This was a very busy week visiting with the CIOs and CEOs of our businesses in Japan. Bouncing between offices every day in taxis with drivers who only speak Japanese added to the complexity.
The flight over was very comfortable – a new business class configuration with only 4 seats across and lie-flat beds meant I was able to get some good sleep. I watched the movie “Money Monster” with Julie Roberts and George Clooney and directed by Jodie Foster – I give it a B-. Much better was “Born to be Blue” starring Ethan Hawke as Chet Baker, “the James Dean of Jazz”.
The video system had a large collection of music as well. I really enjoyed a New Orleans jazz CD by Al Hirt , “Strutting Down Royal St”.
Another CD I enjoyed was by Charles Lloyd and the Marvels.
I was able to enjoy a couple of good nights out in Tokyo with our excellent hosts. Here’s Deepak with his model of the “Black Ship” that Captain Perry sailed to Yokohama in 1854, and began opening up Japan to the West.
Our first adventure was at Gonpachi, a restaurant featured in the movie Kill Bill that had very good barbecued food. It was also apparently the place where George W. Bush was hosted by the Japanese Prime Minister in 2002 and got food poisoning.
Our second outing was to Mixology, a craft cocktail bar in Akasaka. This is an area of Tokyo with a lot of small and very unique stores. The cocktails were excellent and watching the precision and detailed work by the bar tenders was very educational. 
I had a cocktail that was mixed with smoke in a skull vodka bottle – very good – almost like a Talisker peaty scotch from Islay. The food was very creative as well – here’s a picture of an egg with a syringe of Sauterne wine that was injected after the soft boiled egg had cooled for a few 
minutes. I can’t imagine this dish would be allowed in the United States.
Another highlight of the trip was getting to stay at the excellent Andaz hotel again. Below are pictures of the view from the gym and the 35th floor pool.
The flight home was smooth and uneventful. Just a few days to rest and get time zone adjusted before heading to Scotland for my Dad’s 80th birthday celebration.