02
June
2008
|
18:40 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Tokyo Diary: Arrival and Immersion...

The flight from SFO to Tokyo Narita airport is just about the right length of time: 9 to 10 hours depending on direction and how the jet stream blows. Enough time to watch a movie, eat dinner, and wake up for the snack 90 minutes from deplaning.

I had barely slept the night before because I felt like a kid again and waiting for Christmas, my first trip to Tokyo. And I didn't feel tired at all when we landed and got onto the bus for the Tokyo Dome Hotel.

After a quick shower we were in the lobby and meeting with Hisashi Katsuya, an executive with IBM Japan. Mr Katsuya is a human social network, a central connector for the Japanese VC and startup communities. He works with IBM venture capital group and is often described as the most connected person in the Japanese VC community. He knows all the startups that are worth knowing.

He is also a native of Tokyo's labyrinth of streets, and knows its narrow alleyways and hidden gems very well. He guided us past ancient temples and down narrow alleys with cobblestones, and then into a tiny restaurant that could have been someone's living room that served superb food.

Here is a quick account:






http://youtube.com/watch?v=JwvvDroHYHg

More essays on Tokyo every day all this week . . .

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