First day in Japan, and it's pretty awesome so far. The airport and transit systems are clean and efficient. I appreciate that. The ride from Narita to Tokyo was interesting. It seemed like a slowly densifying sprawl as we approached Tokyo, without a center and without any sense of overall composition. In one sense the scene was depressing. There was metal, concrete, grey skies, and very little greenery. Despite this, it strangely felt inviting or comfortable to me.
In the city proper, the strands and textures stacked so tightly together makes for a mind-blowing experience. There are nooks and crannies everywhere, stacked every which way, and the buildings switch styles dramatically. There are alleys galore, and restaurants and shops that open out onto the street. It looks like it would be impossible to eat at every restaurant during one's life, even if you never left Tokyo and ate at a different place every night.
Once I checked in, I walked over to the presentation from our client. I get super lost while I was heading over, and it just got worse when I tried to take the subway to save time. It's like taking the information load of being a student at MIT and splashing that all over the physical world in a blinding spectacle of LCDs, signs, crazy graphics, etc. and it makes it hard to get a handle on what's going on. I think I paid way too much for my subway ride, but whatever.
The meeting went well and the project is interesting. Our hosts brought out snacks and Japanese beer after we finished, and we talked and sat around for a while. Later I ate some sushi at a random hole in the wall, and it was quite good. I decided that I'll eat fish while I'm here, just as I did that one time in Baltimore.