On the way to Long Beach for TED from LAX.

On the way to Midtown Tokyo from Shinagawa station.

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Do-it-yourself "Japanese pizza"
 
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Can you guess what kind of food?
 
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At Hirakata station.
 
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I pointed to this video clip from the US TV talk show Conan O'Brien a couple of months ago. Was reminded of it today. Louis is a comedian so his comments are tongue-in-cheek, but there is some wisdom in there as well. "Everything is amazing and yet nobody is happy" he says. Indeed, sometimes it's important just to slow down, reflect, and appreciate what we've got. These are amazing times indeed. In spite of the problems -- global economic crisis, extremism, the environment, etc. -- there is a lot to appreciate.

 

On the streets of Osaka...
 
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In Japan, apologizing is a big deal. The video below — a parody — touches on some of the finer points. Yes, this is Japanese comedy, but like a lot of good parody, there is truth in there as well. The experienced Japanese visitor will know the difference. This is just for fun, but there are indeed very large differences in how and when to say I am sorry in Japan.

 

On the AM train.
 
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At the subway station in Osaka. Big text is making a statement -- this is no coffee for whimps :-)
 
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