo Fish market this morning, which basically seemed like the middle of the night. As the vendors prepared their stalls, our goals was to stay out of the way of the hustle & bustle of their daily routine.

Having arrived at the Market at 5AM, we caught the Tuna Auction that started with a serious ringing of bells, then a NYSE-like exchange of shouts and hand signals by vendors securing their inventory for the morning. Our favorite auctioneer had a bit of a choreographed hop-step-jump that looked more Johnny Jump-Up than serious fish monger, but he was a fan favorite for a reason!

We then enjoyed walking through the maze of aisles -- think something 20x larger than Pike Place Market -- with stalls about 1/10 of the size. It was a serious market! While the smell could have been a bit more vanilla-scented for my taste, it was the most beautiful chaos I could imagine. There's something special about open markets; this was no exception. Rather, this may be what created the rule.

After the market visit, we stopped for a traditional sushi/beer breakfast at the locale that had the longest line... a true NYC move! The little place sat 12, so our 7 had a bit of a wait, but it was MORE than worth it! You would be amazed, Avid Reader, at the things I've been willing to put in my mouth. As such, I can offically say I'm not a fan of baby squid. The taste isn't so bad; the outer texture isn't either. It's the mealy middle that I don't love so much.


Bottom-line, yet another adventure had in Tokyo this morning. As I've always said, Avid Reader, these experiences wouldn't be adventures without someone to tell them to! Thanks for staying tuned so far!

Giant Pride!

We enjoyed a night at the Yomiuri Giants baseball game and let's just say it was a SPECTACLE! From the crowd chanting in unison for entire innings (home & away fans) to the entire level of "foods and goods" , to the beer stewardesses, a Japanese baseball game is definitely something to experience!

The game itself was something you are definitely familiar with, Avid Reader. However, the elements surrounding the game were so completely different that I don't know if I caught more than four batters. Not going to lie, I was mesmerized by the flourescent-clad snack and beer servers who walked up and down the aisles. They carried five-gallon beer kegs on their backs or toted the most unusual snacks, like "beer snacks"... or, more precisely, "beer snack-u" in Japanese.

Additionally, all of the stand vendors were women and all of the ticket takers and ushers were men. Interesting gender assignment. As mentioned, the aisle vendors wore the loudest flourescent outfits, perfectly coordinated from head to toe. And speaking of heads, they all wore their baseball caps bobby-pinned to their heads! Regardless of hair length or style, the Bobby Pin Effect was all the rage!

I've also noticed a theme emerging here in Japan on this trip -- this is a cash culture. Where have you heard this before, you ask? Well, you heard it not 24 hours ago in my subway adventure! Turns out, baseball games are no exception -- no debit/credit cards accepted ANYwhere! Worse, in as many retail opportunties as there were, there were also no ATMs anywhere in the stadium. I am not joking. Lesson: bring cash or get SQUAT.

The cab ride home with colleagues proved to be exciting as well, with trapses through Harijuku and Shinjuku -- both well-known fashion & shopping areas in Japan. It was certainly as "loud" as Times Square from a brightness perspective, but you wouldn't hear a car honking to save your life. Awesome.

4:30 adventures at the famous Tokyo fish market in the morning. CrAzY, I know, but why not?! And, Avid Reader, we just booked a Romatic Get-Away for four at some traditional Japanese Inn/Hot Spring outside of Tokyo. It was the only package we had left, so that will be the blog of a lifetime! More to come!

When in Japan...

Eat what the Japanese eat!

Tonight, the MSN Team launching DRIVE in Japan took me out to a famous restaurant that allegedly specializes in chicken dishes: Akasaka Umaya. However, we enjoyed the spectrum of specialties beyond chicken into some of the most interesting foods I've put in my mouth: basashi (raw horse meat) and manta ray (I'll call it fish jerky).

The restaurant is owned by a famous Japanese stage actor, so I had to get in my chops as well. It was a fun night where we renamed the Director of Ad Planning "Henry" as he wanted a more simple 'english' nickname (from Hidenari), watched the American eat nutty foods, and played the 'have-the-American-guess-what-we're-saying-by-our-body-language' game (note: Japanese don't gesture much, save to when Japense women giggle). In short, good times all around!

I'm back at the hotel now, having nearly fallen asleep at the end of dinner, but also having successfully navigated both the (packed!) subway home as well as the emergence from the subway system without having gotten lost. A good night indeed.

More to come, including photos and a Japanese baseball adventure tomorrow night!

2-hour Commute

Hello friends! I made it to the MSN office this morning... if you call noon the morning!

I got up early thinking I would start this trip off right -- owning my personal time to make me a more outstanding human being. This meant conversing with friends on IM, catching up on professional email, doing yoga with Rodney Yee, and commuting to the office by Tokyo Subway.


My plans were a bit foiled relative to Robert Yee EXHAUSTING me, a bloody nose striking in the shower, a cash-only subway ticketing system, and a trapse around Akasaka after a wrong turn out of the subway station!

Having brought my debit card culture with me to Tokyo, I merrily found the subway station full of confidence and a plan to get me from Tochomae to Aoyama-itchome on the Oedo Line, then transfer to the Ginza Line to Askasaka-mitsuke. Sadly, I couldn't even buy a ticket! The ticket vending machine - 100% in Japanese - owned me altogether. Thankfully, I won over the ticket agent who advised me that the system does not take credit cards. No Visa. No MasterCard. No American Express. I didn't leave home without it, nor was it everywhere I wanted to be. It was in my pocket and completely useless!

She directed me to the nearby government building in which there was a bank ATM on the first floor (note to self: self, "bank machine" does not translate in Japan; use "ATM"). Lovely ATM, I said. Hello beautiful!

Sadly, said ATM didn't work for VISA. Nor did it work for MasterCard. Nor did it accept American Express. DAMMIT!

Thwarted, I returned to the friendly ticket agent in the subway to see if there were monthly passes I could buy with a credit card. THERE WERE! Now that's being resourceful, I said to myself! Turns out, however, a monthly pass only to travel 1-4 subway stops would have cost me $117 USD! No amount of pleading with my boss would allow that to come through on an expense report. Next best option, head back to the hotel and ask the concierge to exhange currency.

Hello concierge, I said! Go to the post office, she said!

So, I trek out the building, to the left, in the building, down the escalator, around the corner behind the elevator... the post office! And indeed an ATM! And indeed an ATM that accepts my debit card. SUCCESS! Want to know what stinks about ATMs in Japan? You punch in 10,000 Yen and get one bill in return. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! For 10,000 Yen, I want some cold hard cash, Avid Reader!

However, cash in hand, I return to the subway to get a ticket for 260 Yen to the stop closest to work. If you read a lick of this post, you will know that the ticket machine was only in Japanese! I just need a ticket, I scream! OK, I didn't scream, but instead found the information desk and was able to convince the kind Japanese girl in the top hat and pale yellow blazer to help me buy a ticket.

She graciously accompanied me to the machine, pointed to the money in my hand and to the money slot. SUPER, I thought. Here we go! And wouldn't you know, the screen lit up, she said, "where to" and pointed to the map above the machine that listed my station destination and told me the amount to pay. All I had to do was push the button with the corresponding amount and voila -- A TICKET! It was all I could do to hug my dafodill-jacketed friend and chant "I've got a golden ticket! I've got a golden ticket!" as I raced to the turnstyle. But, you know me, Avid Reader, I'm all about calm, cool, and collected -- traveling internationally is no exception.

Short story longer, I successfully conquer the subway, including a transfer. In other words, I owned that beyotch! I won't mention that I got lost and wandered the back streets of Tokyo upon emerging from the subway "near" work, but I finally made it to Microsoft at noon today, after departing from the hotel at 10AM.

I know now three things relative to my travels:
1. I didn't need to transfer as the transfer station was closer to the office than the one I went to;
2. Home is where the Starbucks mermaid is; she led me the right way once again;
3. Whenever I see another Caucasian person, I somehow seem to think that we have something in common -- that we are together in a strange land -- and then I realize that I'm the idiot who is lost.

Until another adventure -- subway or no...

Tokyo, Round II

Greetings from Japan!

I arrived via an uneventful flight yesterday afternoon and enjoyed a somewhat uneventful train into Tokyo. Interestingly, I was joined on my flight by my colleage Carrie McClinton (left), as well as a handful of other folks from Microsoft making their way to Tokyo for a Digital Readiness Conference here this week.

We checked in to the hotel, met some key agency players in the hotel bar, then enjoyed the craziest dinner I've had in a long time in a place I could not get back to to save my life. One of the 14 of us had some Japanese language skills so ordered "water, beer, food, cheap" for everyone. We were then treated to a 15-course meal of raw squid, tempura'd everything, and one of the tastiest tempura plums in a yogurt/jam dipping sauce!

Photos to come as I didn't capture the squid and am having trouble uploading photos this morning. In the meantime, all is well in Asia (well, at least in my little bubble of it)!

Are You Ready?

I am! I'm packed and awaiting my good friend Jesse Paulson to off me to the airport to head to Tokyo! Yes, Avid Reader, new adventures begin RIGHT NOW!

Stay tuned!