I’m in a lounge at Narita Airport now. I completed my tour of four Asian countries just two days ago. I’ll be leaving from here for the United States. A delicious Soup Stock Tokyo soup that was served at the airport lounge reminded me of Masamichi Toyama, the founder of the company that produced this soup. The Asahi Shimbun GLOBE Sunday Edition that I picked up to browse through in the lounge reminded me of its chief editor, Takeshi Yamawaki. The thought that past participants in the G1 Summit are successfully working in various branches of our society makes me very happy.

I arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after 9 a.m. local time. It’s raining. I have an appointment in Chicago at 2 p.m. After that appointment, I’ll leave for New York on a late afternoon flight without staying in Chicago overnight. This is going to be another business trip filled with flights.

After finishing my meeting in Chicago, I rode in a Lincoln back to O’Hare Airport. I ordered a bottle of Samuel Adams and watched a Republican Party conference on CNN in an airport lounge. Then I boarded an American Airlines flight to my next destination. I’m enjoying my trip to New York now, feeling like I’m in the United States.

My flight arrived in New York. From my airplane window, the night view of Manhattan looked like it was lacking in something. It might have looked that way because the World Trade Center isn’t there anymore. The unchanged Manhattan skyscrapers seemed to suggest stagnation after visiting places like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai, where high-rises are built every year. Arriving at my hotel in New York, I went to the penthouse pool on the 48th floor for a swim to keep myself fit and prepare for the next day.

I bought a cup of Indian-style milk tea and a scone at a Starbucks across the street from my hotel in New York, and hopped in a cab a little after 6 a.m. I’m on my way to Connecticut now. The flat surface of the East River is reflecting the morning sun. The cab is traveling down a freeway with the fresh green of spring on both sides. A blue sky is spread above. The sun is intensifying. It’s a nice day that fits my image of spring on the East Coast.

After one appointment in Connecticut and three more in New York, I met Alan Patricof, the founder of Apax Partners, over lunch. He was as energetic as ever. At night, I went to MEGU, the first Japanese restaurant in the world to win six stars from the Michelin Guide, and had the most exquisite chef’s recommended course dinner. In a word, it was superb. It was a dinner fit for a king.
I will be meeting with investors early in the morning the next day, too.

After a dip in the swimming pool overlooking Central Park, I checked out of my hotel in New York. I bought an iced tea at Starbucks and got in a taxi. This morning, my taxi traveled along the Hudson River and crossed the George Washington Bridge. The elegant shape of the silver bridge shone brilliantly in the morning sun. I’m going to board a private jet, visit two places in Michigan, and head to Chicago today.

I’m about to board a private jet now. This is my third time using a chartered flight. I had used domestic flights and cars for traveling in the United States before, but trips like the one ahead of me take at least two days when I travel that way. But I can complete the same trip in a day using a charter. A jet seems economical, too, because I’ll fly with two other people. It’s time for me to take off into the blue sky now.

Leaving the private jet upon its arrival at a Michigan airport, I took a car to meet a local investor. This investor and I have known each other for 13 years. It’s a delight to know someone like him, who always gives me a warm welcome. After spending some stimulating time discussing business with him, I rode back to the airport in the taxi and took off into the blue expanse again. After doing the same thing twice more, I left the private jet in Chicago. Now I’m taking a domestic flight to Los Angeles.

My flight arrived in Los Angeles. There was a full stretch limousine waiting outside the arrival gate to pick me up. I don’t know why. There could have been a mistake in the way my car was arranged. Or it could have been a lack of other available automobiles. Anyway, it was my very first time traveling in this kind of luxury vehicle. I switched the overhead light on and turned up the radio volume. Now the limousine is driving down a Los Angeles street. I’m enjoying the drive with a drink from a built-in cooler in my hand. I decided to enjoy this rare opportunity as much as possible. My exhaustion evaporated after the ride.

I’ve flown on a private jet. I’ve had a full stretch limousine waiting for me when I arrived. “What a lovely way to travel,” I thought. Now I’m on my way to the Beverly Hills Hilton. I’m staying there because it is a venue for a conference that will start tomorrow. The radio is playing Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” in the background. I can’t help smiling because everything is fitting together so perfectly.

I came to Los Angeles for two reasons. The first reason is to speak as a panelist at the Milken Institute Global Conference, the largest international meeting in the United States, where Bill Clinton is also scheduled to speak this year. The second reason is to meet the top investor for Globis Capital Partners (GCP). Los Angeles was my fourth destination on this tour after Chicago, New York, and Michigan.

The New York Times had an article on GLOBIS titled “Tokyo Business School Helps Rebuild Areas Hit by Quake” (http://t.co/zxLpjtDM) in April. This story appeared in the newspaper even though the media in Japan showed no interest in covering our Tohoku support project.

It’s time for me to start working in Los Angeles now. I have an appointment with an investor here at 6:30 in the morning. Then I will attend the Milken Institute Global Conference.

I’m at the Milken Institute Global Conference now, following my meeting with the investor. At a session on venture companies, a panelist pointed out, “New York began to grow as a hub second in size only to Silicon Valley.” I intuitively felt that Tokyo was on the right track in terms of its number of entrepreneurs and their networks when I heard that comment. Venture companies in Japan will become more and more interesting from now on. Thinking of that, I feel excited.

All the events scheduled for the first day of the Milken Institute Global Conference are over. We sang Lionel Richie’s song, “Hello,” in a chorus to close the first day. As expected, the song had a powerful impact. I’m going to fly to San Francisco tomorrow after taking the platform in the early morning and speaking for a video interview. The end of this tour across the United States is finally in sight.

It’s 6:00 in the morning in Los Angeles. I’m going to speak at 8 a.m. My muscles were stiff when I woke up. There is a good reason for that. I had swum five times, almost once a day, as if I were at a swimming training camp. I thought about swimming again just now, but I decided not to because I’ll be speaking very soon. What I gained from this business trip is fitness. I couldn’t swim even once during the Asian tour in the previous week because of a bad cough.

I just finished speaking as a panelist at the Milken Institute Global Conference. I think I was the only Japanese speaker at this meeting, because there was no panel on Japan this year. Taking part in this conference last year with Kotaro Tamura was fun. I felt a little lonely this year. But I have a sense of accomplishment. I said everything I wanted to say on the panel, I think. After being videotaped for an interview, I left the Milken Institute for the airport. I’m flying out to San Francisco now.

I’m on my way to the airport after finishing a business meeting in San Francisco and changing into a polo shirt and sneakers. I stayed in San Francisco for just three hours. It was a short visit, but the time I spent here was very meaningful. My taxi is driving south down US Route 101. Arid hills with sporadic shrubs are spread across both sides of the highway. There is a blue Californian sky above. The cab will reach the airport soon.

I devoted the first half of the “Golden Week” of Japanese national holidays to this Pan-American tour, visiting five areas, namely, Chicago, New York, Michigan, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, in five business days. I had business meetings at each of these locations, was a panel speaker at a conference, and swam five times over the course of five days. It was a substantial tour. I’m going home now. My plan is to spend the second half of Golden Week with my family. I’m looking forward to playing hard with my kids at a mountain lodge.

I’m back in Japan. I put up carp streamers after playing tennis and baseball with my children. Seven carp streamers swimming in the sky is a sight to see. It had been my dream for many years to have a house where I could put up carp streamers. Now I always fly the streamers during Golden Week every year.

I hope to swim around the world freely, like those carps in the sky, and keep meeting people along the way.