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This week I'm writing from Minneapolis, where I've been spending a few days on business. The timing has been perfect. The trees are full of autumn color, the air has a definite chill that reminds you winter isn't far away, and after years of California weather, I'm finding that I rather enjoy it. There's something energizing about crisp mornings, colourful leaves, and needing a proper coat again. At the same time, my thoughts have been drifting back across the Pacific. As it turns out, my recent trip to Japan won't be my last visit of the year. After returning home convinced that ten days in Tokyo would be enough to sustain me for a while, I learned that I'll be heading back in mid-November for another round of client meetings, workshops, demos, and conversations. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. Looking back at this week's posts, I realized they all explore different ways of seeing a familiar place. On Monday, I wrote about spending an hour with no agenda at Tokyo Station. After a week packed with meetings, events, and travel, I found myself sitting near Marunouchi simply watching Tokyo move around me. Commuters heading home, tourists taking photos, friends meeting for dinner, and travelers rushing toward trains all became a reminder of something we often forget. We don't always need to fill every spare moment with activity. Sometimes the most restorative thing we can do is pay attention to where we already are. On Wednesday, I shared the news that I'll be returning to Tokyo in November. The post reflects on one of the things I enjoy most about consulting: the fact that the most interesting work often begins after a workshop ends. Questions lead to conversations, conversations lead to ideas, and ideas gradually turn into practical solutions. It also reminded me how unusual it feels, even now, to realize that speaking Japanese, facilitating workshops, and supporting clients in Japan has become such a significant part of my professional life. Looking back, the path makes perfect sense. Looking forward from where I started, I never would have predicted it. For Fun Friday, I wrote about staying with a friend in Etchujima, a part of Tokyo that offered a completely different perspective on the city. From views of the Tokyo Skytree and distant Disney fireworks to walks past the historic Meiji Maru, the neighborhood sits comfortably between old Tokyo and new Tokyo. What made the experience especially memorable wasn't any particular landmark, however. It was having the opportunity to experience the city through someone else's daily routine and to see a familiar place from a different angle. Taken together, this week's posts all revolve around perspective. Whether we pause to observe a busy city street, revisit a place that has shaped our careers, or see a familiar city through a friend's window, our perspective changes what we notice. The places themselves may not have changed very much, but our understanding of them often does. Perhaps that's one reason I keep returning to Japan. No matter how familiar it becomes, there always seems to be another conversation, another neighborhood, or another moment that reveals something I hadn't noticed before. Thank you, as always, for reading. Warmly, Saskia
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