As most of my trips go, this visit to Japan was full of purpose and typically overextended in commitments. Arriving last Tuesday, the first 2 full days were dedicated to business in Tokyo. On Friday, I headed for Tokyo Station with Akasaka-san, one of my work colleagues, to catch a train for Itoh, a small coastal town in the eastern seaboard of Izu Peninsula in Honshu, Japan’s main island. Our ultimate destination was an executive briefing facility that my company uses to host clients and is nested on the highlands region that is part of the Amagi mountain range, overlooking Mount Fuji (or Fuji-san as this famous volcano is respectfully referred to by Japanese nationals). My company’s Amagi facility is remote enough that we get our clients’ undivided attention during their stay there. It is ... read more

As the intensive business week closed yesterday night in Beijing, I was now free to explore new places in China. My Colleagues, Liz Headland and Sam Yeung accompanied me in a trek to Simatai, a segment of the Great Wall that remains largely as the Ming Dynasty left it, 500 years ago. The striking beauty and authenticity of the Simatai segment prompted UNESCO to grant the “World Cultural Heritage Site” designation to the Great Wall of China. Since Simatai has not undergone the extensive restoration projects that other Great Wall segments such as Badalin and Mutianyu have experienced and it is located relatively far away from Beijing (about 125 km or 80 Miles away), the place is not overrun by hordes of tourists as the better-known sites are. The only bad news today was that the ... read more

This was just another tightly scheduled business trip, full of meetings, appointments, and even a trade show to cover in between. But journeying to Tokyo is always a homecoming for me and no matter how tight the schedule, I can always take time off to visit the old neighborhood, my favorite eateries, and even some of the sites that make Tokyo one of the most interesting cities on Earth. This time it was no exception; taking advantage of my arrival on a weekend, I planned a stroll by the Meiji-Jingu shrine on Sunday, November 12, and was rewarded by the sights of several colorful activities typical of the season: On approaching the main shrine complex, there were temporary display structures on both sides of the pathway containing this year’s entries for the chrysanthemum and bonsai show. ... read more

With only a couple of additional days left for us in Buenos Aires, Monday needed to include some needed gift shopping and perhaps some additional point-of-interest visits. After our always-anticipated buffet breakfast at the Marriott, we left our hotel in search of some items requested by my wife Elizabeth. Since she owns several teapots from around the World (mostly from Asia), she had asked me to look in Argentina for something unique from this country. We focused our search in the area close to Retiro, but after going into several stores selling Argentinean crafts and inquiring about teapots, they only offered blank stares back and advised us to go into this or that other specialized store. As we followed their advice, we found the stores to be kitchen-supply-stores selling the type of pots and pans that ... read more

After another quick breakfast in a considerably busier hotel restaurant, we readied ourselves for a visit to one of the Guaraní villages in the area. All of the students from University of New Mexico occupying most of our hotel were also getting ready for their visit to the Iguazú National Park. As they boarded a large coach (similar to the one that took us to the park the day before), a large truck, similar to an army personnel carrier, arrived at the premises to pick the three of us up. Our “expedition” must have seemed either terrible or much more interesting to the students, since the entire bus load could not take their eyes from our large 4x4 as we passed by their coach and left the hotel. Before actually heading for our destination, our driver ... read more