November 17, 2007

Mt Fuji (JAPAN)

Building a Shed, Another Onsen, and Dinner with the CEO of Sony Financial

Days like today only re-iterate what an amazing time I am having in Japan, and without a doubt all credit goes to Kumagai san for the fantastic job she has done organizing the many opportunities I have had. However, before I get ahead of myself with the exciting aspects of the day I must first pay homage to the rough 7am wake-up call.

Despite still being somewhat inebriated from the night before, I munched on my breakfast and drained a cup of coffee before following Nagawa san around the back of the house to begin work on the shed. Although I could see Mt Fuji over the tree line, my attention was focused on the immediate task of building a roof for the structure, and with Julien acting French (lazy, lazy, and lazy) and Neil mastering the art of observation, most of the work fell on my half-frozen fingers. The temperature was just above freezing, and I only have one sweater here in Japan so there was little I could do to stay warm except work harder.

The ineffective Neil left with Nagawa san to pick up Kumagai san and another woman from the bus station, along with supplies from a hardware store, leaving Julien and I alone to work on the shed for four hours. We made remarkable progress, literally constructing the entire roof paneling and support in the time allotted us. It was refreshing to be back out in nature working outside as it is hardly the kind of activity one is exposed to in the urban jungle of Tokyo.

When everyone returned we broke for lunch at a restaurant several kilometers away. I ordered a duck soup that was recommended as the specialty dish, and it did not disappoint - noodles, thinly sliced duck, diced herbs, and a dash of spice all mixed in a light soy based broth. I washed this down with glasses of warm sake, and when the restaurant owner heard I was a student at the Tokyo Institute of Technology ("To Ko Dai" for short) he responded with the typical gasp of astonishment, and immediately followed it up with several bows of respect. As I have been repeatedly told, this university is the "MIT of Japan," which is saying something considering the high level of academics in such a technology driven country as Japan.

After lunch it was back to the grinding stone as we set out paneling the sides of the shed. Having accomplished so much in the morning, I was eager to continue building, and Nagawa san certainly appreciated the effort. We finally wrapped up our efforts around 4pm, and after grabbing a quick change of clothes we immediately set off for the onsen (hot springs).

We ended up spending longer than originally planned at the onsen because it was a particularly nice one with a variety of options to choose from: showers, indoor public baths, outdoor hot springs, 10m hot-water waterfalls, a steam room, an indoor swimming pool, a frigid Jacuzzi, and so so forth. Anyway, by the end of it I resembled, as they say in Japanese, a "cooked octopus," but after the long day of hammering, sawing, and measuring it was a welcome time for relaxation.

Afterward, we hurried home to prepare for a dinner engagement later in the evening. I wasn't entirely aware of what we were doing for dinner until Kumagai san said we were eating at the home of the CEO of Sony Financial, Tokunaka san. I probably shouldn't have been too surprised considering the other connections Kumagai san has established for me, but considering it was only a 50m walk to his house I couldn't help being astonished. Even more taken aback were Neil and Julien, both of whom were especially keen to hear that Tokunaka san worked with the "father of Playstation," Ken Kutaragi. Perhaps I should be more explicit when I say he "worked with" him - rather, Kutaragi san, the Playstation equivalent of Steve Jobs for Apple, worked for Tokunaka san.

Both Tokunaka san and his wife were extremely accommodating, and they cooked a shabu shabu nabe pot with wines from all corners of the globe. The conversation stayed in English most of the time, which really gave an indication of the highly educated company present. Tokunaka san was impressed when he heard that we were all studying and doing research at Tokyo Tech, so he encouraged us to ask us any questions we might have. I jumped at the opportunity, and non-stop chatter lasted straight through dinner.

To re-cap some of what was said, my first question for Tokunaka san was how a law student from the University of Tokyo ended up becoming one of the most successful businessmen in Sony, Japan's most recognizable company? He responded by saying that it wasn't as difficult as some people might imagine (something I have suspected all along), and that as long as one learns critical thinking and has the experience of digging deeply in a particular field then everything else will fall into place. I also asked what he thought were the three most common traits among the successful businessmen he has seen? He responded with: passion for the work at hand, critical thinking to solve problems and stay realistic, and organizational skills to be a strong leader and stay focused. My last topic dealt with Sony Playstation, and although this was an umbrella question that incorporated an array of tangents, he was intrigued by how fascinated I was in the business model. Further, Neil and Julien are serious gamers who know many of the technical details and historical aspects of the the gaming industry, so there were more than a few occasions when everyone at the table broke into laughter when we were up-to-date with the less-known aspects of the industry.

After dinner I cleaned the dishes to show my gratitude for the host and his lovely wife who prepared such an excellent meal (we tried some very expensive side dishes that I will likely never have again.) Meanwhile, Tokunaka san pulled aside Kumagai san and said he would try to arrange a dinner so we could all meet Kutaragi san, and pose our questions to him directly. The opportunity to meet such a well-known figure was mind-boggling to Neil, Julien, and me, and we all showed our enthusiasm at the prospect (although it still seemed like a real long shot.)

We left Tokunaka san's house around midnight, and walked back to Nagawa san's house down the street. However, since there were more people staying tonight, we decided to sleep at his second home on Mt Fuji, which is located a few miles away. This was my first time sleeping on traditional tatami mats, although they were far more comfortable than I first envisioned.

Lying on the mat waiting for sleep, I looked back on the events of the day: from building a shed to sobe noodles to the luxurious onsen to dinner with Tokunaka san to sleeping in another house at the base of imposing Mt Fuji, life could not be much more exhilarating.