|
This newsletter is a little different from my usual one. I spent the entire week in Tokyo, working, reconnecting, and revisiting places and people who have shaped my Japan journey over the years. Instead of diving deep into one theme, this week unfolded as a series of moments that together reminded me why being in Tokyo always feels both grounding and energizing. My first day back set everything in motion. I found myself slipping effortlessly into conversations that traced their roots all the way back to student days, MBA days, and even a podcast I once recorded from my home office. It was a day full of gentle reunions and new beginnings, all threaded together by the sense that relationships in Japan grow quietly over time and then reappear right when they are meant to. The second day began in Otemachi with a morning session that shifted from technical to surprisingly warm thanks to a simple icebreaker. The afternoon was filled with conversations about building things that matter, supporting founders, helping people communicate with confidence, and finding the right scaffolding for new ideas to take shape. It had that unmistakable Tokyo fullness, not tiredness but a feeling of being completely engaged. (My Tuesday post with the full story is on LinkedIn) The third day blended nostalgia and new insight. A morning meeting led into a slow walk through Ginza, where memories lingered in familiar streets. Then came an unexpected Tea Ceremony class with someone from my earliest Japan days, followed by a deep conversation about resilience that carried the day into the present again. It was one of those perfectly layered Tokyo days where business, memory, and culture all find their own place. The fourth day was entirely dedicated to a workshop on communication and workstyle expectations. We talked about confidence, speaking up, and the ways cultural habits both help and hinder us at work. Afterward I shared photos from the Tokyo Marathon in Monzennakacho, complete with taiko and the local yatai cheering runners through the neighborhood. Another reminder that Tokyo is really many small towns stitched into one.(The full Thursday post is on LinkedIn.) The fifth day brought me across the city to reconnect with people from different chapters of my Japan life. Conversations ranged from community events that have grown beyond what anyone imagined, to leadership and global talent development, to innovation projects weaving together global thinking and local realities. I ended the day at a club where a cardboard cutout of a certain secret agent added a playful twist to an already full week. Taken together, these days were a tapestry of meetings, memories, workshops, old streets, new ideas, and quiet moments of recognition. Tokyo has a way of stitching past and present together until they meet effortlessly. This week reminded me once again why every return trip feels like stepping back into a story that is still being written. Warmly,
Saskia
|
