Japan

Well I (Andrew) am back up in Tokyo again, and have just realised that it's two weeks since I updated the blog. I'm going to be more heavily involved in the work here over the next few months, which will be nice. Japan is a great country, and Tokyo can be a very fun place to work.

Right now it's the height of summer, and temperatures are very high. When I flew in, the sign at the airport said 36.2 degrees. That was at about 3pm. If found out in the paper the following day that some of the cities had posted 40.9 degrees.

Japan is very energy-conscious, and the air-conditioning is not used as liberally as HK. As a result it is very warm even at work - desk fans keep the air moving, but you need strong deodorant. Does not turn into a problem at the office, but by the end of the day it's a relief to walk back and have a shower.

I've just got back from the gym, where I sat on the bike and watched a traffic jam form as a result of a minor nose-to-tail accident on the motorway. The jam was still growing an hour later, and the cars had not been moved. Looking down from level 22 of the building, it did not look bad (the accident, that is), so it's a bit of a puzzle why they did not get on and clear it up. The view from the gym is pretty good and I could see the traffic banked up for kilometers into the distance.

More later.