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March 2004 - Posts

Jetlagged but jogging

Somehow my body decided 5 am was the best time to get out of bed. I made some breakfast and then went jogging for a while at Greenlake around 6:30 in the morning. This is not a normal time of day for me to exercise… jogging I consider perfectly Read More...
Posted Wednesday, March 31, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Serving notice

Every time I’ve returned from a long vacation to my job at Microsoft, I’ve struggled with a ton of unpleasant feelings and internal conflicts. Most of the time, I just worked to quiet my impulses to run away and then I’d be able to hold Read More...
Posted Tuesday, March 30, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments

A very clean and busy final day

Hectic, but productive… my last day in Tokyo involved checking out of an Ōmori hotel and rushing to a 10:30 am meeting with at the Shimbashi-area office of a Japanese soap company. Their most distinctive product is made with white cedar extract Read More...
Posted Monday, March 29, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Ceramics buying trip in Mashiko, and meeting the potters

Today was my first purchase of note. I picked ceramic wares from three different artists at two different dealers. My original intent was to buy from four separate dealers, but time was getting tight. I ended up buying a substantial amount of work from Read More...
Posted Sunday, March 28, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 2 Comments

Hanami: Cherry blossom viewing

Everything seemed to move in slow motion today, except my watch. I got out of my hotel around 10:30, about 30 minutes after the official checkout time. Today the plan was to go meet some of Hiromi’s friends for a slightly premature hanami (cherry Read More...
Posted Saturday, March 27, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Jack's Cafe and cassis sorbet

After exchanging a dozen or so email messages with my shipping vendor, a company that I’m meeting with on Monday, and a Taiwanese tea company, and a few others, I was able to contact a friend in San Francisco via MSN Messenger who may help me with Read More...
Posted Friday, March 26, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Charcoal man sober, dinner in Yokohama

Thursday, March 25, 2004 Michiko and I had made arrangements to speak with Takeshi-san again today to arrange for some product samples that he had promised while slightly intoxicated. In the morning he was pleasant but a little different in demeanor than Read More...
Posted Thursday, March 25, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Coincidental charcoal and old friends

The last time I saw my friend Sakurako, who was an exchange student while I attended my first year of school at DePauw University, was just before Christmas in 1998 when I visited Japan for the first time. I have been in touch with her occasionally by Read More...
Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Osaka diversion

Sachi and I planned to meet briefly after work today, so I checked out and left my baggage with the hotel. I went to Osaka during the daytime, mostly wandering around Umeda without much of a real objective, even as a tourist. A Korean import/export company Read More...
Posted Tuesday, March 23, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Touring Wakayama

The lack of sleep caught up with me. I got out of bed around 5am again only to realize that the only motivation for that was to turn off the alarm clock on my cell phone, which was reprising yesterday’s schedule. I slept another 3 hours or so. After Read More...
Posted Monday, March 22, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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The Big Buddha: Off to Wakayama and Nara

Awakened by about four alarm clocks after a short night’s sleep, I found my way to Haneda airport. My confusion transferring at Shinagawa meant that I only had a minute or so to spare when trying to transfer to the express Keikyu line. I ended up Read More...
Posted Sunday, March 21, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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On dinner parties and not traveling light

Saturday, March 20, 2004 This morning I packed up my larger suitcase, which is now full of product samples and related pamphlets, in preparation for an early Sunday departure to Kansai airport. I think there’s a little bit of clothing somewhere Read More...
Posted Saturday, March 20, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Bewitched in Japan

Today I didn’t feel very productive, but I did get my account with Yamato Transport established and I got a confirmation on an appointment with a soap company I’m very interested in buying from. Other than that, I sent out a few inquiries Read More...
Posted Friday, March 19, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Japanese-Indian, French pastries, and comfort food

I spent most of the day writing email messages to various companies, and responding to a couple of incoming messages. I occasionally took short breaks to finish reading Jeffrey Steingarten’s book, It must have been something I ate . I actually read Read More...
Posted Thursday, March 18, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 1 Comments
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Eating Italian in Japan; where else?

Today I met with a representative from a company that makes yuzu drink “marmalades” in Korea and we talked for a couple of hours about products and selling strategies. Actually I can get customized labels and even packaging, so that will be Read More...
Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Building my supplier network and logistics

I had some return contact from some of my favorite potential suppliers today, so that was gratifying. I also sent some inquiries out to some freight and web hosting companies since I’ll need to have some solution for transporting products and I Read More...
Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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OK, time to do some real work

I tried to sort through piles of brochures and business cards today and I sent out a few follow-up inquiries to some companies that I have the most interest in. I think I got far less done than I should have, but it was at least an acceptable start. I Read More...
Posted Monday, March 15, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Kamakura and a day of serious snacking

I got a bit of a late start today, even though I woke up at a reasonable hour. Around 11am Hiromi drove us to Kamakura. After finding parking, we headed to a place that serves purple sweet potato soft ice cream. We ended up noshing at various streetside Read More...
Posted Sunday, March 14, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Slacking in Yokohama and Omote-Sando

I suppose I could say I took the day off today. Hiromi and I went to a crepe shop in Omote-sando which is famous for its soba (buckwheat) crepes. I ate most of a carrot soup, and I ordered a buckwheat crepe with fresh fava beans, various vegetables, an Read More...
Posted Saturday, March 13, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Hoteres, Day 2: Nifty equipment and ceramics

I decided after all to go back to the Hoteres show, which turns out to have been a good idea. I found a lot of suppliers of ceramics mostly focusing on restaurant clients, one of which can also serve as an export agent for products from a potter I like Read More...
Posted Friday, March 12, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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FoodEx Day 3 and on to Hoteres

I had a pretty interesting conversation with a Sri Lankan tea company director… They have a pretty decent upscale tea that they mostly sell in England, and they aren’t very happy with their U.S. distributor, which has started to focus on its Read More...
Posted Thursday, March 11, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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FoodEx, Day 2: Sweets, tea, and soy

Today I was blown away by a Hong Kong confection that’s sort of like a grown up version of cotton candy with a nice crunch, nice flavor, and beautiful packaging. I think it was the most compelling item of the day… they have no agent in the Read More...
Posted Wednesday, March 10, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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FoodEx trade show, day 1

Today was the first day of FoodEx and I must have visited several hundred booths and talked to people at several dozen. The experience was truly dizzying. Some 2,300 companies are exhibiting, catering to manufacturers, restaurant and food service, intermediate Read More...
Posted Tuesday, March 09, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Visiting the pottery town, Mashiko

For a day which I had originally written off as an R&R day, I was incredibly productive. Somehow Japanese style domestic travel usually means going to be early… Especially if one soaks in a hot springs bath for more than 30 minutes a day. It Read More...
Posted Sunday, March 07, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Relaxing in Nasu-shiobara at a hot spring

Daylight suffices to signal my body to wake up. Outside, fresh snow is accumulating on the trees and rooftops. My friend’s hopes of driving to Nikko are dashed by reports of poor road conditions, so she makes inquiries about things one can do in Read More...
Posted Saturday, March 06, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Arrival and collapse

I arrived at Narita airport and cruised through passport control, baggage claim and customs unusually quickly. After getting a small amount of cash at the Citibank ATM, I made a stop at the KDDI/au booth on the fourth floor of the airport to inquire about Read More...
Posted Friday, March 05, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 0 Comments
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Flying away from my old life

Under something close to the least favorable economic conditions of my short life, facing the prospect of casting aside a mostly respectable seven-year career at the largest software company on the planet should be terrifying. Instead, I am strangely Read More...
Posted Thursday, March 04, 2004 12:00 AM by jason | 7 Comments
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