Awakening with the Rising Sun

“Japan never considers time together as time wasted. Rather, it is time invested.”
― Donald Richie, A Lateral View: Essays on Culture and Style in Contemporary Japan

Our annual New Year’s pilgrimage in support of our Japanese business partner, consultants and clients is adventure privileged with beauty, grace, professional growth, and contribution.

Tokyo Westin in the Meguro district is our initial base for the week. It is a relaxed and desired residential ‘hood, which features labyrinths of cozy houses and apartments, appealing restaurants, and invigorating pathways to shake off jet-lag and glimpse the city’s sunrise rituals. The breakfast buffet is a pan-cultural exercise in assorted delights (smoothies, Muesli with fruits, pastries, eggs with salmon, Japanese pickles and radishes, latté and green tea).

Our task the morning after our arrival in the Sugoikaigi dojo, is to freshen the skills of the 20 or so earnest practitioners of our consulting approach. We work through our diligent translator, Maiko, although most essentials are communicated in tone, laughter, posture, and general vibes – it is a treat to work among this group – and it something we never take for granted.

This is also a tribe that knows how to party. We quicken the pace of elevated spirits after a Shinkansen (bullet train) dash across the wintery plain at (Mt.) Fujiama’s feet to Kyoto.
Day 2 seminars take place in beautifully repurposed monks’ quarters now serving as a PlanDoSee (Yuki’s client) wedding destination. Lovely zen temples spread out from these grounds and offer an inspiring break from deliberations about “transformation”.

The evening’s entertainment is a house warming at Kawai-chan’s modern home. Adorable kids, sushi extravaganzas, and delicate melodies and tittering parlor games of invited Geishas are the centerpiece of the festivities.

Lisa and I retire before the after-parties kick in. We retreat to our riverview room at the Ritz Carlton Kyoto – a breathtaking fusion of traditional Japanese refinement and modern advantage. I indulge in a warm soak to drain the weariness of the trip, while nodding off to imprints of bonsai, foot-lit bamboo, and fine silk.

Back in Tokyo with Zen Ohasi (partner) we host a conference of 100 CEO’s – business leaders, key staff, and in-house performance coaches. It is always a high-wire act: creating and leading a day long, big-stakes event, translating across language barriers and culture perspectives, and delivering on a promise of “your best year ever!”

Next evening we recognize 2014’s “black belt” performers: 2 consultants who have heroically created breakthroughs in their effectiveness and results. It a beer and sake lubricated affair aboard a private vessel steaming around the Tokyo Bay. After the award ceremony, pledging consultants perform a ritualized Sumo match –crashing into the dinner tables – terrifying women and delighting little children in attendance. These guys know how to party!

Lisa and I are able to relax for a 3-day weekend (Monday is Young Adults Day – coming of age for 20 year olds), before I resume consulting with another private Tokyo based client. We taxi to the Marunouchi (financial) district and the Palace Hotel, which commands a royal vista of the Imperial Gardens (still occupied by the Emperor’s family).

The newly opened hotel – welcoming, elegant, tasteful – is ground zero for spectacular weddings. This weekend they host about 20 fairytale celebrations that are captivating in their pageantry, detail, and preparation. We smile at the wistful brides, and flash the V-sign to terrified grooms!

We have 3 indulgent days to jog around the Palace grounds (think Central Park, with way more colorful work-out gear) foray into the heart of Ginza’s shopping emporiums, and travel via the metro to seek out the soul of the legendary “Harajuku” girls.

Each year, as I board the Airport Limo for the long ride back to Narita, I am convinced I am departing the world’s most civilized land.

Sayonara.

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