I plan to sample as much of the cuisine as possible while living here. Yes, I am fully aware that I may gain several kilos in the process, but it’s a small price to pay for the opportunity to say “oishii” (“yummy/delicious”) at the end of a meal! I’ll count the walking to and from the train stations as part of the fitness program.

My recent adventures have uncovered some great local meals, including:

^^ This ramen noodle bowl (my first ever, actually, as I have been vehemently opposed to those Maruchan brand packets of salted noodles my entire life), complete with scallions (green onions), jellyfish (that purple stuff on top), nori (seaweed), soft boiled eggs, and a delicious broth. It was quite amazing. What made it even better was the plate of gyoza and the pint of local brew to complement the meal.

^^ This traditional sashimi appetizer, which was rich in flavor and varied in textures. It barely even needed shoyu (soy sauce) or wasabi for flavoring.

^^ This over-and-above-the-call-of-duty mug of hot chocolate at a small cafe. What was translated simply as “hot chocolate” on the menu turned out to be a rich, creamy beverage topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, chopped nuts, and chocolate sauce. It was decadent.

I plan to continue exploring to find some of the more random and special dishes, but so far I have not been disappointed. Even the take-away meals at the grocery store are pretty tasty. I have been avoiding the typical American chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Applebee’s, and Outback, but will probably venture there at some point just to see how they compare to the US versions.

For those who know me well, you know that I like to find as many uses as possible for Heinz ketchup. You can imagine how thrilled I was to find this at the international grocery store:

I just have no idea what to put it on!

• A window washer was cleaning the exterior windows of a building about 10 stories above the entry doors. There was a separate worker standing in front of the entry doors with an umbrella to shield people walking in and out from the water dripping down.
• A construction worker made a point to acknowledge and bow to each passerby, letting him or her know that it was safe to walk past the active construction site.
• A random person approached me while I was walking through the garden at the Imperial Palace and handed me some dried tea bush seeds, saying, mostly in Japanese with a small smattering of words in English, that I will have great luck if I plant the seeds in my garden.
• During my morning and evening commutes, those on the escalators stand on the left and walk on the right, with precision unseen in any other city I’ve visited. They will always leave space, even if nobody is walking up the right side.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by these gestures, but in a city with the largest population in the world, I was expecting there to be some slip-ups here and there. I have been pleasantly proven incorrect!

He spoke about the challenges we face as a nation, and offered some tangible, actionable solutions to address those problems. I recall in a speech earlier this year President Clinton said “I’m not President so I get to say and do unpopular things”, referring to the fact that he’s not campaigning, so he gets to call things as they are. Today he did a fantastic job of presenting a non-partisan view of the issues, and further displaying his already incredible wealth of knowledge on a variety of subjects. As one commentator said, “he’s a true polymath“.

Whatever you decide to do in this century, I think perhaps the most important question will be “how do you propose to do it?”, so that you turn your good intentions into positive changes. –Fmr. Pres. Clinton

As I do more and more research, I find the work of The Clinton Foundation to be absolutely fascinating, and the strength and breadth of the support in only 10 short years is astonishing. (Something to the tune of 2,000+ commitments helping more than 300 million people.) He drew parallels between the Foundation’s work and the issues we face as a nation and a world, highlighting the importance of co-operation, and the fact that many other developed and prosperous nations embrace the idea of co-operation, which typically leads to positive outcomes. “The debate [in the U.S.] is all wrong,” he said.

He also commented on how he’s worried, even more so recently, about the future of our country and what it means for our ongoing competitiveness among the global economies. The key to long-term success is to improve the percentage of Americans who actually finish a 4-year degree. (He added that the United States is 1st among nations for percentage of population who start a 4-year college degree, and an astonishing 23rd among nations for percentage of population who finish a 4-year college degree.) When asked about the outlook for recent graduates amid the current economic uncertainty, he provided some encouraging words:

Don’t ever make a decision to be disappointed. Make a decision to be happy, to be fulfilled, to succeed. Life has disappointments enough and setbacks enough without that. But there’s no reason for you to be all that pessimistic if we just get our heads on straight and start doing what works. –Fmr. Pres. Clinton

The biggest thrill for me was that David and I happened to be in the right place at the right time following his talk. We found ourselves among a small group of audience-goers who were lining up to shake hands with or get autographs from President Clinton. Lo and behold, David and I both got to look him right in the eye, shake his hand, and thank him for a great talk. I wasn’t fast enough to capture photos of either David or me mid-handshake, but these two images to the right illustrate the moment fairly well.

It was a very memorable experience for me.

Thank you, President Clinton, for your visit and for your enlightening and thought-provoking keynote address.